5 replies to this topic

[markdohle]

Living deeply

Perceptions can be wrong, dangerous and life denying.  They often come from our deep past, making trust of others difficult. Or if trust broken after a new beginning, the over-reaction can often be directed at everyone and leading to closing oneself off even more.  It takes courage and trust; choices that are painful and difficult, to open up again and move forward in life.  To live fully has a price, so does being overprotective of one-self and living in isolation.  Pain is an important part of life, though one that most of us (me mostly) would like otherwise.  To become more human, life has to be embraced and to just take the next step forward may be all we can do....it is enough.  Life can be lived deeply, though it may never be fully understood.  Faith can be a difficult path to traverse for the mystery only deepens the further we go and learn to trust.

[Beany]

Maybe pain has a purpose: to move us forward towards something better, because it's too painful to stay where we're at. It's like a broom that sweeps us and keeps us moving. My life was once full of pain, but I finally realized I was the cause of all of it, and I'd had enough of it. I've had counseling, I've read & studied psychological & spiritual texts, attended Al-anon, took a lot of classes & workshops, adopted spiritual practices, and it all helped. For me, and this is only for me, the crucial part was to take responsibility for the state of my life, and quit blaming others & circumstances for my unhappiness. Once I started being pro-active instead of reactive, life began to get better. Every now & then I discover that I've put myself in the victim state and become a whiner instead of a problem solver, but it happens less & less.

[markdohle]

Beany, on 01 December 2012 - 03:45 PM, said:

Maybe pain has a purpose: to move us forward towards something better, because it's too painful to stay where we're at. It's like a broom that sweeps us and keeps us moving. My life was once full of pain, but I finally realized I was the cause of all of it, and I'd had enough of it. I've had counseling, I've read & studied psychological & spiritual texts, attended Al-anon, took a lot of classes & workshops, adopted spiritual practices, and it all helped. For me, and this is only for me, the crucial part was to take responsibility for the state of my life, and quit blaming others & circumstances for my unhappiness. Once I started being pro-active instead of reactive, life began to get better. Every now & then I discover that I've put myself in the victim state and become a whiner instead of a problem solver, but it happens less & less.

WOW, that is quite a statment, going to keep this for further reading my friend.

peace
mark

[Liquid Gardens]

markdohle, on 01 December 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

Living deeply

Perceptions can be wrong, dangerous and life denying.  They often come from our deep past, making trust of others difficult. Or if trust broken after a new beginning, the over-reaction can often be directed at everyone and leading to closing oneself off even more.  It takes courage and trust; choices that are painful and difficult, to open up again and move forward in life.  To live fully has a price, so does being overprotective of one-self and living in isolation.  Pain is an important part of life, though one that most of us (me mostly) would like otherwise.  To become more human, life has to be embraced and to just take the next step forward may be all we can do....it is enough.  Life can be lived deeply, though it may never be fully understood.  Faith can be a difficult path to traverse for the mystery only deepens the further we go and learn to trust.

Interesting thoughts, I especially like and agree with the 'just taking the next step forward is enough' sentiment.  The last line above probably raises the most red flags for me personally though; just like perceptions, faith and trust can be wrong, dangerous, and life-denying.

[Beany]

I was at work yesterday exchanging complaints with a co-worker bout how the work environment has degraded, then I realized I was doing it again. Whining, without a thought about what I could do to improve the situation. Aargh! Which I know makes me really unhappy, acting as if I have no power at all. I'm much happier when I take the time to figure out what the problems are and what I can personally do to make things more tolerable, instead of leaving it up to someone else, who may or may not recognize the problem or may or may not come up with effective solutions.

[Orcseeker]

Pain is a way to move forward and become a stronger person (in the right amount of doses of course). A pain between two people once healed can bring them closer together or destroy them.