Friday, January 19, 2007

None of That Matters, Because They Are Flying High With Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

One of the toughest parts about people struggling in tough times is that there is nothing to really say to them. Whether it's death or illness or some other event that you have no control over, those are the times where I feel so useless. You can't tell the person why you think bad things happen to good people because bringing God into an objective light during a subjective situation, because that is not what the person needs. Yet, if you just give the pat answers of "things will get better" or "God loves you" or "the Bible says persevere and it'll make your character stronger", then it seems like you're trying to trivialize their pain and thus you're not showing empathy or even sympathy. Trying to tell them to think about the good things in life is like telling them to forget about their problems and ergo make their pain insignificant.

I mean, I believe that things will get better. And they shouldn't focus on their pain because that's not healthy either. I do believe that God loves them and everything. The only way to truly convey something like that is by action. Words just don't seem to do it. The best way of saying "God loves you" to one in pain seems to be to hug them or sit with them in silence. The best way of getting people to see the good side of life seems to be showing the good side, by going out and doing stuff with them, making a meal for them, or doing something special for them.

Sure, there is a time for words, but they seem to ring empty a lot. They always seem so insufficient. They need to be backed up by something.

Of course, doing stuff for the person may not help right away either. Hey, I know. Just get them a big bag of pot. That way they have immediate satisfaction and all their worries melt away while the pain will still linger behind and nothing is resolved and the person does not grow. But none of that matters, because they are flying high with Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Who needs to go through the uncomfortable process of growth when drugs not only trivializes the pain, but life as well. Yeah, those druggies had it right all along.

1 comment:

/rach said...

I feel like I almost might be learning something...and then I'm just wondering about where I can buy a bag of pot. Tremendous. Can I put your picture on my blog? Because I did already.