comment amen bellow if you have just prayed this prayer.

Actually came up with my own version recently.

The Individual's Promise

My power that comes from myself
May it guide me well
There is no kingdom
There is no will
That we do not make ourselves
On this day I will earn my bread
And forgive my self for my faults
As I also forgive the faults of others
I will not be tempted by fantasies
Or the evils of false righteousness
For my kingdom is my own
And my power and glory
Are what I make of them

I know this to be true

Hmm, so basically you're your own god?

In a way we all are. "Men at times are masters of their fate. The fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings."

I agree, we control our own destinies. I don't believe in luck, like some people have better luck than others. You can succeed in any circumstance if you have the right attitude.

Being of Irish decent and looking into the luck of the Irish philosophy has lead me to the conclusion that luck is actually just positivity and optimism. If you perceive yourself as being lucky by focusing on the good things that happen to you, then you are.

My dad has a problem with this being from the 50s he's likes saying things like "it always has to be something." Has that "why me" mentality.

Being Buddhist and believing in an overall balance of things I've learned that if something bad happens to me it probably means something good happened to someone else and it was just my turn. That makes me feel okay again.

In short: Irish people are lucky because they're always drunk and happy.

Have you heard of locus of control? Those with an interior locus carve out their own destiny independent of outside circumstances. People with an exterior locus let everything else determine their lives. The woe is me attitude, I'm just a poor man from a poor family.

Your turn?

Whether your God is in the sky (and basically a reflection of yourself), or a non-theist 'philosophy' where what could have been God is within (and basically a reflection of yourself) and a great teacher turned into golden idol non-God God (and basically a reflection of yourself) complete with temples to show how not worshipped He is by His worshippers, things happen because they happen.

The Abrahamics like to say their God gifted them free agency, yet love to regale the faithful with how the Serpent God gave us said free agency and we're cursed for it. The Buddhists and Confucianists claim there's no such Gods, only that from within yet claim it's all about Karma and whatnot which is how the 'not' Gods god us through life.

Frig, forgot where I was going with this, and you know why? Because I'm a dolt, and there is no fate and destiny and cosmic conciousness and whatever that makes us all as aspect of the GodS because we're such fab little monkeys and so very very special. Life is life, and that's only just a sustained chemical reaction, and in the end, nobody cares because nothing matters. And there ain't a darn thing all this ritualizing can do to change it.

PS: It's a lot easier to be positive when you're born a Kardashian than if you're an ugly poor loser from a broken home on the wrong side of the tracks with a promising future in the penitentiary system. Scientists are not sure why.

You seem kind of bitter, and are very assuming. I don't worship Buddha or any deity. I just believe in the logical cause and effect nature of those teachings more than others.

There's nothing wrong with being positive and optimistic in a negative situation. Overall good things happen and bad things happen about the same amount. There's a balance to everything.

And yes obviously it's easier for rich people to live positively on average, but even famous people deal with depression and suicide and even poor ugly losers like me can see the beauty in life if we want to.

Do I? That some of that positive thinking?

Hey, I'd rather not tread on anyone's beliefs, but if your first line showcases how the very message you preach bypassed you, then a little introspection might be due at this juncture.

There is no balance, there is no fate. However, there are a lot more pictures of Golden Buddha statues with adherents crossing the veneration line.

Like my ol' grandpappy Modda used to say, if it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then it isn't being worshipped like a God in its temple.

"You can succeed in any circumstance if you have the right attitude."

There are some former (short term) residents of Mount Calvary (including one particularly famous one) who might beg to differ. If they could.

Success is relative. According to the wordly standard, Jesus' life really wasn't a success, He didnt make it big in finance, probably wouldn't have won a nobel prize, didn't make a breakthrough discovery or conquest, didn't lead an army in an impressive victory, didn't have flocks of followers on tiktok or Facebook, he lived a nondescript, poor, homeless life, was tried as a criminal and died a miserable death. So why would anyone in their right mind use Him as a standard? Because there's more to existing than the mere blink of an eye life on this spinning rock we call earth. It takes belief in the soul and what happens in eternity to see the true value of His existence. To some, a few short years of being born, surviving and dying is all there is.

That is the correct answer!
Actually, yeah, that was in line with what I expected you to say.

A thing that always appealed to me about everything from Kung Fu movies to Star Trek Klingons (as well as various religious and historical figures) is the mentality of looking at the larger picture and down the line. The willingness to give their lives for the sake of others, to honor them, to hold the greater good above their own needs.

Wise words

Thanks

I've always admired such singularity of purpose, but yeah, the day after, at what cost?

That reminds of reading when I was a kid about large packs of dholes in India killing tigers on occasion, but with many of the dogs getting killed by the tiger in the process. But still they wouldn't stop.
I looked it up now for verification (Quara first), and seems the stories are more anecdotal and whether true or not is up in the air,,,

https://greennature.proboards.com/thread/268/tiger-dhole-skeptical-analysis?page=1

One of the reasons Japan lost WW2 was attrition of their experienced aircrews. I wonder if they would have faired better if the pilots did more to keep themselves alive, thus preserving the strength of their naval air force for future battles. There are also stories of how US navy ships spent considerable effort to rescue pilots from downed aircraft, while the Japanese saw their pilots as expendable cogs in a machine. Again decreasing the strength of the Japanese relative to the USA. My point is maybe a willingness to sacrifice yourself is not universally admirable and it could be better to live and fight another day. So to speak.

I don't think so.

You made this yourself? God bless you in Jesus name.

Thank you, but I make my own blessings.

Wdym?

He worships himself from the sound of it, lol

As much as I worship the protons, neutrons, and electrons that make up the planet I live on and everything in it.

no....

I take my life and its consequences into my own hands. Good or bad. I don't blame or thank a higher power for my circumstances because I know that they are mine to control. That's the whole point. Living for myself and those around me and not for false promises. Being good because I choose to, not because I feel obligated to.

That's a good reason.

I like how Zabroglexis and Kate_the_Grate just start talking about luck and Ireland :)

10,000 infants died of Malaria today. I think your prayer is broken.

All I can say is I'm sorry, but the good news is there in heaven, right?

You can actually say way more than that. Something along the line of "I'll help by donating to causes that provide Malaria vaccines and mosquito nets to those who can't afford them, instead of praying to an invisible space daddy to stop making people needlessly suffer" would be a great start.

And by the way,just praying can make a big difference

You're right about that. Nice post!

It makes people who are too lazy and apathetic to actually help feel better about themselves.

Too bad it doesn't do a thing for those who are actually suffering.

Which is what you're doing, helping to distribute and adminster them as well while typing your suggestions?

Hardly seems the over generous philanthropist volunteer he wants everyone else to be.

Hey, it's the thought that counts. And in this case, I can't say what it counts for because that'll be another 24hr sabbatical and I've got a pile of notifs from other days to catch up with so I really shouldn't,,, ;p

;)

Well what did you want me to say?

...I just told you. Pay attention, kid.

Ok how about this? I will pray for the Malaria cure.

Do that, you'll be doing more good than the trolls on imgflip. I'll pray with you.

God only seems to be on the "supply side" of disease.

Science is what cures disease.

He is just trying to provoke an argument.
You keep praying and ignore him.
He thinks he’s all that, but he isn’t.