Karl Marx, who I respect because it's possible he was a natalist given the fact that he had seven children, said that religion is the opium of the people. Religion is as potent as a drug to making you feel good. It's even addictive which shows it will keep you feeling good for a long time. Prayer itself feels good, which I learned from one song. I don't think I've reached that point yet though. I think one of the things to remember is that Jesus healed diseases. Well, pain can be caused by diseases, so Jesus can heal your pain too.
But I wonder if we're even in pain. That's what I wonder based on my interpretation of John Cage's 4'33". It's considered music, yet it's silence. I'm not sure if it's the meaning of the song, but I think it's supposed to be a paradox. In Tao Te Ching, it says, "For one gains by losing And loses by gaining." The Bible seems to have the same paradox. It's a paradox. How this relates to this post is a new paradox: the presence of pain is the absence of pain. I guess it's about looking away from the pain. Or maybe it's like how you can enjoy the silence as if it were music, is it possible to derive comfort from pain?
Heck, I even wonder if pain prevents happiness. The two aren't exact opposites. But that sort of makes the previous sentences off topic. I wonder if happiness is just a matter of telling yourself you are. I dunno.
One of the commandments is to forgive. I said in another thread, "It makes you noble. Even in pain, you can benefit - spiritually I guess but perhaps even wholly." If someone harms you, forgive them immediately no matter how bad they wronged you.
A song even says, "forgiveness is a drug." It even seems to say it can help you "heal." You can't control what happens to you, but you can choose how you react and forgiveness is one way to react. I haven't listened to all their songs, so I can't endorse that band though.
I know this post isn't that good.
But I wonder if we're even in pain. That's what I wonder based on my interpretation of John Cage's 4'33". It's considered music, yet it's silence. I'm not sure if it's the meaning of the song, but I think it's supposed to be a paradox. In Tao Te Ching, it says, "For one gains by losing And loses by gaining." The Bible seems to have the same paradox. It's a paradox. How this relates to this post is a new paradox: the presence of pain is the absence of pain. I guess it's about looking away from the pain. Or maybe it's like how you can enjoy the silence as if it were music, is it possible to derive comfort from pain?
Heck, I even wonder if pain prevents happiness. The two aren't exact opposites. But that sort of makes the previous sentences off topic. I wonder if happiness is just a matter of telling yourself you are. I dunno.
One of the commandments is to forgive. I said in another thread, "It makes you noble. Even in pain, you can benefit - spiritually I guess but perhaps even wholly." If someone harms you, forgive them immediately no matter how bad they wronged you.
A song even says, "forgiveness is a drug." It even seems to say it can help you "heal." You can't control what happens to you, but you can choose how you react and forgiveness is one way to react. I haven't listened to all their songs, so I can't endorse that band though.
I know this post isn't that good.
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