This is a good time to share this poem with everyone:
I saw them tearing a building down. A team of men in my hometown. With a heave and a ho and a yes yes yell, they swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
And I said to the foreman, "Are these men skilled?" "Like the ones you'd use if you had to build?"
And he laughed and said, "Oh no, indeed... the most common labor is all I need... for I can destroy in a day or two what takes a builder ten years to do."
So I thought to myself as I went on my way...
Which one of these roles am I willing to play?
Am I one who is tearing down as I carelessly make my way around? Or am I one who builds with care, in order to make the world a little better... because I was there?
anon
No one likes seeing their country destroyed. No one likes seeing their culture destroyed. No one likes seeing that which they've worked for destroyed.
This principle also applies to Voat.
Each of us is either a builder or a destroyer.
Choose your side, because I've chosen mine. Voat will support those who build.
Interpret this post however you'd like, because at it's root it is truth, but I'm posting this for those of us that need a reminder from time to time.
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crazy_eyes ago
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
The moral of this story, is, of course, that no event, in and of itself, can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate, but that only time will tell the whole story. Additionally, no one really lives long enough to find out the ‘whole story,’ so it could be considered a great waste of time to judge minor inconveniences as misfortunes or to invest tons of energy into things that look outstanding on the surface, but may not pay off in the end.
The wiser thing, then, is to live life in moderation, keeping as even a temperament as possible, taking all things in stride, whether they originally appear to be ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Life is much more comfortable and comforting if we merely accept what we’re given and make the best of our life circumstances. Rather than always having to pass judgement on things and declare them as good or bad, it would be better to just sit back and say, “It will be interesting to see what happens.”
rektumsempra ago
I'm familiar with this story as an explanation of zen, but what makes it relevant in this thread in particular?
HndrxMn ago
Philip Toshio Sudo wrote a great book called Zen Guitar that discussed this. When it appears overwhelming in the small frame, look at the bigger picture and when the bigger picture appears overwhelming, narrow your focus to the small things. Our country and the world at large is experiencing a general upheaval due to certain asshats who have sold their soul to attain power. In times like these where a singular force -relatively- is against the many, building each other up in the small scale is a far greater weapon against evil. I know a lot of folks here on Voat abhor Christianity , but Jesus Christ summed it up best when the pharisees asked what is the greatest commandment; "Love God and love your neighbor" (I'm speaking of true Christianity by the way, not this milquetoast version you see in most churches these days; Law must coincide with the Gospel). The opposing force wants us divided. They want us tearing each other down. They want to foment unrest. A house divided cannot stand.
rektumsempra ago
Christianity can't be ideal since if it had been, everyone would convert to it. There's no perfect religion yet that explains the divine truth, assuming truth is divine and not nihilistic. The king of the jews didn't save the jews. Buddhism isn't enough, either, or kids would be learning it in and out of school. The path to enlightenment is too long and hard no matter which religion you choose. Like it or not, somebody still has yet to figure it out, and it can be figured out because everyone in the world will subscribe to it. Proof of this is that everyone in the world who doesn't worship the divine or altruism (in the case of atheists) at least worships money, which is nihilistic if it's worshipped as an end in itself. People want divinity, but most of them fall for the misconception that money is the answer. When something better comes along, they'll make the switch. Christianity didn't beat money, and I think it's had more than enough time to.