All I do know is as we age, the weight of our unsorted baggage becomes heavier. . . much heavier. With each passing year, the price of our refusal to do that sorting rises higher and higher. . . . Long ago, the defenses I built to withstand the stress of my childhood, to save what I had of myself, outlived their usefulness, and I’ve become an abuser of their once lifesaving powers. I relied on them wrongly to isolate myself, seal my alienation, cut me off from life, control others, and contain my emotions to a damaging degree. Now the bill collector is knocking, and his payment’ll be in tears. | |
— Bruce Springsteen | |
As quoted by: Michael Hainey | |
From his article: “The Mind is a Terrifying Place. Even for Bruce Springsteen“ | |
Published in: Esquire Magazine; dtd: 27 November 2018 | |
[I found this quote on one of the blogs I follow: “Live & Learn” which is located at: https://davidkanigan.com/ | |
The link to the specific post is: https://davidkanigan.com/2018/12/04/will-i-be-confined-by-my-dna-or-will-i-define-who-i-am/ | |
Please visit the original site if you have some spare time. — kmab] | |
. | |
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Fighting Ourselves
April 24, 2024 by kmabarrett
Posted in Other Blogs, Philosophy, Quotes | Tagged Baggage, Bruce Springsteen, Depression, Esquire Magazine, http://davidkanigan.com/, Live & Learn, Michael Hainey, Other Blogs, Philosophy, Quotes, The Mind is a Terrifying Place. Even for Bruce Springsteen | 17 Comments
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Hey mate,
It’s all rather beautiful. But you need a deep, profound, and enduring peace brother.
As I once wrote in a book, “Only God can turn a life around. Trust in Him and never give up hope.”
Perfect peace awaits brother. When you’re ready, when He’s ready.
You’re in my prayers.
❤️
Steven
Hi Kevin!
I found your comment fascinating, thank you.
Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgement, and the angels? They are all taught in the Bible and the Qur’an.
My understanding is that in the act of his crucifixion, Jesus atoned for the sins of an elect group of Jews and gentiles who put their faith in him. Christians are able to rest assured that their sins are forgiven because of this great mercy from God.
All other human beings have to be morally upright, good, charitable human beings if they want to please God. So as long as you have kept the ten commandments and escaped the trappings of sin then perhaps you will be okay. But have you, honestly?
A personal relationship with God is when He talks to you, guides you, comforts you, and directs you. Perhaps you have this, I don’t know, but I don’t think everyone does.
I hope that you will come to no the incredible peace and joy that come from knowing the Jesus who is revealed in the Bible.
Steven
Hi Steven,
First off, I’m happy to read you are feeling a bit better… 🙂
In response to your comment:
“I found your comment fascinating, thank you.”
Thank you. I am glad we are able to discuss these things without a sense of “personal grievance / attack”. Many people take any questions or comments which disagree (even in the slightest bit) with their personal beliefs as a personal affront.
“Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgement, and the angels? They are all taught in the Bible and the Qur’an.”
I do not believe is a “resurrection of the BODY”. As God is all-powerful, it is a possibility, but I have no reason to believe it would (or will) occur. If you are buried and all of your body decomposes and subsequently becomes plant food, plants and then food in turn for later humans – which of the molecule will resurrect as you and which as them? This is not to say I disbelieve in the resurrection of the “spirit / soul”. Do these resurrect as exact copies of you at the time of your death? I don’t know… My sense is that as God is universal (everything and everywhere), we are never “really” gone, despite the apparent end / death of our current corporeal forms. I also have doubts about a “Day of Judgement”. If my eye offends me, do I pluck it out? No. I try to determine what is wrong and correct it. Granted, we do remove bad teeth and ingrown nails, so a medical metaphor is not really an exact one. (LoL) Do I believe in “angels”? If I did, I would also have to believe in demons. I have no proof either exist, but I also have no proof they don’t. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I “see” good and evil things happen, so I tend wish the causes are not inherent in mankind, but I do not know this to be true or false. I don’t believe an all-powerful and universal God would require an “agent” for action in any part of Creation (our universe), so I also don’t believe there is a necessity for angels to exist. The Bible (particularly the “New” Testament) is a story book. I believe the Old Testament is both a historical / mythological tale as much as story book intended to pass along moral teachings. The Qur’an is also “mostly” a story book meant to convey social / moral teachings about Man’s place in the world and under God. Both books are a strong basis to begin living a moral life, but neither are infallible.
“My understanding is that in the act of his crucifixion, Jesus atoned for the sins of an elect group of Jews and gentiles who put their faith in him. Christians are able to rest assured that their sins are forgiven because of this great mercy from God.”
