Go to church, it'll solve all your problems

[TrishaCat]

Before I even get started I just want to say: I am a somewhat religious person. I consider myself to be a Christian Protestant. That said, this REALLY gets on my nerves.

Yesterday, a relative came over to visit at our house and while there I was asked if I had any job plans on the horizon. I told him no, not at the moment, and the conversation eventually led to my dad mentioning that once I finish school I'm going to have to start paying rent at home among other things, that I'm going to need to leave the house and move out on my own at some point. I already know this, and this bugged me a little bit, but I let it go. At some point though since jobs were being brought up in the conversation I mentioned that getting a job is difficult, and then my dad (who is 60+ years old) mentioned about how and old friend of his decades ago was able to get a job and how he was able to walk around town asking for jobs before finally getting one. I was like "Okay, but the job market then and now are completely different" and he said I was just making excuses. Perhaps I was to a degree, although I fully intend to get a job once I'm out of school and also do some part-time work over the summer like I've done in the past. The thing is though, is that this reminded me of what's been troubling me ever since I started having trouble in school. I'm worried that once everything is said and done, that once I'm out of school I won't get any job offers and will be stuck trying to pay rent, extremely expensive student loans, car payments, and insurance while living in a tiny-town with no jobs available. I'm afraid that everything won't work out. Or that maybe I won't be able to learn this more challenging school material that I'm having trouble with and will eventually screw up so badly I won't be able to come back out of it and be forced to drop out of college, perhaps out of an inability to pay for school due to lost scholarships and/or loans.

Anyways, my mom was taking me to the movies later that afternoon and I brought up my conversation with dad and my worries with her, and it wound up being a very long and uncomfortable conversation about my worries for my future and all she kept telling me is to worry about the now, that everything will work out in the end and I shouldn't be thinking about the future. She knows (and I told her) that part of why I've been in such a depression lately was due to these worries and school issues. We started talking about whether or not I should quit school or switch majors, something which I told her is not really an option and would probably screw me over further. So she just continued to tell me to not worry about the future and focus on the now. That doesn't make me feel any better or safer really. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen next. But she also started telling me to pray about it, that if anything that'll make me feel better at the very least. I know she means well, but praying doesn't make my worries go away. And then she went on asking me if I believed in God after I told her as much, and I said yes, but that I don't like being told that religion will solve all your problems or things like that. She told me that it wouldn't do that, but it would make me feel better. And that was the end of the conversation.

Then today happened, and my religious fanatic of an aunt was talking on the phone with my mom, and she had asked my mom if I got a text sent from her and if it helped. I didn't know what my mom was talking about, so I checked my phone and apparently I got a simple text from her forwarded to me that was just a short passage from Psalms. It reads:

"God, when I feel forgotten, remind me that You see me. Nothing is hidden from Your sight. You're with me & watching over me! PS 33:18"

Well all right, but so what? I told my mom that no, it didn't help me at all, and she relayed that message to my aunt. After getting off the phone, she asked me about it and why it didn't help me. She asked me if I believed in God. I told her I did, but that the text and I quote "read like soulless garbage" and that I've read better. Now I'll admit, this was extremely rude of me. I explained further after it clearly hurt my mom that its telling me that God is watching over me and that I already knew that and that the text didn't mean anything to me. I mean, really, should those words suddenly make me feel better? Feel safer about my future?

Now my mom's worried about me from a religious angle and its frustrating. Maybe religion might make me feel a little better, I dunno. But its not going to solve my problems and just make my worries and fears go away. And with her being worried and pushing this along with my aunt, its...well, its frustrating. Religion is not going to solve my problems, and I hate that people push this on people as a means of "fixing" their problems. They did this to a relative of mine a long time ago who had problems of her own. They told her that she needs to go to church and took her with them to church. That didn't help her. Its not going to help her. What she really needed was to see a psychiatrist or a doctor. But no, they went with taking her to church.

