Let’s start, just for fun, by imaging a painful scene. Picture an injured man. Maybe he’s fallen down a flight of stairs; maybe he’s tumbled off a ladder. Either way, he lies sprawled on the ground. He’s suffering. His leg is broken, twisted at an unnatural angle. Maybe he’s wincing, crying out. Tears trickle across his face. He shouts for help.
I appreciate your perspective. I'm curious about the source of this tendency to put a responsibility on the person suffering from some unseen but devastating pain such as sexual abuse, loss, or betrayal. At times I wonder if it comes from an unwillingness to sit with what can feel like unresolvable anguish. Other times, I wonder if blaming the sufferer(s) for somehow obstructing or resisting healing is simply a tidy way to bypass having to reckon with a God who does not always seem to provide relief.
"Let’s start, just for fun, by imaging a painful scene. Picture an injured man." For a second there I thought you were talking about pretty boy there in the picture at the top.
My first impression was, huh? What does this hippie cult leader have to say about anything? Hair care products? Yeah, so, there's plenty of political attitude out there regarding the victimhood culture, but there are, in fact, real victims out in the world. Are we to tell them to go F themselves? I can remember the torments wrought by my parents, and I've met people with even worse situations of childhood. For some, a strange moment can hit them in their 30s. Bringing them to their knees. They're not competing, they didn't ask for it, nor deserve it.
There does sometimes tend to be a competition of pain and suffering. Who's paid their dues? Some people have paid way too much. But for me, it always comes back to Dismas and Gestas. Both crucified, both suffering, one has the time and energy to mock and degrade, the other defends. Goldielocks here seems to have taken the wrong message from the Crucifixion.
There is a truth in every situation, and sometimes the man in true pain has to pay even more for another, sometimes he even chooses to. Yes. One can observe they're absolutely mangled by life, but they look over and see someone who is about to be mangled, and you think, aw shit, I can't let that happen. It's going to cost me even more, but I gotta do it.
As for God, yeah, I can tell, I'm not one of his favorites, all the platitudes are all fine and well for some, like hippie cult leaders with a medicine cabinet full of the finest hair care products, but not me. I hate having to pick someone up off the ground who is bleeding, but when nobody else will, normally I just get angry at God. Not because "now I gotta do shit" but really, what kind of world is this anyways? A wood chipper for the soul?
You could say I'm disappointed, but I already know there's a difference between physical and spiritual suffering. (But I think one can lead to another). Goldielocks better define 'trauma' because it appears he thinks it's running out of conditioner.
I guess I'm supposed to remember Christ, but all too often people suffer for absolutely no good reason. And that pisses me off. God expects me to pick people up? I can guarantee you that Goldielocks there will run from an injured man, which explains his statement. All I see is injured men. (And people like Goldielocks). How about giving me a break, God? Nah. No breaks. No conditioner.
I hate pain and I hate suffering. I hate it when I see it in others. The danger might be worse than pathetic wanna-be preachers denying it in their followers, telling them to 'deny' what they're going through for Jesus somehow, the danger is when I start getting really pissed off at God for letting this shit go on for thousands of years. But since there's nothing I can do about it, all that's left to do is let God have his will, and continue getting mangled... and watch others keep getting mangled. And watch as people like Goldielocks the Prosperity Theology Rock Star mock Christ, and the mangled man.
There is no doubt such a thing as self-pity exists, but some traumas ARE in fact debilitating for people. Sean here is playing Gestas. "Get up. Pull yourself up for Jesus." If this was the case, what's the point of helping anybody then? You can just remind them of Christ's suffering... oh wait, yeah, my Mom used to use lines like this.... Sorry, Sean, I'm too busy tied to this cross here to reach over and kick you. Or cut off your beloved hair. Otherwise I might be tempted to do that. I'm a little pre-occupied. I wonder if Goldielocks has ever nearly starved to death. You start to lose all your faculties. You can barely think. You can barely focus on anything, because you're literally dying. You wonder if you might get out of the situation, but you reach a point where you might not be able to help yourself at a certain point. It's a pretty bad situation to be in, and I empathize with anybody who's been through it. I hesitate to judge Goldielocks, who knows, maybe he was tortured in a Gulag when he was 14, what do I know. I doubt it though. There's only two kinds of people in this world. Dismas and Gestas. You have to choose which one to be. Sean here has chosen.
To quote Filthy Frank,
"I live in a constant state of fear and misery...
And I don't even notice
When it hurts anymore
Anymore
Anymore
Anymore"
Blessed are the suffering... I guess. Some of them won't kick a man when he's down because they've been kicked so many times they're numb to the pain. Is pain my identity? I don't know, I don't think so, it just IS. I don't want it to be. It's there, and when someone like Goldielocks comes along I just think, well, Gestas of the Golden Locks, I hope Jesus provides you all the hair care products you need when you get to heaven, all I ask for is the end to pain.
