If 'things happen for a reason'

IF!

Yesterday, I was watching the Packers vs. Redskins, and the Redskins were incredibly

pitiful, and I laughed at their pitifulness. (They missed a field goal from, like, 5 yards away.) The next play, my main

man, Brett Favre, who recently set the record for most consecutive starts, got squashed and had a knee sprain. It's not

clear how bad it is at this point -- maybe really bad.

The reptilian part of my brain said "Oh no! I didn't mean it!

I take it back! I should never laugh at someone for being pitiful!"

The more evolved part of my brain said "Hel-lo!!

Your reactions while watching TV do NOT, actually, affect the action on the field. Trust me on this."

I go back and

forth, though.

Perhaps you were

not alone in your laughing and the total of all the laughing throughout the universe watching this particular game brought

about this reaction??????

Who knows which part of our brain is really the reptilian and which is evolved, after all?



Anyway, aren't they working on 'interactive tv' whereby the viewers could affect the outcome? Maybe you're the

prototype.

we are powerful

women
sozobe - about a decade ago, i thought i was responsible for the crash of one of canada's largest life and health

insurers.

i was working as a rehabilitation co-ordinator, responsible for a huge territory in northern ontario.

part of my job required me to travel to distant communities on Bearskin Airlines. Where the seats look like kitchen chairs,

the pilots seem to be 12 year old air cadets and carry on their breakfasts from MickeyD's, everyone has a window seat, the

co-pilot is the baggage handler and the sound from the cockpit is like the sound my microwave makes when the popcorn is done.



after one particularly horrid series of flights, i sat on the plane for the last leg of the trip home and said,

please god, anything, just don't make me fly Bearskin Airlines anymore.

and don't you know, my employer (truly a

big player in

the insurance market here until 1992) was bankrupt within 3 months, and i never had

to fly Bearskin Airlines again.

i felt so guilty about putting 1500 people out of work.

Beth, that is soooo funny. I can remember from when I was a

kid thinking that my anger made someone sick or made him die.

When my sister died, it was years before I got over

thinking she left because of our last word

battle.

Kara[/size:840b32d

47c]

Strings?

I thought we were hand puppets?

Hm-m-m.......... the theme seems to be veering wildly from omnipotence to powerlessness.
Many of our beliefs, I fear, we create to comfort or aggrandize ourselves.

Me included.

PS ehBeth, wow what a story...what a job!

Personally, if I am to be controlled, I prefer the use of strings to the thought of dangling on someone's finger. Just a personal preference, mind you.

being a wiccan, i feel i can pull my own strings most of the time. it's a good feeling.

sometimes God fixes a bad situation
sometimes Man makes a bad situation
ALL things work for the good for those who love the Lord

I don't know whether there is a reason, but given the amount of pain and suffering in the world, whoever's pulling the strings has a lot to answer for.

Some of the bad situations are caused by God/nature such as diseases, parasites, floods, and droughts, and man must fix it with medicine, pesticides, flood control dams and food stockpiling and distribution.

Some of the bad situations are caused by "bad" people. Why do some people choose good and some evil? Is it because they were predestined to be cast into a particular role, influenced by life experiences, or are some God-created souls naturally weaker in their ability to resist evil tendencies?

Right on, Terry*.

I'm not in the "things happen for a reason" camp. Fate isn't sweet. I think things happen and we deal with them as best we can, sometimes even saying "This (sort of) makes sense."



*Hey! How was Fairbanks?

Talk about pulling strings, I was only in Fairbanks for a day before being sent to Prudhoe Bay for 2 weeks. Just got back last night. I have a great view of the Chena River (5 feet lower than when I left), and it is a beautiful day, so I am going for a walk WITHOUT MY WINTER COAT, HAT AND GLOVES! after picking up some groceries.

A Cosmic Purpose? What an idea. Let's get rich starting a new religion: The Church of the Holy Agenda.

A Cosmic Purpose? What an idea. Let's get rich starting a new religion: The Church of the Holy Agenda.

Frankly, I image the Cosmos as a great DANCE like that of the Hindu goddess, Shiva--movement without distination, movment without direction; movement for its own sake. What an agenda.

Even CAUSALITY (bifurcating the world into distinct causes and effects) is grossly problematical.

I believe purpose to be strictly a human concept.

It really is staggering to see and know how many today, world wide still believe this sort of thing.

Imagine, if you will, a God who does actually control the destiny of our current 6 billion people (approx).

How much time would he have to manage each and every thing in all our lives.

For God's sake, so to speak, he couldn't even control Adam and Eve according to his own book!

Why does logic never tell people this stuff is pure drivel?

If there was a cosmic agendum, someone would just hide it.

Last time I checked it was where it's always been, in the "Bad Debts" file drawer, filed in with the K's for reasons long forgotten, still got the original clay tablets written in cuneiform from Babylon in it too.

Listen, honey, if we're going to do a new cosmic thing, could we stop with the antagonism between men and women? Think of the resultant efficiency..


oh, wait, I was directing that to JL, not Dlowan..