I don't want to come off as some fedora tipper or anything. And I REALLY don't want to start any arguments about how "religion is terrible" or anything like that. I just wish people didn't use it as the end all for making people feel better.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Battlechili

[Conker]

I was in the same boat a few years ago when I got out of school. It's rough out there. The idea that you can go from place to place on foot and apply to get a job is long gone. I tried it at the insistence of my parents and other, older people, and each time I came away with, "Just go apply online."

It might differ on where you live, but in my small city, keeping it faceless and easy trumps whatever people were doing in the 1950's.

I suppose you could snarikly respond with something like, "God helps those who help themselves, and right now I need to help myself" or I dunno. Obviously you gotta pick your battles, and pissing off the people who put a roof over your head isn't a good idea.

Best of luck with the job hunt when you get to it. Dunno what your major is, but some are probably going to be easier to work with than others. Also, I hope you invested some time in internships or workstudy or whatever. Anything to help boost a resume.

[#00Buck]

Wow that's really long. What did it say?

[Butters]

Maybe you could work and go to school at the same time.mits hard, but thats how most ppl do it in 2015. It ain't the 1950/60s anymore. 

(Unless you vote Bernie 2016 and get free college xD) 

[Endless/Nameless]

I hate it when people act like Christianity is some kind of magic cure-all. It's not; we all still have our struggles and issues. But just try getting THAT through a religious-type's thick skull... 

But, it CAN help us through them... I guess if I were you, I'd pray for the strength to to handle the situation and the peace of mind to not stress over it. I think things are gonna go a lot easier for you than you think; they usually do! 

Or, you can tell me to fuck off. And I'm perfectly cool with that!!

[Käpt'n]

I just don't understand how religious peole never see that their religion doesn't. Do. Anything. At all. Ever.

Something bad happening to you? Pray it away! *bad thing happens anyway*

It just drives me nuts! All it does is sweet, sweet FA and then they still have the nerve of pushing that nonsense onto other people...

I get that most people believe in it for personal reasons but come on! At some point over the last couple thousand years it must have sunken in that no religion has never done anything positive like that ever!

Edited December 28, 2015 by Käpt'n

[Luka]

Gee, I wish I had something magical to instantly make me feel better about everything when I'm going through a rough time. Religious people have it easy, I tell ya! ~

[Kinharia]

Religion helps to bring people a little bit of relief and comfort yes, but it is not the cure all. Your mothers suggestion of "Focus on the now" is all well in good if your life is in a pretty stable position which going by what I've read it isn't from a mental point of view. I would recommend trying to talk to lecturers or going to see if there is any group at your college you could attend to try and help ease matters over. Is there any Job Careers Advice or anything related to building a CV/Resumé, if they are on offer for free I'd recommend taking those up immediately! Start looking online for where careers in the job field your studying towards are, are there any in a nearby city/town that you could go to? Is there any temporay jobs you could take such as working in a fast food restaurant, cinema, waitering (most places should offer basic training). Look beyond just the job field your studying and take everything you could do into consideration such as stacking shelves. Minimum wage jobs are shit but they help tide people over until better careers come around.

 

I really hope this is helpful in some way and I really do wish you luck in your studies and hopefully the career ladder lowers itself down

[Saxon]

If Religion cannot solve any problems, then what is it for? Maybe praying doesn't work because there isn't anybody listening.

 

I share your concerns about finishing education and getting a job. Especially since many of my peers are graduating, from Russel group universities, and can still find no employment.

My parents are very kind, and I know they would support me even if I could not find a job, but I do not want to be a parasite. Much of the time I feel that I would rather be ended in some accident than live as a leech. :\

 

[Onnes]

If all else fails, there's always graduate school.
(This is terrible advice stated ironically.)

