Often, when life has gone awry and circumstances beyond my control create pain and suffering and fear, I have dealt with the circumstances by denying them: denying their importance, seriousness, or magnitude.
When I underwent radiation treatments for lymphoma, I frequently became nauseous. I lost weight and I lost my hair. As all of this began to unfold, I denied the seriousness of it by making light of my circumstances. I "laughed through the pain", as it were, by minimizing it, sometimes to the frustration of those closest to me. I would not consider this approach a "thinking" one.
When troubles come, there are at least two ways to deal with it. One way to get peace is to stop thinking about the source of the trouble. Some people apply this approach (similar to "denial") by drinking. It even works for a time.
For example, you're in enemy territory and you hear that the 5,000 enemy troops are within two miles of your location. They're coming toward you. You have no way to defend yourself, and you start to worry. To relax, you turn to the bottle. After a while, you start to forget about your problems. It works, but there is another way.
Instead of trying to forget the source of your troubles, you do some reconnaissance. It takes some effort, but you discover that 25,000 of your own troops are within one mile of you! They're set to drive the enemy troops away, and take back the territory. By focusing on reality, looking broader and beyond the scope of your current perspective, you are able to have peace.
Many years after my struggle with lymphoma, I was diagnosed with a benign tumor in my brain, at the base of my brain stem. This time around, the stakes were higher and my approach was different. Instead of denying the reality of the seriousness of the tumor, I engaged with it. And not just the tumor, but the reality beyond the tumor. Not just the physical and emotional realities, but the spiritual realities as well.
Meditation, in some religious practices, is thinking less: emptying your mind of all thoughts and achieving an openness from within. But in Christianity, meditation involves thinking on a far deeper level. The Bible is replete with examples. My favorite is Psalm 103, but that will have to wait until next time. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thinking, More or Less
Often, when life has gone awry and circumstances beyond my control create pain and suffering and fear, I have dealt with the circumstances by denying them: denying their importance, seriousness, or magnitude.
When I underwent radiation treatments for lymphoma, I frequently became nauseous. I lost weight and I lost my hair. As all of this began to unfold, I denied the seriousness of it by making light of my circumstances. I "laughed through the pain", as it were, by minimizing it, sometimes to the frustration of those closest to me. I would not consider this approach a "thinking" one.
When troubles come, there are at least two ways to deal with it. One way to get peace is to stop thinking about the source of the trouble. Some people apply this approach (similar to "denial") by drinking. It even works for a time.
For example, you're in enemy territory and you hear that the 5,000 enemy troops are within two miles of your location. They're coming toward you. You have no way to defend yourself, and you start to worry. To relax, you turn to the bottle. After a while, you start to forget about your problems. It works, but there is another way.
Instead of trying to forget the source of your troubles, you do some reconnaissance. It takes some effort, but you discover that 25,000 of your own troops are within one mile of you! They're set to drive the enemy troops away, and take back the territory. By focusing on reality, looking broader and beyond the scope of your current perspective, you are able to have peace.
Many years after my struggle with lymphoma, I was diagnosed with a benign tumor in my brain, at the base of my brain stem. This time around, the stakes were higher and my approach was different. Instead of denying the reality of the seriousness of the tumor, I engaged with it. And not just the tumor, but the reality beyond the tumor. Not just the physical and emotional realities, but the spiritual realities as well.
Meditation, in some religious practices, is thinking less: emptying your mind of all thoughts and achieving an openness from within. But in Christianity, meditation involves thinking on a far deeper level. The Bible is replete with examples. My favorite is Psalm 103, but that will have to wait until next time. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
Maybe this is an over-simplification, but if you hold to the belief that we are more than our physical bodies, then it's no stretch to understand that even a thought - and prayer - start a ripple that can have far-reaching effects. That's why prayer can be so powerful, as can be making goals, visualization, etc. Just my two cents' worth.
Post a Comment