In the midst of this festival of frivolity, harsh reality landed in Europe. In just ten days, we discovered that neither the tampon issue, nor the participation of transsexuals in the Olympic Games, nor the climate emergency were real problems, nor emergencies, nor anything of the sort. They were just fictitious problems, the pastimes of a generation that hadn’t known tragedy.More and more my reaction to a lot of people's drama is "I don't have time for your BS." I have only so much time, attention, and resources to try to solve problems. Some pseudo-problems have dropped the bottom of my list, to deserve attention when the rest of the world has become perfect.
Taking one's eye off the ball
From Ixtu Diaz:
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15 comments:
I don't like to be an unsympathetic person, especially when someone is referencing a problem that is real, though not catastrophic. But I have worked next door to tragedy my entire adult life. I can't find it in me.
I remember that Jesus showed up and cared anyway. That's what I'm aiming for, though I think I may be farther away than when I started.
I think one could make an argument that the Wu Flu is finishing what WWI started. The institutions of faith and family have been breaking since 1918, and this series of system shocks may finish the remnants. I hope that things better and stronger can come out of the remains, but it will require a massive priority shift. Does Europe have the energy and will for that? Pockets do, but Germany-France-Italy-Spain-Portugal? I don't know.
LittleRed1
What are you thinking of here, LR1?
Humanity is being purified. That's fine with me. After all, it's not like I haven't ranted about it before in the years of the past.
You know when things get bad when online, people start being guided to me, for spiritual and other types of advice in life. I don't go looking for them, the spirits guide them to me.
Texan 99, Grim & Joseph W: Grims Hall Comment
TO: Grims Hall: Texan 99, Grim & Joseph W; Ixtu Diaz
Re: National Review: Europe Wasn’t Ready for Coronavirus. It May Never Fully Recover; via Grims Hall: Taking Ones Eye of the Ball; Honor Defined.
EoP comment published at: EoP Leg Sub: 01 Apr: EoP Re: TX99 Honor: I don’t have time for your bullshit problems.
I haven't been able to access some websites.
Is the internet partially collapsing?
My impression is that Jesus didn't waste time on imaginary problems. If people came to Him obsessing about whether it was lawful, for instance, to pull a donkey out of a mudpit on the Sabbath, He pretty relentlessly tried to get their focus back on what was important.
Caring for other people is not the same thing as getting drawn into squabbles over nonsense, especially when the people complaining don't really want to make things better and are mostly stirring up drama for their own complicated reasons. Every minute I waste on someone using this tactic is a minute I could have spent doing something useful.
Also, I don't have any idea what that EoP thing is, and it's one more thing I can't be bothered with right now. Honestly.
A corollary of the "Two Rules of Business" (1. Mind Yours 2. Stay Out of Mine) is that a great deal of the world's problems are not mine. It is a great relief to learn that most of what you hear about is not really your problem, and the proper thing is to mind your business instead.
"Texan 99, Grim & Joseph W: Grims Hall Comment"
Joseph W. hasn't been around much lately, more's the pity. I wish he were, but he's likely doing something more important.
I don't know what EoP is either, but the website claims it's from South Africa. If you've got something to say, say it here. I don't feel like going all over the internet to maintain a discussion.
I like Texan99's comment. My take though is that Jesus was even more focused than she is hinting at.
To me, it seems as though Our Lord was nearly always focused entirely on the person with whom he was speaking, and how to move that person closer to God.
Consequently, I imagine that whenever I approach Him, if I am in any way successful in doing so, His response to me is going to be about my immediate real need (whatever that happens to be) more than it will be about whatever I happened to be bringing up at the moment.
I'm not certain I understand your question, Grim.
I'm looking at how the church started staggering after WWI, when it took some of the blame for the results of that conflict. State-churches are the rule in Europe and Britain, and when people lost faith in the state, it tarred the Church as well. There was no good answer to "Why did G-d allow this to happen?" WWII and the rise of socialism that followed deepened the damage, even in England. Modernism (socialism plus other aspects) deepened the wounds, and without an eternal reason for pushing on, having children, and continuing the culture, European and British society's foundations weakened farther.
Eastern Europe has been different, because of Communism. The Church served as a rallying point against the government, and promised something that the governments had no way to provide. There were no material comforts, but spiritual comfort? Yes, in plenty for those who sought it.
Today, Eastern Europe is Christendom, or is trying to hang onto it, while western Europe and Britain stagger. I don't know if the east can hang on without the west, but they are trying very hard, and have their priorities straight (I'm not certain about how I feel about Hungary's Orban being granted emergency powers, but I don't trust our news about him all that much.)
I hope that clarifies my thoughts some.
LittleRed1
Russia is very close to re unifying Orthodox Christianity with State Christianity (Tzar).
There's been some evidence Putin will take on the role of the tzar, and utilize nationalism to counter globalism.
This is actually the real reason for why the main sewer m wants Russia to be the fall guy for American enemy number 1.
I'm not certain I understand your question, Grim.
I just wonder about the mechanisms you see at work here. I'd think that there would be some peril of the pandemic increasing prayer and faith, if it weren't for the fact that the government has taken the precaution of shutting all the churches.
What happened in 1918 is that everyone believed that God blessed them and their nation, and especially the aristocracies that controlled the militaries believed in their divine connection; and they were horrified to discover that in fact God was happy to let them die in their millions, gassed or diseased if they weren't lucky enough to be shot or blown to bits. The faith broke in part because it was faith in the wrong things.
What is happening in 2020 begins with a population that largely doesn't really believe anymore. They could say, "Well this is more evidence that the universe doesn't care about us, and thus there is no God.' Or they could say, "Wow, I could really use a God about now," and start looking to build a relationship with one.
My church isn't closed, but most of us participate via a web-cam for now.
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