You're going for some kind of CS degree, right? As long as you actually learn something in that program, your career prospects should be better than most. If you're technologically skilled and good at solving problems then you have a lot of options.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Onnes

[I Did It For The Cat Girls]

1 hour ago, Käpt'n said:

I just don't understand how religious peole never see that their religion doesn't. Do. Anything. At all. Ever.

Something bad happening to you? Pray it away! *bad thing happens anyway*

It just drives me nuts! All it does is sweet, sweet FA and then they still have the nerve of pushing that nonsense onto other people...

I get that most people believe in it for personal reasons but come on! At some point over the last couple thousand years it must have sunken in that no religion has never done anything positive like that ever!

Because their brains are fundamentally wired that way. They literally have religion on the brain.

Trying to "debunk" the existence of God (or whatever omnipotent celestial entity that a religious person may happen to believe in) in the hope of swaying the faithful from their nonsecular perspectives on life is genetically impossible. 

The powerful dominance that genes exercise over human behavior is also why Westernizing the Middle East is downright folly and flat-out nonsensical. You're not going to get Middle Easterners to adopt liberal democracy, you're not going to get them to divorce themselves from their Islamic lifestyles, and you're sure as shit aren't going to get them to stop placing an excessive amount of importance on the clan or tribe rather than on the greater overarching state. 

Richard Dawkins can scream on Twitter about how dumb religion is all he likes, but he's wasting both his time and the time of his readership with his anti-religious drivel. 

 

[Lucyfish]

Religion and spirituality absolutely does something. It brings people peace of mind, and helps them not worry so much about the day to day events of their lives. If you truly believe that there is a God who loves you and is watching over you and waiting for you to enter his/her kingdom, then why would you worry so much about that cancer riddling your lymph nodes? The human brain is an eclectic and hyperactive organ, and if you can bring some peace and calm to it, then good on you no matter how you do it. Whether you're worshiping a religious figure or smoking a fat bowl of hash, if you can bring yourself an inner peace and comfort then awesome for you.

The problem with religion comes from when the religion starts to get very big and organized. When people start to use the faith of others in order to exploit them to follow their own personal guidelines. In my opinion, the best place to look for your spirituality and your God is within your own heart, not in some book written 2000+ years ago being shouted out by some old rich dude.

I'm agnostic, but I have been looking for something along the lines of spirituality or religion that works for me. I couldn't join any major theistic religion, because my views on the existence of God is that if there is a God, there is utterly no way any human would ever be able to know it. Still, there are various spiritualities and practices I find interest in, and I'm hoping someday I can find some sort of ritual or inner peace that works for me.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Lucyfish

[Vallium]

mods plz lock this thread right now

 

Hehe...aaaand as a more serious response. i dont find anything wrong with what anyone believes. Well...it will be wrong, one way or another, when it comes down to it. only one can be true.

but we've spent so much time arguing and being violent, angry, bitter, and upset over our differences Id rather avoid that.

 

In the end we all have to figure it out, and Im sorry for whoever is wrong, but theres one life here and Id rather not spend it making rivals and not living the best.

in my opinion, we're here to bring each other up and help one another out, regardless of where or how or why it stems from.

 

[Kinare]

I for one don't think any one religion or science has everything correct, so I chose to go on what feels best to me given what I have seen with my own eyes and can undoubtedly be proven. That said, I do feel there's more out there than science can provide (irks me when science chooses to ignore it just because it can't be explained) and if people choose to take comfort in it by giving it a title ("God") and talking to it, then fine. It's when those same people try to shove it down other people's throats and treat it like it's the only way without flaws is when I get upset. Same goes for science and their theories on things though, their overall refusal to acknowledge they could be wrong in even the slightest of forms... Closed-minded people of any sort irritate me.

My mom has always been similar to yours, OP, so I know the feels. My mom did give up eventually after multiple times of me explaining that I don't just believe everything within Christianity just because it's in a book written by humans and mostly can't be proven otherwise. It sucks having that discussion over and over and feel like you're being attacked for it, but she may eventually back off. She may not, however. I never thought mine would, but I think she's starting to realize I'm and adult now and she can't control how I think.

