Eschatological Laundry List

by chickpea 3 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • chickpea
    chickpea

    Eschatology (from the Greek?s?at?? , Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world.( wikipedia)

    when i was in college back in the late 70s, i read a book called if you meet the buddha on the road, kill him: the pilgrimage of psychotherapy patients by sheldon kopp

    this list was the epilogue.... having come of age in the 70s, there is very little of the text i can recall, (or much of the 70s for that matter)... so i am ordering the book to read again

    A Partial Register of the 927 Eternal Truths ( or is it 928? )


    1. This is it!

    2. There are no hidden meanings.

    3. You can't get there from here, and besides there is no place else to go.

    4. We are all already dying, and we will be dead for a long time.

    5. Nothing lasts.

    6. There is no way of getting all you want.

    7. You can't have anything until you let go of it.

    8. You only get to keep what you give away.

    9. There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.

    10. The world is not necessarily just, being good often does not pay
    off and there is no compensation for misfortune.

    11. You have a responsibility to do your best nonetheless.

    12. It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.

    13. You don't really control anything.

    14. You can't make anyone love you.

    15. No one is any stronger or weaker than anyone else.

    16. Everyone is, in their own way vulnerable.

    17. There are no great people.

    18. If you have a hero, look again; You have diminished yourself in some way.

    19. Everyone lies, cheats & pretends.

    20. All evil is potential vitality in need of transformation.

    21. All of you is worth something, if you will only own it.

    22. Progress is an illusion.

    23. Evil can be displaced but never eradicated, as all solutions breed new problems.

    24. Yet it is necessary to keep struggling toward solution.

    25. Childhood is a nightmare.

    26. But it is very hard to be an on-your-own, take-care-of-yourself-cause
    there-is-no-one-else-to-do-it-for-you grown up.

    27. Each of us is ultimately alone.

    28. The most important things, each person must do for themselves.

    29. Love is not enough, but it sure helps.

    30. We have only ourselves, and one another. That may not be much, but that's all there is.

    31. How strange, that so often, it all seems worth it.

    32. We must live with the ambiguity of partial freedom,
    partial power and partial knowledge.

    33. All important decisions must be made on the basis of insufficient data.

    34. Yet we are responsible for everything we do.

    35.No excuses will be accepted.

    36. You can run, but you can't hide.

    37. It is most important to run out of scapegoats.

    38. We must learn the power of living with our helplessness.

    39. The only victory, lies in surrender to oneself.

    40. All of the significant battles are waged within yourself.

    41. You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.

    42. What do you know……..for sure……….. anyway?

    43. Learn to forgive yourself, again and again and again and again.
  • Carmel
    Carmel

    hmmm, I hope it's free! you'll be getting your money's worth.... carm

  • parakeet
    parakeet

    I've had that book for a long time, chickpea, and it is still worth the money, although Kopp was a Freudian therapist (now a pretty much discredited mode of treatment). The laundry list is correct and complete.

    The passage I like best from his book is the Hasidic saying he quotes:

    ".... a man must have two pockets into which he can reach at one time or another, according to his needs. In his right pocket he must keep the words: 'For my sake was the world created.' And in his left: 'I am dust and ashes.'"

  • tinker
    tinker

    ah, the 70's. I didn't go to college but everything I really needed to know, I learned from The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy.

    So long and thanks for all the fish.

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