Monday, May 20, 2013

Thank Everybody for Helping Me


I got an email from a Ph.D. student wanting help with a dissertation. She ended her email with the following:
"Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God."

This, I think, is part of what is wrong with things in this country. Now wait a minute. I am not about to take off on religion. I am about to take off on individual responsibility. In this woman’s life her god takes care of everything. Where is her personal responsibility? Praise, seek, worship trust and thank. No room for responsibility.
The thing is, if someone wants to give their life to their god, great. Unfortunately I think that leads to mindlessness of the worst kind. You see it all over the place; “God’s Will”; “Maktub”; “Karma” etc. No point in thinking because some god or other has already taken care of the details. So don’t bother to think. Just Praise, seek, worship trust and thank. I would offer the following secular version of the above:
Happy moments, enjoy them and be glad you have them
Difficult moments, seek guidance from experience and friends
Quiet moments, worship nature and your partner
Painful moments, trust your self, your partner and your friends.
Every moment, be thankful for your life, health and relationships. AND THINK!!!

Lots of places in the above to personalize, but you get the idea. Personal Responsibility.
 

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