Posted by rayww on January 1, 2003, at 3:29:51
In reply to Re: empower » rayww, posted by Dinah on December 31, 2002, at 21:42:03
You have asked some good questions, and since I'm sitting down here anyway at 2:00 am, wishing you a happy new year in my sleep........
> Do you find posting to Babble to be draining to you that you need extra help? Or is it the time involved?
Don't ask me to sit down at my computer because I might not get back up again for a long time. No, I don't find being here draining. I'm not sure you understood the extra help I was meaning, and I wouldn't be able to explain it here. This *is* the babble place, right?
> So discovering your illness made you question the reality of your faith as well as your personality? Part of my illness, or maybe part of my ego structure, depending on how you look at it, is that I have no real idea of who I am. Each day seems to stand on its own. I don't have a continuous sense of myself as a human being. Yet others seem to see me as being consistently me.
By just stating what you did, it shows you do know quite a lot about yourself. Establishing personal values sometimes takes a lifetime to work out. Our values determine who we are, because just as we are what we eat, we are also what we do. When we swing from one end of the value spectrum to the other, how can we possibly know who we really are? It's tough. Even though I have faith that with each adversity comes also an escape, there are certain things I cling to in order to not fall off the swing.
> So I don't question overly much if my illness has shaped who I am since I don't really know who I am. But I would think that it does, just as your experiences shape who you are. It doesn't make it any less you. Were you able to talk to your bishop about any of your confusion when you were diagnosed?
No, but my Dr. was another bishop and I really liked his way of combining spiritual understanding with therapy. He taught me a lot of concepts that made me feel better about myself.
My pastor isn't really someone that I can see myself confiding in, unfortunately. I wrestle with faith issues on my own mainly. Although I haven't wrestled much in recent years.
>There's someone for everyone. The disorders take the fight out of you.
> I do think I remember reading that you felt less spiritual while on meds? Was that part of your decision to discontinue them?A very small part.
>
> I'm not sure I understand that definition of the word "agency". I remember agency as being related to free will. Have I remembered that one incorrectly?
>Agency is a big word. We are taught correct principles, then we govern ourselves. Agency has responsibility and consequenses. The opposite of agency is force. Remember the story?ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd oops, just fell asleep. happy New Year.
poster:rayww
thread:1478
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20021227/msgs/1486.html