1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God/dess, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God/dess wants us to be still. So S-He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God/dess wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God/dess: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are. While your reputation is merely what others think you are.

very true, very true!

true

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

Faith is only required for entities and events that cannot materialize and thus in the end cannot exist physically. They are therefore abstract in nature and are not the matter of faith, but pure reason. Panic is a fairly primal reaction that we humans share with most animals, certainly with most mammals. Any act of intellect possesses the capacity to hinder / supress any natural reaction. We may not always succeed in this, but as acts of reason they are not tied to our senses directly.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

I'll try to remember that next time I'll cross the highway drunk.

3. As a child of God/dess, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

Adults are not children. However I still do call my Mom every now and then.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

The fact that I am good at gymnastic has less to do with God than it has to with excercise and relatively loose joints, which is genetic.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God/dess wants us to be still. So S-He can untangle the knot.

You want me to stand still when I have problems? How long should I do that? What if I had like tax paying problems and waited for too long and the IRS would come after me asking for even more money?

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

You cannot count the amount of such loosely definted abstractions. I have no idea what "a blessing" is.

7. God/dess wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

How would you know what kind of nutriotion God favours?

8. Dear God/dess: I have a problem. It's me.



9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

Obviously.

10. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

I try to laugh every day, but I hate jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

I live alone.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

Not really. Our hormones play more important role in this than you might think. We do not have a completely free will in these matters.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

Wouldn't that also result in all kinds of unwanted individuals rushing inside as well?

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

An abstraction has no physical weight or force.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Yeah, but he died with the most toys!

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

That's a nice piece of advice, I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure if this is "a truth" per se, though.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

Well, this has some foundation in empiria so I'd grant this one the status of being potentially true.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

What if it's already past 11PM? Wouldn't that disturb the neighbours?

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

I have no interest whatsoever to learn anything from a turtle.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are. While your reputation is merely what others think you are.

That would just lead to typified fetishism in the end. (=type over quantity / type over quality)


[Edited 2/1/05 7:31am]

Damn, I didn't know that someone's thoughtful offering of things to ponder had to become a basis for dispelling every line.

Can't you just let it be? Must we analyze everything?

bluesbaby said:

i think this spoke loud enough ... ~ chuckles ~


13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

Wouldn't that also result in all kinds of unwanted individuals rushing inside as well?

Mach said:

Smooches;)

Mach said:

Thank you. I really needed to hear that right now.

Chico1 said:

aww ...

Novabreaker said:

Faith is required for "entities and events" which have not happened yet...it reminds us that just because we can't see what's around the corner, it doesn't mean nothing is there...as well as it is required for those things which HAVE happened...it's an acknowledgement that we don't always understand everything to its fullest.



Why are mammals singled out??...



If you're so drunk that you think crossing the highway is a good idea, you most likely didn't have the mental capability at that moment to pray...



I have yet to meet an adult who wasn't someone's child...and aren't you contradicting yourself by following up you "adults aren't children" comment by saying you call your mom??...



The fact that you can exercise and have any joints at all has everything to do with God...



The "Running around like a crazed maniac" option doesn't seem to work any better...Answers are often found within the stillness of thought...and for those who believe, within the stillness of prayer.



That, my friend, is beyond obvious at this point...



Maybe she knows by listening....



(Silence inserted here...)



Not quite so obvious to more than a few people... *ahem* see above *ahem*



You "try" to laugh??...Either you do or you don't...



All that means is that you're the most important thing in your home...although I haven't seen your couch, so I can't say for sure.



Our mindset is 100% free will...override is a powerful thing.



Which unwanted individuals are the ones you don't want to experience happiness??....



But it has tons of spiritual weight and force...



Until someone else with more toys dies the next day...



You'll have to "keep in mind" whether or not you should enjoy the more precious moments that occur in your life??...??...

I can see it now....your first born child will be taking his or her first steps, and you'll think "Hmm...I wonder if I should be enjoying this moment or not??...Let me think about that and decide..."



Which is why those who have experienced faith and prayer have indeed found them to be real...keep that in mind.



I think self pity would already disturb our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family 24-7...so go ahead and flush.



Just means there's one area in life in which you'll be a bit behind the rest of us intellectually...and that's ok.



It would also lead to a stronger resolve, a more fully realized understanding of self, a happier existence, a more peaceful spirit and a healthier soul...and what it would lead to in the true end, depends on your faith...

It all comes back to faith...




[Edited 2/1/05 10:32am]