Ahira's Hangar

Since I just read this first quote, in The Wild, I figured I'd add it to the other two quotes I've liked from other books.
Quote:Goodness, truth, and beauty all women and men sensed within their souls, but they were also full of flaws, and they lived the worst of lies, and sometimes it was a terrible beauty that called to them from deep inside. In truth, it was almost impossible to rid oneself of only the negative qualities. The very act of the self-slashing at the self and willing itself to go away only reinforced it, redefined it, made it stronger. This was why no group of Transcendentals had ever merged completely.
From Conversations With God:Quote:Neale: You have said that "what you resist persists, and what you look at disappears." Can You explain that?

God: You cannot resist something to which you grant no reality. The act of resisting a thing is the act of granting it life. When you resist an energy, you place it there. The more you resist, the more you make it real - whatever it is you are resisting. What you open your eyes and look at disappears. That is, it ceases to hold its illusory form.

From Illusions, when Don and Richard are practicing vaporizing clouds with their minds :Quote:Don: Amazing. You were so attached to it, and still it disappeared for you.

Richard: Attached! I was whocking that cloud with everything I had! Fireballs, laser beams, vacuum cleaner a block high…

Don: Negative attachments, Richard. If you really want to remove a cloud from your life, you do not make a big production out of it, you just relax and remove it from your thinking. That’s all there is to it.
I think Don's last statement is the easiest way to see it. For those of us with less than ideal childhoods, trying to rid ourselves of unwanted emotional issues can become a litany of, "Oh why am I still tortured by this incident from my childhood! Why can't I turn the thought of X into a strength?" I think there's some merit to wanting to turn things into strengths. I even typed out part of a conversation from a book called We've had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy - and the World's Getting Worse because I think it has its place, and posted it at the Watch. (kevinswatch.ihugny.com/ph...n+hundred)

But there's also a time to let something go. And that only happens when we let it go. It doesn't work by trying to eradicate it. ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

I so agree with you there. I've talked to people that are amazed about my childhood when I tell them about it. They wonder why I'm not in therapy, why don't I do this, do that, don't I realize this, etc.

It happened. I found a way to adjust, to overcome, and now I don't dwell on it. Reminds me of Poltergeist III, in that sense. Sometimes talking helps, but sometimes talking only brings back spectres of the past.

Old (worn out) zen parable...
Two monks are on a journey from place A to place B. Along the way they come to a river with a fairly brisk current. At the river is a village girl, afraid to cross. The older monk picks up the woman, carries her across, and then the two are on their way. A few miles later the younger monk says to the older "How could you do that? You know our vows forbid contact with women."
The older monk replies, "I set the woman down at the waterside, but you are still carrying her."
At which point the young monk probably gained enlightenment. That's the way it usually works. ________________
I wanna feel the metamorphosis and cleansing I've endured within my shadow. Change is coming. Now is my time. Listen to my muscle memory. Contemplate what I've been clinging to. -Tool, "Forty-Six & Two" <i></i>

Nice story! Perfect for the topic. ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

I agree as well. I have had a less than ideal childhood and adulthood myself. But if I were to dwell on it all of the time, I honestly believe that I would become a bitter shell of a human being. I have seen that happen to many people...

You have to find a way to accept the bad things that have happened to you. If you spend your life running from them, they can still find a way to consume you, as with Syl's story...

And you have to find a way to "deal" with them. If you come to consider them normal, than you run the risk of committing like deeds yourself...like abused kids who grow up to deal out abuse to others...

For me, I had to find a way to understand and forgive. Took some time and some work, as all worthwhile things do. But I am now much more at peace, and when I do speak of past painful issues, or even current ones, I try to condemn the acts, but not the people. Very few people TRY to hurt others...and those who do try to hurt others and enjoy it, are not normal...and need help. And one of the biggest things to realize, especially when dealing with emotional abuse from parents is that you
1. Did not ask for it.
2. Did not deserve it, even if the abuser claimed you did.
3. That person who hurt you needed help.
4. You can go on and live a good life, no matter what happened to you as a child.


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Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

Maybe this does not apply to this thread, but I think it does a little.

Normally, one does not think of Laurell K. Hamilton as a deep thinker for her books. But her is a quote from her most recent Anita Blake book, Cerulean Sins: Quote:You have to fight to carve little pieces of happiness out of your life, or the everyday emergencies will eat up everything. {Anita Blake - Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton - ISBN 0-425-18836-1} taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

Excellent 4 points, duchess!!!!!

tw, if any post brings any thought to mind, the thought applies. And I think that applies anyway. Certainly related. Thanks for posting! ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

Taras, I think that your quote certainly applies, too. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was let go of any feelings of hate I felt for the drunk driver that hit my brother. It was that event that ultimately lead to his illness and his passing.

My other brother, Chris, hates this man with such passion that it frightens me. There is no forgiveness in Chris's heart, not for the man who he believes literally killed his brother slowly. I see this eat at him, it effects everyone and every aspect of his life. And I ask him, "what good does this hate do you? It doesn't bring Steve back. This man doesn't care if you hate him or not." I tell him to let it go, for it is only hurting him. He doesn't understand tho.

Nothing we can do will bring Stephen back, nothing we do will change that one event that sealed his fate, nothing we do will ever matter to the man that hit him that day in 1983. I have every reason to hate him, to loathe him, to wish him dead. But, I don't. Hating this man would only bring me pain.

Stephen didn't hate him either. He forgave him.

"If I hate him, then I should just hate myself as well, for hating stains the heart black, and closes the door to God's love." -Steve *********

"And the glory of the world becomes less than it was."<i></i>

forgiveness and mercy feel MUCH better than hatred and despair... ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

Yes, there is logical basis to so many moral issues. This is a big one. If there is no harm whatsoever to the hated, but there is harm to the hater, then what purpose does hate serve?

Lose it!

And smile! "I have learned that we are born for beauty rather than ill." ____________
Highdrake's mastery of spells and sorcery was not much greater than his pupil's, but he had clear in his mind the idea of something very much greater, the wholeness of knowledge. And that made him a mage.<i></i>

I've always thought that the best revenge possible is to go forward with your life and be happy.

On revenge: It has been my observation, over the years, that I never need to bother myself with taking revenge, because the Universe always takes care of it for me. Sometimes so fast that I actually see it happen (boy, those are sweet!) and sometimes not. But just the knowledge that "they'll get theirs" gives me comfort and satisfaction.

I suspect just about everybody has had a less than ideal childhood; I know I did. My chief antagonist then was my brother. It's only since Mom died that I've felt that I could really let go of all the childhood crap and deal with him on an adult basis. I guess that's forgiveness of a sort. (Plus I have seen the Universe *really* stick it to him, which helps a lot. )

Hey, y'know the cloud thing really works.

--A