Beautifully written, and a thoughtful correction to the message that is too often uttered. Thank you for sharing.
I appreciate your perspective. I'm curious about the source of this tendency to put a responsibility on the person suffering from some unseen but devastating pain such as sexual abuse, loss, or betrayal. At times I wonder if it comes from an unwillingness to sit with what can feel like unresolvable anguish. Other times, I wonder if blaming the sufferer(s) for somehow obstructing or resisting healing is simply a tidy way to bypass having to reckon with a God who does not always seem to provide relief.
"Let’s start, just for fun, by imaging a painful scene. Picture an injured man." For a second there I thought you were talking about pretty boy there in the picture at the top.
My first impression was, huh? What does this hippie cult leader have to say about anything? Hair care products? Yeah, so, there's plenty of political attitude out there regarding the victimhood culture, but there are, in fact, real victims out in the world. Are we to tell them to go F themselves? I can remember the torments wrought by my parents, and I've met people with even worse situations of childhood. For some, a strange moment can hit them in their 30s. Bringing them to their knees. They're not competing, they didn't ask for it, nor deserve it.
There does sometimes tend to be a competition of pain and suffering. Who's paid their dues? Some people have paid way too much. But for me, it always comes back to Dismas and Gestas. Both crucified, both suffering, one has the time and energy to mock and degrade, the other defends. Goldielocks here seems to have taken the wrong message from the Crucifixion.
There is a truth in every situation, and sometimes the man in true pain has to pay even more for another, sometimes he even chooses to. Yes. One can observe they're absolutely mangled by life, but they look over and see someone who is about to be mangled, and you think, aw shit, I can't let that happen. It's going to cost me even more, but I gotta do it.
As for God, yeah, I can tell, I'm not one of his favorites, all the platitudes are all fine and well for some, like hippie cult leaders with a medicine cabinet full of the finest hair care products, but not me. I hate having to pick someone up off the ground who is bleeding, but when nobody else will, normally I just get angry at God. Not because "now I gotta do shit" but really, what kind of world is this anyways? A wood chipper for the soul?
You could say I'm disappointed, but I already know there's a difference between physical and spiritual suffering. (But I think one can lead to another). Goldielocks better define 'trauma' because it appears he thinks it's running out of conditioner.
I guess I'm supposed to remember Christ, but all too often people suffer for absolutely no good reason. And that pisses me off. God expects me to pick people up? I can guarantee you that Goldielocks there will run from an injured man, which explains his statement. All I see is injured men. (And people like Goldielocks). How about giving me a break, God? Nah. No breaks. No conditioner.
I hate pain and I hate suffering. I hate it when I see it in others. The danger might be worse than pathetic wanna-be preachers denying it in their followers, telling them to 'deny' what they're going through for Jesus somehow, the danger is when I start getting really pissed off at God for letting this shit go on for thousands of years. But since there's nothing I can do about it, all that's left to do is let God have his will, and continue getting mangled... and watch others keep getting mangled. And watch as people like Goldielocks the Prosperity Theology Rock Star mock Christ, and the mangled man.
There is no doubt such a thing as self-pity exists, but some traumas ARE in fact debilitating for people. Sean here is playing Gestas. "Get up. Pull yourself up for Jesus." If this was the case, what's the point of helping anybody then? You can just remind them of Christ's suffering... oh wait, yeah, my Mom used to use lines like this.... Sorry, Sean, I'm too busy tied to this cross here to reach over and kick you. Or cut off your beloved hair. Otherwise I might be tempted to do that. I'm a little pre-occupied. I wonder if Goldielocks has ever nearly starved to death. You start to lose all your faculties. You can barely think. You can barely focus on anything, because you're literally dying. You wonder if you might get out of the situation, but you reach a point where you might not be able to help yourself at a certain point. It's a pretty bad situation to be in, and I empathize with anybody who's been through it. I hesitate to judge Goldielocks, who knows, maybe he was tortured in a Gulag when he was 14, what do I know. I doubt it though. There's only two kinds of people in this world. Dismas and Gestas. You have to choose which one to be. Sean here has chosen.
To quote Filthy Frank,
"I live in a constant state of fear and misery...
And I don't even notice
When it hurts anymore
Anymore
Anymore
Anymore"
Blessed are the suffering... I guess. Some of them won't kick a man when he's down because they've been kicked so many times they're numb to the pain. Is pain my identity? I don't know, I don't think so, it just IS. I don't want it to be. It's there, and when someone like Goldielocks comes along I just think, well, Gestas of the Golden Locks, I hope Jesus provides you all the hair care products you need when you get to heaven, all I ask for is the end to pain.