I will admit at times that faith has helped with things (I'm not scared at all to die, for instance, because I feel quite sure that there's at least something after death, even if not heaven or hell), but it only helps if you actually believe.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Kinare

[Troj]

My heart goes out to you, Battlechili.

My sense is that you may have reacted to your aunt's text the way you did because regardless of her actual intentions, it felt like an easy, pat band-aid of an answer that didn't take a lot of time, consideration, or effort on your aunt's part.

My experience has been that most mainline religionists of average-to-above-average intelligence are skeptical of the idea of religious quotations-as-magical-incantations. However, hardcore religionists typically eat that stuff up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and tend to assume others will feel the same way.

Religion can be a real source of motivation, hope, and inspiration, but it can also feed feelings of despair, complacency, shame, and guilt. I've seen people use religion to motivate them to confront their problems, and I've also seen them use it to just say "Welp, God's Will" and surrender to their worst impulses. It's all in how you use and interpret it, really.

In any case, when people are worried about serious real-world problems, my personal feeling is that just quoting the Bible, the Sutras, the Q'uran, the Ramayana, the Satanic Bible, or even the Selfish Gene and then just leaving it at that is a dick move, whether you mean it to be or not--and it's doubly dickish when you quote your favorite text or quotation, instead of considering what might comfort or inspire the other person.

Most of my clients are devout Christians, so I've been known to use Christian theology and Biblical quotes to spark insight or provide comfort, even though I'm certainly not Christian myself. Even more importantly, I also try to provide my clients with tools and resources for making their lives better.

In any case, I'm sorry you're stressed and worried, and I'm sorry the people around you are adding to your stress, instead of helping to ease it.

I don't know if this helps, but you might try to appeal to your mom and aunt by translating your needs into their "language." Meaning, you might think of what kind of "God talk" would help to convey to them what you feel you need right now--from them, from life, and from yourself. Any ideas?

[TheGreatFanatic]

4 hours ago, #00Buck said:

Wow that's really long. What did it say?

Their aunt is a lazy jackass that ignores problems

Edited December 29, 2015 by TheGreatFanatic

[GarthTheWereWolf]

Eh, I think I see where you mom is coming from with the whole "prayer won't fix your problem but it might make you feel better." thing.

Prayer is in and of itself a form of meditation. It sounds to me like she was suggesting it as a means for you to clear your mind and be able to see options you may have missed while fretting and worrying.

As for your aunt, I think she was simply trying to remind you that God is with you even in difficult times. Don't fall into despair and have faith that things will work out. Stay positive.

It wasn't meant to fix your problems, but simply be a , "I know things are hard right now, but keep your chin up. It'll get better." sort of deal. I don't think its really fair of the people here to call his aunt a lazy jackass for sending that text. At least she cared enough about him to send a cheer up message at all.  She may not have had a solution to his problems so offering encouragement was all she could do.

[TrishaCat]

1 hour ago, Troj said:

My sense is that you may have reacted to your aunt's text the way you did because regardless of her actual intentions, it felt like an easy, pat band-aid of an answer that didn't take a lot of time, consideration, or effort on your aunt's part.

That's really it. Its not so much that I don't appreciate that she cares for me or what either of them are trying to do, I just feel like its exactly as you said; that it didn't take much time or consideration from my aunt or such. Asking me if a single line from The Bible being sent to me via text made me feel better felt really cheap, and I guess that's where some of the frustration that led to this thread and my reaction to my mom when she asked me about it came from.

1 hour ago, Troj said:

I don't know if this helps, but you might try to appeal to your mom and aunt by translating your needs into their "language." Meaning, you might think of what kind of "God talk" would help to convey to them what you feel you need right now--from them, from life, and from yourself. Any ideas?

