Often a comment will become an idea for an article, I was just over at one of Ann Hart's articles and it inspired me so much I want to enlarge on the comment I left for her...
Ann mentioned suicide in her piece, that she was drifting in the thought of doing away with the whole business of living when she discovered something different, an entirely new way to think about herself, others, and the world about her.
I've been thinking recently about how it really is a form of slow suicide to attempt to live in this world without some form of help or miraculous experience. We may not actually take the pills or shoot ourselves in the head, but we die a little bit every day when we are starved for spiritual food.
Our relationships turn sour and fall apart, or our work seems utterly mundane and it feels like we are on a treadmill, our children consume us in what seem like selfish clouds of neediness and we feel alone, even isolated, within every crowd.
Running to the store helps, keeping busy helps, but eventually at the end of it all we are left with ourselves. We must confront the desolation alone and deal with it somehow?
We can seek counseling or therapy, we can feed our kids ritalin or go to a spa, we can have cosmetic surgery or use the countless other fixes that will seem to work, temporarily, but as Ann said in her article, the "creeping resentments" the anxiety will always return and often with a greater power to overwhelm us.
The fixes we seek in the world are quick, user friendly and often polished and in neat little rows like the bottles of snake oil of old. They amuse us for a time, some even titillate us into believing we have found "the one" the right partner, the right surgeon or drug, the right book or job or cream, it goes on and on ad infinitum.
These quick fixes can't last because their foundation is not solid, we even secretly know this is true but the pain of living is so great that we'll take any compromise to relieve the burden now, even though we know it will return later with even greater fury to haunt us and destroy our peace.
In order for something to be lasting it needs to have substance, a foundation not built on sand, and we need to reorient our minds toward it. We need to literally retrain our minds so that that which we have sought to fulfill us in our times of lack and deprivation, is remembered and there when we most need its sustenance.
for Ann it was A Course in Miracles that became her strength, read her article, she convinced me. There are lots of different Courses in mind training available in the world and you are very welcome to have a look at this one. Mosey on over to the group now, or the next time you can't take it anymore and check it out for yourself.
Personally I do not understand how a person gets through without the help of some form of centered mind training... It looks a lot like suicide to me!
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Ohh, and I keep forgetting to mention it, I created a resources website to go with the Gather Group It's Here, check it out if you are interested!
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Comments: 45
You don't often get that kind of intensity reflected back from television but I watch every episode of Monk for that very reason. There is a lot of very human stuff that is unsaid in the depths of the Monk character...
I'm glad my piece moved you ALL!
So, all in all, it takes the whole body being catered to in order to overcome such an enormous illness. Thank you so much Robin for bringing this to our attention!
We are addicted to behaviors that induce unhappy chemical experiences in our lives all the time and they are far more dangerous than drugs.
Drugs account for a fraction of the population and they are often the final outcome of far deeper insecurity, what I am talking about here is the plague that has infected our whole society.
We are so wealthy and yet we die each day for the lack of a little centered thinking!
Thank you for the article and a link to to Anne's.
The ultimate source, of course, of "centered mind training" is GOD ~ none other.
Blessings ~
Rene
Only our Source (call it God, if you wish) has a solid foundation, nothing else will last. We must retrain our minds to look on This and nothing else.
Karl - Teach Only Love is a great book...
Julie
"Excruciating!" That word belongs to Jesus Christ "only" to describe the suffering he went through during his Crusifixion. For those that want to follow, you must pick up your cross and bear it. The weight of sin is what makes it seem unbearable. Remove the sin by asking for help through his forgiveness. Sin is already forgiven, you just have to ask for it. Take your time. He gives you until you're last dying breath...
Put your mind on Jesus Christ "only" and you will walk in his Glory. There is nothing any better than that.
I'd just like to address those who might think that the Jesus Christ of the Bible can magically whisk your pain away that, magic is NOT a miracle.
Retraining your mind to truth can be done using Jesus as part of the equation or NOT.
We are NOT preparing for death here, we are learning how to LIVE happier more fulfilled lives here on this planet, which may or may not include a religious component.
I know Jews and Muslims as well as Christians who have worked the mind training principles of A Course in Miracles successfully without giving up, or changing their personal religious convictions.
The Jesus of A Course in Miracles couldn't care less what you believe, his only interest is your happiness.
The Course teaches us how to solve problems and be happy people, it is NOT a religion and it does not interfere with religion, in fact many non-religious people do the Course and stay non-religious after it's completion.
So if you pray to Allah or Buddha or Christ or even Elvis, it is of no importance, it won't hinder you in your progress or application of the psychology of the Course. However the Course may teach you the value of being less radical more reasonable person where your religion is concerned.
Thankyou Robin drawing attention to this observation true!!!
Thanks for the link to Ann's article. I'm on my way to check it out.
To Fern: I am so very sorry to hear of the burden you're bearing. May God help you through your journey.
I'm also sorry to hear about your sister, and yes I totally understand how you can still hear the echo of her death in your head. We are not prepared for such things in our society and least of all the violence of a suicide.
If you need to talk or just want someone to write to please don't hesitate, my email address is: miracleweb@gmail.com
Robin
It seem Ann's article which this article is based on was accidentally lost, she will be re-publishing it though and I will change the links to reflect the new location... You must read it, it's awesome...
Stand By...