This (crucifixion / atonement for sin) is (more or less) the standard teaching of Christianity (and Roman Catholicism) – particularly post Paul. Prior to Paul, gentiles were not generally considered worthy of saving (“eligible for saving”) – only Jews. This was a big “argument” between Peter and Paul. The “Messiah” would come to raise Israel, not to save the world. Peter lost the disagreement over spreading the faith to non-Jews. The “Christ” (Greek for the Anointed One) came to save humanity. Christians are “forgiven” if they ask God for forgiveness AND pledge to sin no more. (Or at least try not to sin.) There is a Chinese expression which roughly translates that if a hero cannot die in their story, then they cannot be the hero of the story. What value would an all-powerful, universal God place in the “sacrifice” of ONE human as an atonement for all of the sins of all of humanity for all time, when God KNOWS that THAT one human will rise from the dead in three days? Incidentally, although Muslims believe in a prophet named “Jesus” (they use “Issa” or sometimes “Isa”), they don’t believe he died on the cross. Since Jesus never died, he could not have risen in three days. Also, Jesus will not “judge”. Only God can judge. Jesus will testify for and against at Judgement. Minor points, but I believe they are significant when comparing the two faiths. They certainly don’t believe Jesus was divine or anything more than a human. As for the Christian view of Jesus’ divinity… To my knowledge, Jesus never said “I am God”. When asked how to pray, Jesus replied: “Our Father…” – NOT pray to me. I believe the closest we get to divinity is when “Doubting” Thomas says: “My Lord and my God…” after touching Jesus’ wounds. Also, please recall only John states this proclamation of divinity by Thomas. The other three (Synoptic) gospels only say Jesus met with the apostles after the crucifixion. So, it is easy to understand why Muslims do not believe Jesus was divine.
“All other human beings have to be morally upright, good, charitable human beings if they want to please God. So as long as you have kept the ten commandments and escaped the trappings of sin then perhaps you will be okay. But have you, honestly?”
I am always worried about being considered “morally upright, good, and charitable” as the definition of these traits has changed frequently through history. I do not know what are the “trappings of sin”, let alone how I would go about escaping (or avoiding) them. I have no issues with the Ten Commandments and believe they are a good start – for me. BUT I don’t have any issue with anyone who doesn’t share my beliefs or who chooses to honor their God / belief in a different way – as long as their actions do not physically (or psychologically) harm others. And I believe my God doesn’t care either.
“A personal relationship with God is when He talks to you, guides you, comforts you, and directs you. Perhaps you have this, I don’t know, but I don’t think everyone does.”
I believe I have a personal relationship with God… Please see my post from back in 2009: “As for me…” at: https://kmabarrett.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/as-for-me/
My faith comforts me – daily. I don’t know about guides or directs. I do feel my faith compels me to “announce” and “share” my beliefs when there is the opportunity and certainly to testify I have a belief in an all-powerful and universal God – even if I cannot fully understand what those attributes mean or how / why my God chooses to use (or not use) this universal power.
“I hope that you will come to no the incredible peace and joy that come from knowing the Jesus who is revealed in the Bible.”
I have MY peace in God and in my faith. I hope you continue to enjoy (and share) the peace you feel comes from knowing Jesus as He is revealed to you in your life and through your study of the Bible.
Namaste,
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
I hope that you’re okay.
The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is available to you today if you give your life to Jesus Christ.
God bless,
Steven
Namaste (I see YOU…)
Salam Allecom (the Peace of God be with you)
Shalom (Peace / good health be with you)
Peace (RC: at Mass – “may the Peace of Christ be with you”)
A man may spend the whole of his life in search of the perfect cherry blossom – only to never find it – and it would still be a life well lived. (And only in the end he may come to realize – they are all perfect.)
🙂
Do you have a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, Kevin?
Hi Steven,
I don’t know what a “personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” means. I am a baptized Roman Catholic and was raised in that faith. I have spent much of my life as both an atheist and as an agnostic, but I would say for the last 20 years I have been a deist (monotheist) practicing as a Catholic – attending weekly Masses and participating in some of my local parish’s charity events. I stopped attending services and participating in parish activity over the Church’s stance on pedophilia. To me, the question is avoiding responsibility (and protecting wealth) versus protection of children, and the Church as chosen to protect its wealth. I will probably return to “normal” R.C. practice when the Church returns to its moral obligation – so maybe not in this lifetime…
Unlike Muhammad, there is no historical evidence that “Jesus Christ” ever existed. Let me repeat that… NONE. Faith has nothing to do with proof. I am a non-practicing Catholic because it is the faith I choose to follow to honor the deity I do believe in (one God). When asked, “Christ” did not say: “Pray to me…” He said: “When you want to pray to God, say these words… Our Father…” I believe this is the same “Father” of Abraham and of Muhammad. We, of the three “great” books of faith, are fundamentally monotheistic deists. As humans, we lack the ability to understand a “God” of this world, let alone of the galaxy or of the universe / “creation”. It is simply beyond us. And so, I am left with my faith that there IS a purpose to existence, regardless of whether or not I will ever understand that purpose or the individual occurrences which make up any individual’s life.
The message of “The Christ” (as we know him) is to love one another AND to actually DO things in this life to help each other. It is through kindness, love and mutual support that we (I believe) truly express our faith and belief in “God”. As Christ also said: “By their acts, you shall know them…”
Now, the question is: Do YOU believe that means I have a personal relationship with God – with or without Jesus Christ?