As for this, I'm not sure. What I feel as if I need is some kind of reassurance or financial stability or certainty that I won't fail any more classes, or that I'll understand the material presented to me, or that I'll likely have a job once I'm out of school (a real one, not like part-time work at McDonalds or something that won't pay the bills). And I don't know that there's anything that can be done about that.

2 hours ago, Onnes said:

You're going for some kind of CS degree, right? As long as you actually learn something in that program, your career prospects should be better than most. If you're technologically skilled and good at solving problems then you have a lot of options.

Yes, I'm going for a CS degree. I have already learned a good bit, and feel that I have a decent handle on at the very least Python as a programming language. (and have learned a teensy weensy bit of C++). That's a bit reassuring, but I don't live in any area that at least seems to have much of a demand for such a thing. I'm in a really tiny town. It might be difficult to get bigger and better jobs or some job safety outside of town where it'd be a good idea to move.

5 hours ago, Endless/Nameless said:

I hate it when people act like Christianity is some kind of magic cure-all. It's not; we all still have our struggles and issues. But just try getting THAT through a religious-type's thick skull... 

But, it CAN help us through them... I guess if I were you, I'd pray for the strength to to handle the situation and the peace of mind to not stress over it. I think things are gonna go a lot easier for you than you think; they usually do! 

Or, you can tell me to fuck off. And I'm perfectly cool with that!!

Oh no, you're fine. I've tried praying though, but it doesn't make me feel much better. I might try to put more effort into it; I'm usually pretty lazy about it.

Maybe you could work and go to school at the same time.mits hard, but thats how most ppl do it in 2015. It ain't the 1950/60s anymore. 

(Unless you vote Bernie 2016 and get free college xD) 

I've considered this, and it would be a fantastic thing to have set up, but I'm not sure if I could handle a bunch of tough classes AND have a simple job on campus. I still spend a lot of time doing nothing while at school though, so it'd probably be for the better. I'll be on the lookout for jobs and try to jump on them the first opportunity I can; I just hope it won't get in the way of school. 

I am voting for Bernie though, no question about it

Edited December 29, 2015 by Battlechili

[Troj]

Hmm, hmm.

Well, first up, it occurs to me that Christ's ministry was not solely about preaching at people and then saying, "Welp, good luck with that."

Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, criticized the Pharisees, kicked the moneychangers out of the Temple, and even stepped in to stop a stoning. He also gave people words of advice and counsel to help them grow spiritually, often employing stories and metaphors from the Torah to illustrate and underscore his points.

Christians are called to be "little Christs" who shed light upon the darkness by constantly striving to fulfill and embody the two greatest commandments, according to Jesus: love of God, and love of the neighbor as thyself.

I've heard a saying: Preach the Gospel--and when necessary, use words. Meaning, the best way to preach the Gospel is to act in accordance with it, and reflect your devotion to it through your daily actions.

When you look at many of the arguably inspirational and great Christians throughout history, you'll notice that they generally weren't the types to just hand-wave away people's pain with a few pithy Bible verses. The Christians who've actually been a real to comfort to those around them have generally been people who were willing to put their boots on the ground and their shoulders to the yoke, and who considered what words or acts would actually provide comfort to others, based on those others' needs.

Long story short, you can make a pretty solid theological argument (IMHO) that it is the Christian duty of your mom and aunt to commit to offering the support and encouragement that will serve you best during this time, which includes being willing to help you solve your real-world problems using real-world solutions.

 

 

[FlynnCoyote]

I went to an old church once. It had been turned into a bar and bistro. Best church ever.

My advice is to give up on religion altogether, throw those bullshit beliefs aside and realize that only people can affect changes in this world. Offering placation is nice of them, but ultimately it isn't actually helpful and it isn't really in your best interests to worry about them right now.

Try to focus on practical solutions, you might have to take more than one part time job if you can;t land a good full time one, but in the very least I'd think enough people would be able to empathize with what you're going through even if they can't offer real help. You could ask friends and family to keep an eye open for job vacancies in the area, even take out an ad yourself. That one actually worked for me.

