Reply to Re: Faith
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@ Simeon re: "Habits and circumstances have a far more powerful influence than many like to admit."
I respect what you are saying, but I know that habits result from choosing to do something repeatedly ie: smoking - you decide to take a first puff. For some, the addiction is instant. For others, it takes a while.
Generally, the smoker gets a "buzz" and sooner or later, they crave another rush, so they choose to smoke again. Cravings are not your' choice, but how you respond is.
If you react the same way repeatedly, your' neural pathways are strengthened, making the choice easier and quicker to make next time. It takes 10 years to become an expert according to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson.
@ Shevek re: "you are responsible for everything that happens to your life."
This is an unbalanced overstatement as you observed ("...I think it's dangerous to go a bit further..."). I also do not believe that it is a popular view, nor that it is a view propagated by the people of the USA.
In reply to your' post, everything is related to choice on some level, but not everything we experience can be controlled by our' choice, or we'd all win the lottery!
I'm going to risk angry reactions by using rape as an example. Let's say a young woman is raped while walking from the cinema, through a carpark, headed for the railway station in Ringwood, Victoria, Australia one night. She makes these choices: 1.) To walk alone at night. 2.) To pass through the carpark.
The risk of her being the victim of crime is not very high. She realises that although the carpark is dark, unpopulated and somewhat isolated it is the quickest route to the station and the Police station is just down the road.
This rationalizing happens predominantly in the subconscious.
So we come to the question which addresses Shevek's statement: "Everything is a choice in my opinion I disagree. It's a very popular view nowadays (coming from the US) that you are responsible for everything that happens to your life.". Was it the woman's choice that is reponsible for her rape? No. It was the rapist's choice. The woman consciously chose not to be raped, but was not powerful enough to escape. How does all this work - it seems very umjust, right?
Everywhere we go and everything we do involves risk; my ceiling could cave in and kill me in ten minutes' time. However, since the chance of this happening is extremely low, I choose to risk it. Another example is speeding while driving. I often drive 80 km/h on the 50 km/h roads around my house because I know I'm a good driver and that there are rarely police patrols or speed cameras in this area, yet I know I'm running numerous risks: 1.) Encountering a policeman 2.) A child could be playing on the road 3.) I could have a freak fit or concentration lapse 4.) Another car may be approaching in the middle of the narrow road etc. Each of these things has a greater or lesser chance of occuring, and by me choosing to speed, I run the risk of one of these dangers being realised.
So we can avoid danger by living in a protected shell, but we must run the risk of tragedy to enjoy our lives - for every rose there are many thorns.
No doubt this will lead to questions concerning God's alleged design of Earth/ mankind. I would be interested to work with these questions as they arise.
I respect what you are saying, but I know that habits result from choosing to do something repeatedly ie: smoking - you decide to take a first puff. For some, the addiction is instant. For others, it takes a while.
Generally, the smoker gets a "buzz" and sooner or later, they crave another rush, so they choose to smoke again. Cravings are not your' choice, but how you respond is.
If you react the same way repeatedly, your' neural pathways are strengthened, making the choice easier and quicker to make next time. It takes 10 years to become an expert according to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson.
@ Shevek re: "you are responsible for everything that happens to your life."
This is an unbalanced overstatement as you observed ("...I think it's dangerous to go a bit further..."). I also do not believe that it is a popular view, nor that it is a view propagated by the people of the USA.
In reply to your' post, everything is related to choice on some level, but not everything we experience can be controlled by our' choice, or we'd all win the lottery!
I'm going to risk angry reactions by using rape as an example. Let's say a young woman is raped while walking from the cinema, through a carpark, headed for the railway station in Ringwood, Victoria, Australia one night. She makes these choices: 1.) To walk alone at night. 2.) To pass through the carpark.
The risk of her being the victim of crime is not very high. She realises that although the carpark is dark, unpopulated and somewhat isolated it is the quickest route to the station and the Police station is just down the road.
This rationalizing happens predominantly in the subconscious.
So we come to the question which addresses Shevek's statement: "Everything is a choice in my opinion I disagree. It's a very popular view nowadays (coming from the US) that you are responsible for everything that happens to your life.". Was it the woman's choice that is reponsible for her rape? No. It was the rapist's choice. The woman consciously chose not to be raped, but was not powerful enough to escape. How does all this work - it seems very umjust, right?
Everywhere we go and everything we do involves risk; my ceiling could cave in and kill me in ten minutes' time. However, since the chance of this happening is extremely low, I choose to risk it. Another example is speeding while driving. I often drive 80 km/h on the 50 km/h roads around my house because I know I'm a good driver and that there are rarely police patrols or speed cameras in this area, yet I know I'm running numerous risks: 1.) Encountering a policeman 2.) A child could be playing on the road 3.) I could have a freak fit or concentration lapse 4.) Another car may be approaching in the middle of the narrow road etc. Each of these things has a greater or lesser chance of occuring, and by me choosing to speed, I run the risk of one of these dangers being realised.
So we can avoid danger by living in a protected shell, but we must run the risk of tragedy to enjoy our lives - for every rose there are many thorns.
No doubt this will lead to questions concerning God's alleged design of Earth/ mankind. I would be interested to work with these questions as they arise.
