by Ingenuous 13 Replies latest jw friends
Do you have any sayings/anecdotes/mantras/clichés that help you cope? I've heard a few that I employ with my own modifications:
I like the "Dear Dad" letter, though I don't know if my folks would appreciate it if I applied to leaving the Org.
"If my mother knew about this, she'd be spinning in her grave." "That's OK, she needs the exercise."
"My family has so many issues, they have subscriptions."
For those just exiting (as I once was), I love: "I'd rather have questions I can't answer, than answers I can't question."
For myself now, I love what Tetra once said:
Live like a god.
Treat other men like gods.
Die like a god.
That sends shivers through me!
Dave
My favourite at the moment is to take a deep breath and say:
"I am a temple of calm"
I dunno why it works but it does! I guess it just helps me to re-focus my thoughts when everythings going crazy around me.
For those just exiting (as I once was), I love: "I'd rather have questions I can't answer, than answers I can't question."
Dave--You beat me to it. I love that one.
B
''If who I am is what I have and what I have is gone, then who am I?''
My personal favorite, and repeated a lot these days is:
"This too shall pass."
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert. The stuff in this email could be false. If you use it, use it at your own risk. Also, since about 7/05, I've earnestly tried to keep my large-scale internet presence politically/religiously neutral. Stepping on big toes with such new and powerful technology seems highly incautious in my case.
Hi! This is my first post. Here are some thoughts which have helped to keep me going lately:
0. Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug. (See saying 1 for the bright side of this.)
1. However, not even a hypothetically good-hearted and intelligent bug wouldn't deny you the enjoyment of your life.
Imagine "the fly" in the place of Val Kilmer (Doc Holiday) when he tells Wyatt Earp on his deathbed, "Live Wyatt. Live for me." Weird thought, I know, but it helps my messed-up head a little.
2. Modified Prayer of Serenity:
May I have the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
3. Some good things have happened to good people.
I've seen some of that. Life isn't all bad.
4. Have faith in the "goodness of time."
What to I mean by that? Compare your freedoms to the slave states of long ago. Progress seems to come with time, yes? I told someone of this recently, and they told me of how they watched a documentary about ancient people living in high caves and pulling up ladders at night to avoid cannibals. I replied something like: "Exactly! The goodness of time! Now people only do that to try to avoid the tax-man!" Even those who live off of the labor of others have learned to only eat half of the person each year, to harvest the rest next year. :P Ah, yes. "The goodness of time."
5. Suicide is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. First, there will be plenty of time to be dead later. I still want to take the small chance that I will make something of my life. Second, I like to try to contribute to the goodness of time out of gratitude for said goodness, and to those who have suffered so greatly to attempt to contribute to it.
Well, there are a few thoughts and sayings that have kept me going for a few months. I've yet to describe why this particular Ex-JW seems so desparate for positive thoughts; but, I hope to do that later. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. :)
PoliticallyNeutered
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert. The stuff in this email could be false. If you use it, use it at your own risk. Also, since about 7/05, I've earnestly tried to keep my large-scale internet presence politically/religiously neutral. Stepping on big toes with such new and powerful technology seems highly incautious in my case.
I forgot one:
From "Old Yeller:"
6. Don't "ruin the good parts of life fretting about the bad." Maybe that's a slight misquote, but that is how I remember it. It ties in well with the modified prayer of serenity.
PoliticallyNeutered
5. Suicide is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. First, there will be plenty of time to be dead later. I still want to take the small chance that I will make something of my life. Second, I like to try to contribute to the goodness of time out of gratitude for said goodness, and to those who have suffered so greatly to attempt to contribute to it.
I like that.
Welcome to the board PN2.
This has nothing to do with JW's...
But its been my personal mantra for a while now....
Is this going to matter in a year?
I apply this to any situation where I may get angry, anxious, irrational...if it's not going to matter in a year...I just take a couple of deep breaths and try like hell to let it go.
If it's going to matter....then I get ready for battle...LOL!
Chrystal
