Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As a deist of course I have no belief God has anything to do with how our life turns out. We do most of it to ourselves and good or bad fortune takes care of the rest.
For instance I have material good fortune. I worked for some of it but most of it fell into my lap. I didn't tithe and I didn't pray for it because I haven't believed for years that prayer works for anything.
Nevertheless, I consider myself a loser in life because I was born with a number of strikes against me that stopped me from being able to achieve my dreams nor did I ever accomplish anything of real worth. For most of my life I was a milksop. I was naive. I allowed myself to be pushed around. I tend to measure myself against Sean Connery, who at the age of 30 was already playing the debonair suave worldly James Bond while I was slaving as a telephone operator and didn't know up from down far as life goes. A lot of that has to do with Christianity which I view as having screwed up my life royally.
Now at the age of 67 and feeling my body starting its downward slide, not having had any children and not having accomplished a thing for a legacy I have to say I won't miss this life at all when my times comes and if I were to get a terminal diagnosis I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go to Switzerland to utilize the death with dignity laws there.
So anybody here brave to offer an assessment of how their life has gone so far and whether you consider yourself a winner or a loser?
Last edited by thrillobyte; 08-13-2017 at 05:01 PM..
As a deist of course I have no belief God has anything to do with how our life turns out. We do most of it to ourselves and good or bad fortune takes care of the rest.
For instance I have material good fortune. I worked for some of it but most of it fell into my lap. I didn't tithe and I didn't pray for it because I haven't believed for years that prayer works for anything.
Nevertheless, I consider myself a loser in life because I was born with a number of strikes against me that stopped me from being able to achieve my dreams nor did I ever accomplish anything of real worth. For most of my life I was a milksop. I was naive. I allowed myself to be pushed around. I tend to measure myself against Sean Connery, who at the age of 30 was already playing the debonair suave worldly James Bond while I was slaving as a telephone operator and didn't know up from down far as life goes. A lot of that has to do with Christianity which I view as having screwed up my life royally.
Now at the age of 67 and feeling my body starting its down, not having had any children and not having accomplished a thing for a legacy I have to say I won't miss this life at all when my times comes and if I were to get a terminal diagnosis I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go to Switzerland to utilize the death with dignity laws there.
So anybody here brave to offer an assessment of how their life has gone so far and whether you consider yourself a winner or a loser?
I'd have to say that I consider myself a winner. When I stop to think of all that I have, I don't know that I could possibly do otherwise. On the other hand, I have suffered from depression for years and years. Medications help, but don't solve the problem entirely, so I do spend a lot more time than I should, given my circumstances, feeling like "Woe is me." Then I get disgusted with myself and that causes the depression to get even worse.
Seriously, though, I think of every person I've ever known, and I don't think I'd want to change places with any of them. I know I'm blessed -- or "lucky" if that's what you want to call it.
I'd have to say that I consider myself a winner. When I stop to think of all that I have, I don't know that I could possibly do otherwise. On the other hand, I have suffered from depression for years and years. Medications help, but don't solve the problem entirely, so I do spend a lot more time than I should, given my circumstances, feeling like "Woe is me." Then I get disgusted with myself and that causes the depression to get even worse.
Seriously, though, I think of every person I've ever known, and I don't think I'd want to change places with any of them. I know I'm blessed -- or "lucky" if that's what you want to call it.
Thank you, Kaztpur. I love "winner" stories. We don't hear enough of them around here.
As a deist of course I have no belief God has anything to do with how our life turns out. We do most of it to ourselves and good or bad fortune takes care of the rest.
For instance I have material good fortune. I worked for some of it but most of it fell into my lap. I didn't tithe and I didn't pray for it because I haven't believed for years that prayer works for anything.
Nevertheless, I consider myself a loser in life because I was born with a number of strikes against me that stopped me from being able to achieve my dreams nor did I ever accomplish anything of real worth. For most of my life I was a milksop. I was naive. I allowed myself to be pushed around. I tend to measure myself against Sean Connery, who at the age of 30 was already playing the debonair suave worldly James Bond while I was slaving as a telephone operator and didn't know up from down far as life goes. A lot of that has to do with Christianity which I view as having screwed up my life royally.
