O.K. this is going to sound kinda strange. Well, weird.
As some of you know, I changed jobs recently. Could have been a horrible experience, could have been excellent. It was excellent. I couldn't be working for better people.
I just had child #3. Another girl. She's 3 months old. She was born with a problem she will grow out of in a year and a half. It could have been much worse. It wasn't.
The wife and I are getting along pretty good and are really understanding each other better than ever right now. I piss her off from time to time, I consider that normal and we usually end up laughing about it anyway. So that's pretty good.
We are better than we've ever been financially, in a pretty bad time. Excellent again.
My entire family is healthy at the moment.
Here's the thing. I find myself wanting to, I guess, prey to God, be thankful to someone or God for my my good fortune. I'm almost Atheist, Agnostic for sure, and don't ever entertain the thought of there being a God ever. But I have to catch myself at times.
I'm not bragging about my situation and it could all change tomorrow, but why do I have these thoughts? Why can't I be thankful that I, and my wife, simply made good decisions lately? Why can't I just thank myself, my wife, and be happy my children are perfectly healthy? Why do I stll posses this need to thank Goddy Pooh?
Is that not strange to any of you?
Makes me wonder if Religion isn't a more serious problem than I think it is, seriously.
I'm not talking about believing there's a God being a problem, but Religion itself.
I'm still having problems shaking it years after I change my position. :o
The point is not to shake it just to shake it. If you feel like being grateful to a higher power, go for it. Humans are hard-wired to want to believe.
On the other hand, sometimes good things happen. Sometimes they happen in piles. Does it have anything to do with god? There are some who say yes and some who say no. I could see their being a universal force greater than us. Could I see it intervening in the day-to-day lives of 6.5 billion people? No.
Not sure if that helps. I find a lot of power in groups of people... in getting together and making music, singing, communing. There is something there between people, there is some energy there, elusive but real. I don't need a god to feel it but I don't exclude the idea that there might be one because of it, or in spite of it... it's not a question that I need to resolve.
Other than the normal wired to believe thing though, why would a human being need to be grateful to anything or anyone at all? Other than themselves?
It's not really a question I need resolved, I resolved it. But the feeling I need to be thankful to that thing that's taking care of me in the sky, is still there sometimes. I just can't shake it.
On the other hand, when things are not going well, I'm fine with blaming the carpet, cloud hopping dood in the air. ;D
It's just strange to me. I just don't understand it. I don't have a problem taking credit for bad choices, why are the results of good ones so hard to deal with?
I see too many people who thank God when things are going well then blame themselves when things go bad. That tends to put them into a downward spiral.
There's nothing wrong with feeling thankful, just give yourselves some credit (instead of some intangible concept) - you've earned it! :)
(Oh yeah, and feel free to blame Bush for anything that goes wrong - everyone else seems to! ;) :D )
I think that humans like communal settings and like to share their good fortune and bad fortune with others. I think it is natural that you have been so happy about how things are going and feel the need to share your happiness with something larger than yourself.
The interesting thing is you know that God didn't help you with any of these things. You are outside of the circle and yet still able to do well. In fact without God things are better than they have ever been, at least that is what you are telling me.
Anther aspect of this is that you have the learned behavior of religion. You were taught it. It was beaten into your head. It was for a long time a huge part of who you were. Just because you have realized the fact that religion is false it isn't so simple to leave it. It's a part of you even though you know better. So as a human it is very natural to fall back on what you have been taught.
It's the reason I don't go to Karate tournaments. With Jui-Jitsu.....there are things I have been taught that I can't help but do in a fight. I've been taught those things. It's how I react when X happens. So in a Karate tournament....even though I'd beat tthe shit out of them....I'd be disqualified for not following THEIR way.
Fenderbender — Nov 13, 2009 It's the reason I don't go to Karate tournaments. With Jui-Jitsu.....there are things I have been taught that I can't help but do in a fight. I've been taught those things. It's how I react when X happens. So in a Karate tournament....even though I'd beat tthe shit out of them....I'd be disqualified for not following THEIR way.
(Sweep the leg! Sweep the leg! :D ;D )
charger — Nov 13, 2009The point is not to shake it just to shake it. If you feel like being grateful to a higher power, go for it. Humans are hard-wired to want to believe.
On the other hand, sometimes good things happen. Sometimes they happen in piles. Does it have anything to do with god? There are some who say yes and some who say no. I could see their being a universal force greater than us. Could I see it intervening in the day-to-day lives of 6.5 billion people? No.
Not sure if that helps. I find a lot of power in groups of people... in getting together and making music, singing, communing. There is something there between people, there is some energy there, elusive but real. I don't need a god to feel it but I don't exclude the idea that there might be one because of it, or in spite of it... it's not a question that I need to resolve.
What Charger said, 100%
And hey - you gank that "Keep Santa Cruz Weird" from Austin? I like it.
Tripper
Tripper — Nov 14, 2009 And hey - you gank that "Keep Santa Cruz Weird" from Austin? I like it.
Tripper
Nope. That's been Portland's motto for years, I see hundreds of bumper stickers and it's even on some billboards out here. ;)
I have a feeling it's a motto in every town that is somehow weird. It was the first t-shirt I saw for sale when I came into our downtown, which had been moved into industrial strength tents, after the Loma Prieta earthquake.
I'm fairly certain Austin did it first.
According to Wikipedia, Austin's campaign inspired "support local business" (and "support local freak shows") movements in other cities (including Portland and Santa Cruz).
But I can't seem to find a definitive history on the subject.
Tripper
Hookbender — Nov 13, 2009O.K. this is going to sound kinda strange. Well, weird.
As some of you know, I changed jobs recently. Could have been a horrible experience, could have been excellent. It was excellent. I couldn't be working for better people.
I just had child #3. Another girl. She's 3 months old. She was born with a problem she will grow out of in a year and a half. It could have been much worse. It wasn't.
The wife and I are getting along pretty good and are really understanding each other better than ever right now. I piss her off from time to time, I consider that normal and we usually end up laughing about it anyway. So that's pretty good.
We are better than we've ever been financially, in a pretty bad time. Excellent again.
My entire family is healthy at the moment.
Here's the thing. I find myself wanting to, I guess, prey to God, be thankful to someone or God for my my good fortune. I'm almost Atheist, Agnostic for sure, and don't ever entertain the thought of there being a God ever. But I have to catch myself at times.
I'm not bragging about my situation and it could all change tomorrow, but why do I have these thoughts? Why can't I be thankful that I, and my wife, simply made good decisions lately? Why can't I just thank myself, my wife, and be happy my children are perfectly healthy? Why do I stll posses this need to thank Goddy Pooh?
Is that not strange to any of you?
Makes me wonder if Religion isn't a more serious problem than I think it is, seriously.
I'm not talking about believing there's a God being a problem, but Religion itself.
I'm still having problems shaking it years after I change my position. :o
this is complete and utter bullshit... you can have a great life being agnostic/atheist .. you can have a bad life being a christian.. dont fall for this guilt shit... your life is working out because of YOU and YOUR WIFE not a fucking GOD!!