[Rassah]

I'm an atheist, so I don't really care about the religious stuff...

But regarding your actual problems™, if you are learning programming, you don't have to worry about getting a job locally, or about a lack of jobs where you live. Those jobs are easily done remotely, and more and more businesses around the world are hiring from a global pool of developers. For example, in my company, the devs I manage include one from Austria, one from Denmark, one from Chile, one from Austin TX, one from Toronto Canada, and I'm from Baltimore. Our company is actually headquartered in Cyprus. We use github to collaborate the coding, and Skype and email to collaborate everything else.

Regarding your degree, I wouldn't put too much importance on it. Quite a few silicon valley companies are actually starting to refuse to hire people with degrees, saying, "Why did you waste four years of your life on this thing, instead of actually coding stuff?" Personally when I hire devs, I don't even bother looking at their degree either. Just their prior work, experience in the specific field I'm hiring for (cryptography, finance, and security), and how well they work with others (it's hard to be hired if you're a miserable asshole). So don't stress too much about whether you'll finish.

Finally, best advice I can give you for your field is find a topic you are interested in (bonus if it's emerging technologies, like 3D printing, cryptocurrencies, AI), find some open source project related to that field, and get coding. Add features, patch bugs, do whatever. This will familiarize you with the field you're interested in, give you actual experience, provide code you can show off to potential employers, and if you are active enough in the project and the community, give you some reputation you can rely on. For instance, the guy we hired from Chile has actually submitted code patches and small features to our app over a year ago, proving he's a fan of what we do and knows our stuff. The guy in Austin (a brony!) built a reputation as a very competent security oriented cryptographer, partially by creating code, but mostly by simply building up a reputation by participating in cryptographic groups and organizations, and posting tons of relevant questions, suggestions, and discussions. Even if he doesn't know how to code well, I know for a fact he has tons of his own connections he can rely on to verify that his ideas are secure and sound.

So, cheer up. You picked something that is the easiest field to get a job in. 

[Brass]

You're CS right? How are you not a co-op already? There are people who don't work and go to school???

[Sidewalk Surfboard]

At least I'm not the only one with a super religious aunt.

[Khaki]

9 hours ago, 6tails said:

The only church you can go to and have your problems solved is the one I run. (I am an ordained minister in the states of California and Tennessee.)

Does it have blackjack and hookers?

[Khaki]

15 minutes ago, 6tails said:

And weed and booze and all kinds of sinful shit!

Also, are you the same Khaki from FM? Color-blind Khaki?

I don't think so no, I'm not familiar with FM or am I colourblind, I did use the FA Forums though.

Also that sounds like a soul enriching form of spiritual enlightenment, Amen brother.

[Khaki]

8 minutes ago, 6tails said:

Ah. Just checking!

Also, I bet I'm the only ordained minister on this forum, so I'm probably the only person with an actual church one could attend.

Which religion do you preach under?

[Saxon]

15 hours ago, I Did It For The Cat Girls said:

Because their brains are fundamentally wired that way. They literally have religion on the brain.

Trying to "debunk" the existence of God (or whatever omnipotent celestial entity that a religious person may happen to believe in) in the hope of swaying the faithful from their nonsecular perspectives on life is genetically impossible. 

The powerful dominance that genes exercise over human behavior is also why Westernizing the Middle East is downright folly and flat-out nonsensical. You're not going to get Middle Easterners to adopt liberal democracy, you're not going to get them to divorce themselves from their Islamic lifestyles, and you're sure as shit aren't going to get them to stop placing an excessive amount of importance on the clan or tribe rather than on the greater overarching state. 

Richard Dawkins can scream on Twitter about how dumb religion is all he likes, but he's wasting both his time and the time of his readership with his anti-religious drivel. 

 

...I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, because Richard Dawkins himself used to believe in a God, but then realised there wasn't one. Something you describe as 'genetically impossible'.

