Fuck this for a lark | 101 comments (101 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

You might try this, (none / 1)

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
,,,,,,
--Reinhold Niebuhr

by wchurchill on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 04:21:47 PM EST

Re: You might try this, (none / 1)

Which God?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 06:34:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 0)

That's your choice. It's a personal decision.

I meant it somewhat as "lark", knowing your feelings on the matter. But at a serious level, there is wisdom and peacefulness in the prayer, imho.

by wchurchill on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 06:38:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 0)

Prayer I don't know, not having much (or really any at all) experience with it. But meditation and breathing methods...

Wow. When I first tested it I thought it was just going to be some superstitious balderash to fool the weak-minded. But it does work! Quite an insane feeling, being completely relaxed in your entire body, including your face. Very eery. But great.

I guess prayer might have an effect a bit like it.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Sat May 26th, 2007 at 04:58:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 0)

They are one in the same for me--prayer and meditation that is.

by wchurchill on Sat May 26th, 2007 at 08:00:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (4.00 / 2)

i learned the first half in 12 step groups in hawaii, attributed to s. francis of assisi, and adopted widely as introductory prayer.

it always hits the wu-wei spot for me.

the second piece, or half perhaps, has an off-note to my ear, though it's small, there is a whiff o' something that crosses a line into maso-fatalism, a congenital suffering as automatic precursor to deliverance.

unless you read 'hardships' as 'challenging boat designs' perhaps...

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 06:41:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 1)

Yes, but it does seem that each life comes with its hardships and its joys. And recognizing this allows one to perhaps have a more satisfying life. Here is another view from the Tao:

29
Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger.
The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.

by wchurchill on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 08:23:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 1)

I thought I saw this quote somewhere before!

Truth unfolds in time through a communal process.

by marco on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 09:26:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 0)

it is a favorite of mine. and as i wrote it, i wondered if i had already used it.

by wchurchill on Fri May 25th, 2007 at 10:42:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You might try this, (none / 0)

The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.

Sounds a lot like the mindfulness concept from dialectical behaviour therapy.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Sat May 26th, 2007 at 04:57:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Fuck this for a lark | 101 comments (101 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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