Accepting Life

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Gary Childress
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Accepting Life

Post by Gary Childress »

Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
simplicity
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Remain centered by allowing the waves of happiness and despair to rise and fall without you.
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes.
How, EXACTLY, is Life, Itself, supposedly, "difficult" to accept, sometimes? And what 'things' are, "the way they are", which you find "difficult" to accept, sometimes?
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are.
But if you are going to going to LOOK AT and SEE 'the way things are' as being "difficult", then obviously you will also NOtt be happy with 'the way things are'.
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Contentment arise, and REMAINS, once you have grasp a sense and understanding of WHY EVERY thing is 'the way they are'.
Gary Childress
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by Gary Childress »

simplicity wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:05 am
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Remain centered by allowing the waves of happiness and despair to rise and fall without you.
When I'm content it seems very easy to do something like that but when things aren't going so well it's much more difficult.
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Lacewing
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
There are truly lots of good books to help guide you through tough times, inspire/expand your thinking, and remind you of what you've known at other brighter times. Keep demonstrating your intention to move through it... even when you doubt you can. And care for yourself like you would care for a best friend. Say the reinforcing, heartfelt things to yourself that you would say to them. You deserve that. It takes repetition and practice to reprogram and heal our fractured tendencies... and then it can get easier and become more automatic.
Gary Childress
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Re: Accepting Life

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Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:37 am
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
There are truly lots of good books to help guide you through tough times, inspire/expand your thinking, and remind you of what you've known at other brighter times. Keep demonstrating your intention to move through it... even when you doubt you can. And care for yourself like you would care for a best friend. Say the reinforcing, heartfelt things to yourself that you would say to them. You deserve that. It takes repetition and practice to reprogram and heal our fractured tendencies... and then it can get easier and become more automatic.
I wish all that was of help. I suppose it just takes time. It usually does. And it's hell until it wears off.
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:42 am
Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:37 am
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
There are truly lots of good books to help guide you through tough times, inspire/expand your thinking, and remind you of what you've known at other brighter times. Keep demonstrating your intention to move through it... even when you doubt you can. And care for yourself like you would care for a best friend. Say the reinforcing, heartfelt things to yourself that you would say to them. You deserve that. It takes repetition and practice to reprogram and heal our fractured tendencies... and then it can get easier and become more automatic.
I wish all that was of help. I suppose it just takes time. It usually does. And it's hell until it wears off.
What is 'hell'?

No one can help you if you do SHARE.
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Lacewing
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:42 am I wish all that was of help.
Uh, okay Gary. :lol:

I'm guessing there's nothing that can be said. Seems kinda pointless to even bring up then. Carry on.
Gary Childress
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Re: Accepting Life

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Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:34 am
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:42 am I wish all that was of help.
Uh, okay Gary. :lol:

I'm guessing there's nothing that can be said. Seems kinda pointless to even bring up then. Carry on.
You laugh? I hope you never find yourself in emotional pain. No wonder DAM gave you a hard time. You deserve it. You really do. Unbelievable. :shock:
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Lacewing
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by Lacewing »

Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:45 am
Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:34 am Uh, okay Gary. :lol:

I'm guessing there's nothing that can be said. Seems kinda pointless to even bring up then. Carry on.
You laugh? I hope you never find yourself in emotional pain. No wonder DAM gave you a hard time. You deserve it. You really do. Unbelievable. :shock:
I laughed because you completely dismissed the response I gave you. You gave it no consideration and showed no appreciation that anyone was offering you feedback. Rather, you said you just have to suffer through it. That's why I said, "Uh, ok." I do not wish you or anyone pain. But you, like DAM, are being so self-involved and defensive, that you lash out at people who don't deserve it... and defend yourselves for doing it. I hope both of you figure out what you need to. Seems you both are here right now just to vent, rather than actually interacting with anyone or seeing beyond where you're at.
Gary Childress
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by Gary Childress »

Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:29 pm
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:45 am
Lacewing wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:34 am Uh, okay Gary. :lol:

I'm guessing there's nothing that can be said. Seems kinda pointless to even bring up then. Carry on.
You laugh? I hope you never find yourself in emotional pain. No wonder DAM gave you a hard time. You deserve it. You really do. Unbelievable. :shock:
I laughed because you completely dismissed the response I gave you. You gave it no consideration and showed no appreciation that anyone was offering you feedback. Rather, you said you just have to suffer through it. That's why I said, "Uh, ok." I do not wish you or anyone pain. But you, like DAM, are being so self-involved and defensive, that you lash out at people who don't deserve it... and defend yourselves for doing it. I hope both of you figure out what you need to. Seems you both are here right now just to vent, rather than actually interacting with anyone or seeing beyond where you're at.
Well, I'm sorry for misinterpreting your laugh. And I'm sorry for not acknowledging your attempt to help. I'm just in a lot of distress right now and not in a very good place.
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Immanuel Can
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Re: Accepting Life

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Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Maybe things aren't supposed to be this way.