If there is a genetic heritability of a predisposition towards being more or less skeptical, so what? It clearly doesn't mean that people cannot be swayed by argument.

Dawkins actually discusses this flawed view of genetic predisposition in his book 'the selfish gene'.

[PheagleAdler]

What annoys me is when people say "he's in a better place now" when someone dies, no matter how nice the guy was, or how he died, etc. The dude's dead, okay. I understand paying respects, but seriously.

And people asking you to 'pray for X' like that'll make it more likely to happen or more likely for the individual to get better. If God actually worked that way, by gauging the amount of prayers a person gets to determine whether or not to make the guy better, he's an asshole.

[DrDingo]

6 minutes ago, PheagleAdler said:

What annoys me is when people say "he's in a better place now" when someone dies, no matter how nice the guy was, or how he died, etc. The dude's dead, okay. I understand paying respects, but seriously.

It's a coping strategy, man. In rough times like that, people need to be comforted. It helps them get through times of grief if they can imagine that the dead person can see the respects being paid.

[Khaki]

4 hours ago, 6tails said:

The religion of common fucking sense. :3

I like the sounds of this religion already, it's right up there on the list with Nuclear weapon worship.

[Rassah]

10 hours ago, 6tails said:

Also, I bet I'm the only ordained minister on this forum...

*cough*

[Kinharia]

@6tails could you marry my Cider and my Gin?

[Rassah]

Didn't imply I was questioning whether you were a minister. Was implying you're not the only one.

[Khaki]

3 minutes ago, Rassah said:

Didn't imply I was questioning whether you were a minister. Was implying you're not the only one.

Can you preform a exorcism for a carton of beer as payment?

[Half-Note]

I'm religious, it's nice to have an invisible magical man in the sky to talk to whenever I feel lonely.

[Käpt'n]

On 29.12.2015 at 1:45 AM, Lucyfish said:

Religion and spirituality absolutely does something. It brings people peace of mind, and helps them not worry so much about the day to day events of their lives. If you truly believe that there is a God who loves you and is watching over you and waiting for you to enter his/her kingdom, then why would you worry so much about that cancer riddling your lymph nodes?

Yeah, because why actually do something against your problems, right?
I find that mentality to be extremely dangerous. First of all, there are other things that can give you comfort and peace of mind that actually exist.
The funny thing is that running after a fairy tale for comfort is pretty much a symptom of insanity.

[Joshi]

Please take no offense now, but I thought of this quote I've seen yesterday

 

It's good to think about the future. You can't just live in the now and isolate to the past and the future. What happened happened and you can't change it and what will happen will happen and you can't change that either. Thinking and speculating over the future is normal and you should continue it. But you also shouldn't forget to stay positive. There are several ways to go through life. You can be happy and positive, depressive and negative or find your own way through. But no matter what you do, life goes on, so it depends on you if you're taking it positive or not. Maybe things won't work out, but maybe they will. You can't know. Nobody knows. What matters is your sight on things. If you decide for yourself to take the positive approach or not. This can also change the outcome of it in the end.

 

Just a small food for thought

[Saxon]

11 hours ago, 6tails said:

You keep coughing, I'll be praying for your corrupt and misled soul.

You come from the same town as George Lucas? 

[Saxon]

15 minutes ago, 6tails said:

No, my ordination just happened there.

Force be with you. 

[willow]

I guess I'm agnostic at best but I come from a pretty Christian family and in my experience with them, turning to God has always been a way of offering guidance or help through tough times in which case, if you want to pray and believe then you shouldn't pray that the problem will go away or fix itself but rather that you will pull yourself through it.

that being said, I'd definitely look into internships or co-ops. also look into possibly getting a campus job if you can. it might not be your field exactly but it's at least money just in case. on the bright side, CS is a constantly growing field so while it'll probably take a lot of effort or time to figure out a plan, you're in a good field. 