Now at the age of 67 and feeling my body starting its downward slide, not having had any children and not having accomplished a thing for a legacy I have to say I won't miss this life at all when my times comes and if I were to get a terminal diagnosis I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go to Switzerland to utilize the death with dignity laws there.
So anybody here brave to offer an assessment of how their life has gone so far and whether you consider yourself a winner or a loser?
Though I was robbed of much materially and every other way, G-d has still managed to bless me beyond what I could have asked for in every way. I don't consider myself a winner, but rather that He is in the winner in me.
But I just wanted mainly to tell you that you didn't have to accomplish a thing in any way, for the G-d who is, to love you and give you the worth of a prince, and He wants you to know that. Peace
Though I was robbed of much materially and every other way, G-d has still managed to bless me beyond what I could have asked for in every way. I don't consider myself a winner, but rather that He is in the winner in me.
But I just wanted mainly to tell you that you didn't have to accomplish a thing in any way, for the G-d who is, to love you and give you the worth of a prince, and He wants you to know that. Peace
As long as you feel like a winner, Rbbi, that's all that's important. Doesn't matter to most of us where it came from.
I don't think "God" made me anything. At least, not since I was a young teen. But my life has been very much like the ancient Chinese curse: I have lived in very interesting times.
I've suffered for prolonged periods and spent most of my life living below the poverty line. But I'm innately positive, or perhaps, dim. In any event, I've never bemoaned my circumstances beyond an occasional grousing to a good friend over a late-night brew.
And, I guess somewhat like thrill, I found myself at 60, vaguely surprised to have more money than I need. It hasn't bought me happiness because I never needed money for that. But it certainly bought me peace of bill-paying mind which is a considerable blessing indeed.
At 67, and with at least 7 of my cat lives used-up, I'm looking down the last piece of my road. As nearly always, beyond today it's foggy.
I'm mindful of the things I have and that I live in a 1st world country in a time opportunities are available. 100 years ago I would have died giving birth. I have faced plenty of challenges but I've also have the ability to adapt and overcome. I don't think any of that is my doing but I also don't think God favored me either over someone else either. I think it's just luck of the draw.
As a deist of course I have no belief God has anything to do with how our life turns out. We do most of it to ourselves and good or bad fortune takes care of the rest.
For instance I have material good fortune. I worked for some of it but most of it fell into my lap. I didn't tithe and I didn't pray for it because I haven't believed for years that prayer works for anything.
Nevertheless, I consider myself a loser in life because I was born with a number of strikes against me that stopped me from being able to achieve my dreams nor did I ever accomplish anything of real worth. For most of my life I was a milksop. I was naive. I allowed myself to be pushed around. I tend to measure myself against Sean Connery, who at the age of 30 was already playing the debonair suave worldly James Bond while I was slaving as a telephone operator and didn't know up from down far as life goes. A lot of that has to do with Christianity which I view as having screwed up my life royally.
Now at the age of 67 and feeling my body starting its downward slide, not having had any children and not having accomplished a thing for a legacy I have to say I won't miss this life at all when my times comes and if I were to get a terminal diagnosis I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go to Switzerland to utilize the death with dignity laws there.
So anybody here brave to offer an assessment of how their life has gone so far and whether you consider yourself a winner or a loser?
So the measure of being a "Winner" is to become Sean Connery?
So the measure of being a "Winner" is to become Sean Connery?
Well, you're missing my point. What I was trying to imply was that Sean Connery at 31 was an international star. Some of us are not out of our diapers at 31. I certainly wasn't. Would I change places with Connery at that age? In a New York second, provided I didn't carry the negative traits I seemed to have been born with along with it.
The other part is that while I believe God has nothing to do with how our lives unfold down here, I do have some suspicions that some supernatural "force" in our pre-existent form might possibly determine the character we are born with. Call it karma if you want. So why am I born a naive milksop while Connery is born this practical, realistic, no-nonsense not-interested-in-theism guy who struggles to get to the top of his profession and, by sheer force of will along with considerable amounts of luck, makes it at such a young age? What force in the universe allowed it? Connery was more mature at 31 than I am now at 67. What determines that?
Last edited by thrillobyte; 08-14-2017 at 10:28 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