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
I’m with you in believing in one God. I just want you to have assurance about whether or not your sins are forgiven, which happens if you believe the gospel and accept Jesus as Lord and saviour.
I published this article recently which contains guidance, based on the Bible, concerning how you can know if you’re saved:
I hope this is of interest.
God bless,
Steven
Hi Steven,
I read your post and would like to respond to it in detail. Please forgive my lengthy response, but I am well known for my pompous ability to drone on… (LoL)
===============
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Although I have received the Sacrament of Confession, I no longer practice this part of the Catholic faith. I believe “Joshua” (Jesus Christ) was probably a historic figure – a part-time, itinerant “Rabbi”. I do not believe Jesus was raised from the dead nor that Jesus physically ascended into Heaven. I believe my “faith” is in a universal God and that my actions in this lifetime will have a positive impact (however small) in this existence.
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
I believe God “loves” all of his creation and whomever believes in God and acts to make the world “better” for others will make this existence “better” forever. To the extent there remains life in this existence, the universe will benefit from my “good” acts forever. I’m afraid that’s the best I can hope for in “everlasting life”.
“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
I agree God did not send “His Son” to condemn. Assuming the last word (“Him”) refers to Jesus and not to God (Himself), I have doubt. If God chose to do this, it strikes me as a fairly inefficient method of saving “the world” given that 90% of humanity which has existed since the birth of Joshua (Jesus) has never even heard of Jesus or a Christian God.
“The only way to the Father is through the Son.”
If you believe in the message: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and if you believe a historical figure of Jesus said this, then my point (above) is bolstered. If you believe your first sentence, then you have condemned the folks who never even heard of Jesus to death or Hell (at the very least to “non-Heaven”). My faith is in a loving God who sustains the Lilies of the Field and offers each and all of us the opportunity to live a life of meaning (by our actions). Just as we recognize the tree by its fruit, we can recognize a “Christian” by their actions. This is how Jesus taught us to reach the Father and it is “the way”.
“You can ask God to forgive your sins for the sake of Jesus, to accept you into His loving care, to cleanse you of all unrighteousness and give you a new life in Him.”
For me, the “His” and the “Him” are references to God and not to a person, no matter how enlightened the trail guide / prophet. I also do not believe in “Original Sin” or in “unrighteousness”. As stated previously, my God is a loving God. Do I believe there is “evil” in this world? Yes. But I don’t believe “evil” (in most instances) is “turning away” from God. To my understanding, “evil” is performing acts which cause harm or injury to others (people, animals or the environment) for personal profit, pleasure or emotional release.
“Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and be transformed by the love of God.”
I do not “invite” God into my heart. God is already in my heart – and in yours too. Do good; be kind to others; and, trust God to make the world a better place for all.
=============
By the way, I’ve had similar discussions about faith with Protestants, Muslims and strictly observant Roman Catholics. I’ve also had friends, neighbors, and co-workers who were of many other faiths – and some with no professed or practiced faith. Faith, if internalized, is ALWAYS a personal faith and should be respected as such. We are richer for our infinite diversity and our “diversity” includes our various faiths.
Again, I apologize for the length of this response and particularly if it offends your personal beliefs / faith.
I hope you feel better and can come to terms with your father / family.
Peace,
Kevin
🙂
What’s the cause of your stress, Kevin? With me, I sent my dad a text earlier and although it was sent with loving intentions, it was expressed crudely, if you see what I mean. His partner has cancer, my mum died of cancer, and I don’t think anyone should have to go through it! But I know my dad is a Christian so I have to accept he’s saved and being used by God and doesn’t need his son’s interference! I should probably apologise 😒
Hi Steven,
I’m not sure what you’re referring to… Why do you believe God has anything to do with your father’s partner having cancer or how God would be using that medical issue for anything? I’m also not clear on why you think you should apologize for something or why you think you’re interfering by expressing your love / concern in a text.
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
The issue is that I expressed anger towards my father, which we should never do. I have since repented.
I will respond to your other comment separately.
God bless,
Steven
Yeah good call! I just said a prayer for you that you have so much love in your life, from God and from others, that you never have to feel stressed.
Going to make a cup of tea and put on some worship music, or maybe go to the local park 🙂
Shalom!
Steven
Ahh cool. Glad you’re okay! Sorry to read that lots of people are feeling depressed. Am in bed with stress myself.
Steven
These things seem to come in waves / tides. The moods rise and fall… I hope you’re feeling better soon. A good hour-long walk usually helps me clear my head and feel better – even if I don’t go anywhere but around the block a few times. LoL
Take care,
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
I hope you’re okay mate. Life is hard but you’ll be fine.
Steven
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the visit and for leaving a comment!
A number (handful) of the blogs I follow have recently posted about being stressed out and / or depressed. I recalled the post about Bruce Springsteen and his issues with depression, so just thought I’d pass the quote along to remind my readers that they are not alone if they feel the same way. I can’t say I’ve ever felt depressed, but I’ve certainly had to deal with stress over the course of a lifetime.
Sometimes, it’s enough just to be reminded we’re not in this alone…
Namaste and Salaam Alecom,
Kevin