3 hours ago, Käpt'n said:

Yeah, because why actually do something against your problems, right?
I find that mentality to be extremely dangerous. First of all, there are other things that can give you comfort and peace of mind that actually exist.
The funny thing is that running after a fairy tale for comfort is pretty much a symptom of insanity.

you should go back and read all of what Lucy put.

[Käpt'n]

10 minutes ago, willow said:

you should go back and read all of what Lucy put.

I did and I think my point is still valid. I was talking about religion in general.

[Khaki]

4 hours ago, Käpt'n said:

Yeah, because why actually do something against your problems, right?
I find that mentality to be extremely dangerous. First of all, there are other things that can give you comfort and peace of mind that actually exist.
The funny thing is that running after a fairy tale for comfort is pretty much a symptom of insanity.

CaptainCool, is that you?

[MuttButt]

Just tell 'em that there's no point to praying because everything is all part of god's divine plan, then suggest that your aunt is arrogant for presuming that she knows better than god what ought to happen next :V

[Lucyfish]

6 hours ago, Käpt'n said:

Yeah, because why actually do something against your problems, right?
I find that mentality to be extremely dangerous. First of all, there are other things that can give you comfort and peace of mind that actually exist.
The funny thing is that running after a fairy tale for comfort is pretty much a symptom of insanity.

You really didn't read what I said. Finding your own personal spirituality isn't chasing a fairy tale, it's finding your own validation for continuing to live. We have no right to judge people for what keeps them going in life.

[Terminal7]

Man,  where's Trekkie when you need him?

[Saxon]

38 minutes ago, Lucyfish said:

You really didn't read what I said. Finding your own personal spirituality isn't chasing a fairy tale, it's finding your own validation for continuing to live. We have no right to judge people for what keeps them going in life.

and what if I subscribe to a religion which does judge people for their motivations? 

The pursuit of spirituality as a rasion d'etre shouldn't be shielded from criticism.

[Lucyfish]

8 minutes ago, Saxon said:

and what if I subscribe to a religion which does judge people for their motivations? 

The pursuit of spirituality as a rasion d'etre shouldn't be shielded from criticism.

Read my previous post, I already spoke about that. Finding your personal spirituality does not mean subscribing to the doctrine of someone else.

Organized religion tends to fuck things up pretty hard.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Lucyfish

[Saxon]

8 minutes ago, Lucyfish said:

Read my previous post, I already spoke about that. Finding your personal spirituality does not mean subscribing to the doctrine of someone else.

Organized religion tends to fuck things up pretty hard.

Thanks, I returned to your previous comment and read it.

You advise the practice of self-delusion [let's be honest here, that is what you're advising people to do] because it is comforting, rather than because the ideas being explored might have any truth at all to them; do you not find that prospect concerning and disturbing?

 

[Lucyfish]

Just now, Saxon said:

Thanks, I returned to your previous comment and read it.

You advise the practice of self-delusion [let's be honest here, that is what you're advising people to do] because it is comforting, rather than because the ideas being explored might have any truth at all to them; do you not find that prospect concerning and disturbing?

 

Delusion? Uhm, no, there is a difference between delusion and putting faith in your belief. Delusion is to believe in something where there is solid proof of said thing not existing. Nobody can say what does or does not exist outside of our realm of existence. Nobody can say where we go when we die. Atheists are just as wrong and arrogant as Christians. It's up to you personally to determine what you choose to believe.

[Terminal7]

1 minute ago, Saxon said:

Thanks, I returned to your previous comment and read it.

You advise the practice of self-delusion [let's be honest here, that is what you're advising people to do] because it is comforting, rather than because the ideas being explored might have any truth at all to them; do you not find that prospect concerning and disturbing?

 

What's delusion without truth?  

If truth is defined as all the things that are known(collectively),  is delusion all things that are not? 

Then how do we separate individual truth, or delusion,  from the general consensus? 

*Just a thought