Maybe that's what the discontenment is telling you: that there's not something so much wrong with Gary as there is with the world. Maybe Gary's right to feel that way, and it supposed to keep Gary from becoming content with things that are just not good enough.

And maybe discontentment only "helps" if you don't entirely despair of solutions.
simplicity
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by simplicity »

Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:35 am
simplicity wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:05 am
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Remain centered by allowing the waves of happiness and despair to rise and fall without you.
When I'm content it seems very easy to do something like that but when things aren't going so well it's much more difficult.
Contentment is when you can be ok with whatever presents in your life. Good comes, enjoy, then watch it go. Bad comes, learn, then watch it go. You have to look at challenging situations as opportunities to grow.

Everybody has a difficult life no matter how wonderful it might seem from the outside. Successful people aren't those who don't have bad things happen to them, instead, these folks have learned how to make the most of their misfortune. There is good in everything. Sometimes you just have to look hard for it. I lost my son a little over thirty years ago and although it totally devastated me for a time afterwards, what came out of his death completely transformed me in every way. Within all things are all things.

And think about it this way...if you are on this board chatting with the type of people that are here, then you have a great deal for which to be thankful. Use your energy and natural abilities in highly productive/helping ways and your discontent will surely fade.
Gary Childress
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by Gary Childress »

simplicity wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:48 pm
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:35 am
simplicity wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:05 am
Remain centered by allowing the waves of happiness and despair to rise and fall without you.
When I'm content it seems very easy to do something like that but when things aren't going so well it's much more difficult.
Contentment is when you can be ok with whatever presents in your life. Good comes, enjoy, then watch it go. Bad comes, learn, then watch it go. You have to look at challenging situations as opportunities to grow.

Everybody has a difficult life no matter how wonderful it might seem from the outside. Successful people aren't those who don't have bad things happen to them, instead, these folks have learned how to make the most of their misfortune. There is good in everything. Sometimes you just have to look hard for it. I lost my son a little over thirty years ago and although it totally devastated me for a time afterwards, what came out of his death completely transformed me in every way. Within all things are all things.

And think about it this way...if you are on this board chatting with the type of people that are here, then you have a great deal for which to be thankful. Use your energy and natural abilities in highly productive/helping ways and your discontent will surely fade.
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your son. That's got to be unbelievably difficult. I don't have any children, siblings nor loved ones other than my parents to lose. In some sense, I suppose that makes me lucky but in others, it's sometimes very lonely and isolating and when my parents are gone, I'll be alone. And there will be no one to take care of me when I reach old age either. In that sense, I think I can identify to some extent with at least a small part of your loss (unless you have other children to help you along when the time comes).
simplicity
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Re: Accepting Life

Post by simplicity »

Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:05 pmI'm sorry to hear about the loss of your son. That's got to be unbelievably difficult. I don't have any children, siblings nor loved ones other than my parents to lose. In some sense, I suppose that makes me lucky but in others, it's sometimes very lonely and isolating and when my parents are gone, I'll be alone. And there will be no one to take care of me when I reach old age either. In that sense, I think I can identify to some extent with at least a small part of your loss (unless you have other children to help you along when the time comes).
Thank you for the kind words. It was but I was fortunate to come out of it in much better shape than I entered.

You seem to be concerned about things you have little control over. Don't worry about what the future holds one way or another. Instead, do the best you can in all you do NOW. Excel at your work and use your time productively. Leave everything better than you found it. Help others when you can and spend a great deal of your time on things that will make you a better person [however you see that]. NEVER feel sorry for yourself or worry about the past. It's over so move on. And life is truly what you make it.

If you want to live a successful, contented life, here are couple of tips the sages have passed down over the millennia. Eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly, and pray/meditate every day. Remember, it's just doing the everyday things well that leads to a good life.
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