Saturday 28 February 2009

You are what all the days before have made you

I was out & about somewhere recently and a young fella was espousing the idea that we should not try to change our situation, rather we should allow our situation to change us.

I'm trying to get my head around it all so I thought I would ask for your thoughts.

When has a situation changed you?
Did you fight against it or did you allow it easily?
Where should we draw the line?
Is this idea inextricably linked to religious faith or is it a broader general philosophy?

And do you have any other comments?

12 comments:

  1. When has a situation changed you?
    Right now, my office situation

    Did you fight against it or did you allow it easily?
    I've been fighting it on an hourly basis

    Where should we draw the line?
    When it adversely affects your life to the point you can't function normally

    Is this idea inextricably linked to religious faith or is it a broader general philosophy?
    I'm not particularly religious, so I'll go with general philosophy.

    And do you have any other comments?
    Hi Kylie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another tough one from you Kylie!

    I suppose having children has made the biggest changes in me. Made a very self-obsessed person slightly less so.

    The line should be drawn if the changes prevent you from thinking for yourself, being 'true' to yourself. I am thinking of religious 'conversion' here which by its nature can effect a dramatic change, but which can also take over a person's personality and ability to think freely.

    I think on the whole it is experiences, and meeting other people whose experiences have given them certain views and faith, which shape us in the most lasting way.

    I am not sure I agree with your young philosopher- there are some situations (like false imprisonment, torture, abuse etc etc) which certainly SHOULD be changed!

    ReplyDelete
  3. cinnamon,
    yes, there are some things which should be changed but for some reason the whole issue was foggy in my head. that was exactly the kind of comment i needed to start thinking more logically

    cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  4. bob,
    i'm so sorry your job is so depressing for you. i just hope that one day you will be able to see that it effected some kind of positive, even if it's just something to laugh at

    love
    k

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kia ora Kylie,
    Wow, that is a perplexing one sitting here with a cup of coffee my friend.
    My biggest example would be discovering my now wife was pregnant a day before she was due to return to New Zealand. We had only known each other for a few months so it was a pretty amazing 24 hours making some really tough decisions. Interestingly abortion was never among them, never even brought up, not for religous reasons, but just not even discussed. As if another hand was in there - so maybe it was religous in some way, another area for thought! My son is about to turn 16, my wife and are still happening, though it has been no fairy tale ride it seems to get better and better. Hope you have a lovely day.
    Aroha,
    Robb

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Kylie, just dropping by to say hi. Helen is doing maths homework and groaning about it so thought I'd look in to see what everyone is doing.
    I am a believer in one door closes another opens.
    I see you were up early blogging.
    Have a great day.
    Jo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. robb,
    wow! that was a big one! obviously the situation changed you and it seems you are happy about it.
    i feel that the abortion question is soooo big and so personal that it is nobodys business but the couple involved.

    i feel that the anti abortion lobby is so screeching, so loud, so judgemental. those people dont represent the Jesus i know. they dont represent the true meaning of any form of connection to life, to God, to spirituality, to whatever we call that greater power.

    as a person of faith i have to believe that there was another hand in your life, but if i can separate my faith from my observation (if that is possible) yours would seem to be one of those instances where the action of a third party is undeniable
    (phew! i hope you understand that better than i do)

    have a marvellous weekend
    aroha
    k

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi jo,
    i was up early blogging,i have so many posts burning to be written, talked about, played with.....
    i had to get at least one out there!
    maths homework on a saturday morning is a bummer.....although so are lots of things i guess, she'd better get used to it :)

    yes, you are right about the doors, no point tearing your hands apart trying to open one when there is another already open.

    love to mark and helen
    and to you

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi baby. I read Robb's comment, then yours Amazing. I love you Kylie. You're a good, honest woman. I just adore you, but want to remind you. I do. You know why? Because you see far beyond. You are a sensitive, dear soul, but you're also a smart ass and that makes me laugh!

    Love you,
    Me

    ReplyDelete
  10. When has a situation changed you?
    I think we encounter many situations in life that change us. It is situations in life that mold and shape us into what we are. I would have to say that having children is probably the most life altering of all situations, but so is getting married, or graduating high school, moving out on your own, watching a parent or sibling die. All of these things are major life altering situations. But then there are those smaller life altering situations that occur on a daily basis. Like watching a baby bird hatch from an egg, or catching a butterfly on your nose. Perhaps the small situtations do not have a major impact on us, but they do effect us and alter us slightly.

    Where should we draw the line? I'm not sure we are able to draw the line on certain situations. There are some things that are beyond our control. But I suppose if your child was acting up in the grocery store, well there is a line to be drawn there. A chalk line, after you have killed the said child for making you look like the worlds worst parent. (I'm kidding).

    Is this idea inextricably linked to religious faith or is it a broader general philosophy?
    I think it all depends on what situation occured and who it occured to. Some people have more religion in their lives than others. So I cannot say that it is linked to religion all of the time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree the abortion topic is personal private decision to make.
    When Mark and I were on the IVF program in the early years the right to life people used to wait outside the hospital with pamphlets and abuse us for wanting to kill our so called baby that we didn't have. We and many others were telling them we were trying to have one in the first place. Eventually it become so bad the hospital took court action against them and won.

    ReplyDelete
  12. George Lyndon Carpenter, world leader of The Salvation Army during World War 2 once observed "You are what all the days before have made you."

    ReplyDelete

go on, leave a comment or four.