Contradictions, contradictions.Do they end?

[Luxord]

"I should feel bad and be realistic about the world. Look at how ****ed up it is", yet people tell me to brighten up because I am not them. I can't feel better because I am not them and feel worse like I am "supposed" to because I am not at the same time. which one do you want me to do? Just a contradiction in common teachings in society or at least in my life I have found.

Have you found any contradictions?

[Luxord]

hey. I meant to mean that by "I am not them" I am not the people suffering and so I should be appreciative and happy, yet when I feel happy I am not supposed to because I am still not them and have life better than them. This creates a contradiction in thought.

Edited October 6, 2015 by tomatoedrama

[StarMountainKid]

Someone said, "Silence is a war crime". I don't know what to do about all the poverty and horror in the world. I usually don't think about it, so I'm happy. I understand the contradiction here. How can I be happy when there is suffering? I suppose all i can do is to touch the world around me with understanding, kindness and love.

After all, if we are unhappy and depressed about the world, those negative feelings will effect those close to us. So, even though there is great suffering, we should be uplifting and positive in our attitude.

Jiddu Krishnamurti says, you are the world, if you change, society changes.

[Frank Merton]

I don't know that the world is "****ed up." We have nothing to compare it to except our ideals, and they are probably unrealistic and silly.

[StarMountainKid]

I don't know that the world is "****ed up." We have nothing to compare it to except our ideals, and they are probably unrealistic and silly.

They may be, but without our ideals the world would be even more ****ed up, and that f-ness perhaps would be touching you right now instead of the place you are live in at the present time. Our ideals stopped Hitler, for instance. If we didn't have some ideals of what society should be like, what kind of society would we have here in the West?

[Frank Merton]

They may be, but without our ideals the world would be even more ****ed up, and that f-ness perhaps would be touching you right now instead of the place you are live in at the present time. Our ideals stopped Hitler, for instance. If we didn't have some ideals of what society should be like, what kind of society would we have here in the West?

Sheesh, where did I say ideals are wrong? I just said we have to have balance.

[StarMountainKid]

Sheesh, where did I say ideals are wrong? I just said we have to have balance.

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. What do you mean by balance?

[Frank Merton]

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. What do you mean by balance?

Realize that things are not all bad or all good. Yin and Yang.

[StarMountainKid]

Realize that things are not all bad or all good. Yin and Yang.

In may areas of the world there is more Yin than Yang.

Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.

1. https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty
   

Living in this kind of poverty is living without hope. Where is the balance of Yin and Yang here?

[Frank Merton]

In may areas of the world there is more Yin than Yang.

1. https://www.dosometh...-global-poverty
   

Living in this kind of poverty is living without hope. Where is the balance of Yin and Yang here?

Glass half empty depressive thinking. Who knows, but the middle road is most likely the best. All I see you doing is wringing your hands.

[StarMountainKid]

Glass half empty depressive thinking. Who knows, but the middle road is most likely the best. All I see you doing is wringing your hands.

As I said in an above post, "After all, if we are unhappy and depressed about the world, those negative feelings will effect those close to us. So, even though there is great suffering, we should be uplifting and positive in our attitude".

Yes, I am wringing my hands. In the next moment, of course, I will have forgotten all about this and get on with my life.

[jmccr8]

No matter how bad things had been a some times, I always saw people whose circumstance in life make me thankful for my misfortunes ,s??ts going to happen in life.

jmccr8

[StarMountainKid]

I agree with jmccr8, some good always comes from misfortune, unless the misfortune is overwhelming.

There's a Zen story wherein a farmer's horse runs off. His neighbors say "Bad luck!", the farmer says, "Maybe." Later the horse returns followed by some wild horses. His neighbors say, "Good luck!", the farmer says, "Maybe."

Later the farmer's son tries to tame one of the wild horses, falls off and breaks his leg. His neighbors say, "Bad luck!", the farmer says, "Maybe". Even later some soldiers come to take his son into the army, but they don't because he has a broken leg. His neighbors say, "Good luck!", the farmer says, "Maybe."

[XenoFish]

Be at peace in the "maybe" zone.