I’ve been really clear that I don’t believe, “Everything happens for a reason”. I’m unable to trust in a higher power, because I see no rationality in the world.
Sh*t happens.
Sh*t happens, and I’m on cleanup duty.
The biggest challenge I have with the whole “higher power” rationality is that viewpoint means that children with cancer were either meant to suffer, or they did something wrong in a former life.
Seriously? Think about that, “they did something wrong in a former life”. If you imply that atonement is possible, why must a person suffer? If they are truly remorseful, then why does torture need to be added into their lives as part of “atonement”?
I say this with all seriousness because I’ve struggled with this topic my entire life. I spent most of the first 5 years of my life in a hospital, either recovering from yet another bout of pneumonia, or recovering from a surgery. I lived with death every day, as many of the children around me didn’t make it home after every course of desperate treatment.
So, I came to the realization at a very young age (after Vatican II, when they changed all the statuary in my church to make them beige and ugly) that what we believe are the lies we tell ourselves in order to get through.
I’ve never been much of a fan of lies. I’m wicked big on fantasy. Werewolves. Vampires. Aliens. Those are clearly fantasy and lies, but I don’t mind them as they are proud of what they are. Escapism.
The whole Church thing bothers me, though, because the Church I grew up in lies. It gives no comfort to desperate mothers, wanting last rites while she buries yet another unborn child. It claims its children for its pedophelia priests, looking the other way and valuing the priests over the innocents sacrificed in the name of “greater good”.
I had a wonderful older brother, “Golden Boy”, who died a horrible death from brain cancer. He wasn’t in any pain that he complained of. He wasn’t an evil person. In fact, he was one of the best people I know. And that’s saying a lot, because we were siblings. Siblings know where ALL your bodies are buried, and he had none.
He had a wonderful wife. 2 great sons. He gave back to his community. He was a hockey coach. He gave to the troops. On top of all of this, he enjoyed his life. He traveled the world with his wife and sons. He truly enjoyed molding young skills, getting them to find their own pride in their bodies abilities to slap a goal, to mow the lawn, to waterski.
However, if I’m to believe the bromide that “everything happens for a reason”, it flies in the face of everything I *know* to be true. Nonsense. Things are what they appear to be, and not what some homily says they must be. Because to believe otherwise tilt’s the world on its axis.
Someone got on my last nerve this morning by sending me yet another homily about how wonderful their God is, and how I must be thankful for every day on this world and praise his name.
Really? I’m sitting here trying to make my life work, juggling the need to stay warm in the Winter against the need to eat and pay for my medicines, and then yesterday’s windstorm caused damage to my house.
Damage that I don’t know how I’m going to pay to repair.
Yes, its shallow to focus on my own petty issues when there are people suffering in the world. However, I can’t help anyone else unless or until I have my own act together. When things are going well, I help. When things are sucky, I try not to do any damage. That’s about the extent of my thinking on the whole “philosophy of life” issue.
As for the damage to my home, if I believed in bromides then I’d know that this particular act of capriciousness was God reaching out to smite me because I’m challenging the status quo.
Alrighty then.
Believe whatever you want. I still have to make my life work as I juggle lawyers, withheld funds, restricted 401Ks, get my taxes done, and hope that I *will* make it to my final bucket list trip later this year.
I’m struggling on whether or not to cancel this trip, or continue to bet the house in the hope that my various pending pools of money will arrive in time to keep me from screwing things up worse than they are. A bromide isn’t going to do squat for that.
copdtravails 
You are right about “that what we believe are the lies we tell ourselves in order to get through.” It seems that from your point of view God or higher power of choice is a sadist plying His whip and criteria to a species that barely comprehends what He is. I guess? Have you heard the one that says “the worst things happen to the best people?” or “Only the good die young?” More homilies. I don’t understand why there is suffering in the world, why children get terminal illnesses or abuse; and why good men get cancer. Why some families struggle so hard while others seem to coast through life without thought. It gives me a brain ache frankly. And I know I don’t see the entire big picture either. Some might say that it’s the Devil or Satan who causes all the suffering and God doesn’t interfere for the reasons I’ll give below. Maybe they (the ones who die) have completed their lessons in this reality and are allowed to leave. Maybe it’s their ‘time.’ I don’t think human kind KNOWS why, we just find scapegoats to blame.
To me, I believe because it is a comfort however misguided it is to others. I’d never EVER send such a comment to you telling you to do as I think is right. It’s YOUR choice. Those who harp on ‘praising His name’ and how we need to be thankful for each and every day we exist are fringe dwelling fanatics in my opinion, spreading the Word because they feel another needs to see things their way and has no free will. That’s the thing I personally like about my own set of beliefs, I firmly believe God (higher power) gives us free will and we’re not obligated to earn our way to Him (Heaven), but can learn from Jesus’ example and try to be kinder and more compassionate to our fellows on the road. I believe we have things to learn here, and things to accomplish for our own spiritual growth. I believe “God” has many faces and so does Satan. And sometimes the latter poses as the former.
It’s not punishment though. It’s not some unknowable force torturing us as we perhaps torture ants with magnifying glasses (I never did that btw). I don’t know WHY and I believe I won’t find out…HERE. I’ll know after I’m gone, as will you and everyone else.
In the meantime all we can do is the best we can given what we have. Walk in a light path (if that makes sense). Do kindness and not overt ill to people. You do that stuff already. So whomever your misguided meme sender was, perhaps it would be good to remind them that you do have freedom of choice in what you want to believe. In what gets YOU through. We’re all different, no ‘one size fits all’.
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Thanks. As I’m spending more time on the myCOPDteam website, I’m finding tons of people at the end of their life trying to “get one for Jesus”, even though I’ve made it clear that I am of a different thought.
Since another member of the site is struggling with end of life issues and his doctor walking off the job, it’s stirred up a hornets nest of bromides from the “Saved” coalition, which is spreading via private messages. In my case, I answered this man’s posted question of whether or not it had ever happened to any of us (being told to go home, that there was nothing more that doctor could do), and I answered “yes” and suggested hospice be called in, as they are a great source of resources when all else has failed.
Sacrilege.
Then my private message inbox went crazy. I got through it, and responded pleasantly and kindly that her god was not mine, but wished her well. (Hey, whatever gets you through the day is NOT my business).
I’ll get over it eventually. Right now, I’m just cranky and trying to write my way into a better mood. Thanks for dropping by.
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