As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
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As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
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 As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 1:39 pm
This is something that I've really struggled with. As a Christian, I used to mentally surrender things that I could not control to the god that I believed in. And I do have a LOT of stress at work right now!
 RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 3:41 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2011 at 3:42 pm by OnlyNatural.)
Even as an atheist, I enjoy the Serenity Prayer:
[God] grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. Knowing that God isn't there to help you out can be disheartening, at first. But I firmly believe that we have it within ourselves to find the serenity, courage, and wisdom needed to adapt to any circumstance. I don't know what kind of answer you're looking for. I struggle with the same thing sometimes. It's not easy, but in the end, the only way to let go is, simply, to let go. Things that are beyond your control are not your responsibility. Realize that there's nothing you can do, and that agonizing over it does nothing but make you feel worse. ![[Image: 186305514v6_480x480_Front_Color-Black-1.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=img.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv474%2Ftirenon%2F186305514v6_480x480_Front_Color-Black-1.jpg)  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 7:58 pm
The best thing I find for myself is to perform an activity that requires me to focus on anything BUT what I'm worried about. Playing piano used to help. Going for a strenuous run still does. Or doing something even vaguely productive - like a chore or task you've been putting off. Sometimes just the act of accomplishing one thing helps alleviate the sick feeling of helplessness in another area. When something is out of my hands and I'm desperate to see how it pans out, I remember the all-wise Carrie Fisher, "Waiting, done at really high speeds, will frequently look like something else."
![[Image: Untitled2_zpswaosccbr.png]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn569%2Fthesummerqueen%2FUntitled2_zpswaosccbr.png)  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 9:42 pm
You can still mentally surrender the things you cannot control. The only real difference is you don't think you are putting them in some fuckup's hands. What you are doing is giving yourself the mental room to concentrate on the things you can control.
 RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Instead, try facing your problems head on and get over your ex-God. You will find better ways, my new friend. Say no prayers.
Quote:"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. "  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 23, 2011 at 11:48 pm
Quote:As a Christian, I used to mentally surrender things that I could not control to the god that I believed in Did god ever help you out? Learn this mantra: Shit happens.  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 24, 2011 at 12:23 am
(January 23, 2011 at 11:48 pm)Minimalist Wrote:Quote:As a Christian, I used to mentally surrender things that I could not control to the god that I believed in Until the age of about 8, I used to pray to God for stuff I wanted. AT 8,I badly wanted to be able to fly like superman. Praying never helped once,not even when my beloved grandfather was dying. So I compromised and began stealing what I wanted. I went to confession a lot.  At 12 I had a catastrophic epiphany:I suddenly realised that stealing from greed is morally wrong in the abstract ,not just because I got into trouble if I got caught.That was 1959 and the last time I stole anything. I learned the Serenity Prayer at AA. It was on the wall at every meeting. I think it's one of the most profound prayers I've ever seen; it works without any reference to the supernatural.To me it's about being realistic and self reliant.  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 24, 2011 at 12:28 am
(January 23, 2011 at 1:39 pm)dave4shmups Wrote: This is something that I've really struggled with. As a Christian, I used to mentally surrender things that I could not control to the god that I believed in. And I do have a LOT of stress at work right now! If you have no control over something, then why are you fretting about it at all? Clearly something going poorly outside of your ability to manipulate the situation utterly pointless and uselessly stressful. Just get over it and invest your emotions and efforts into what you can control and you'll feel much better.
If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and the newspapers...
Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth centry when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind. ~Clarence Darrow, at the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925 Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 24, 2011 at 1:43 am
Quote:I learned the Serenity Prayer at AA. It was on the wall at every meeting. I think it's one of the most profound prayers I've ever seen; it works without any reference to the supernatural.To me it's about being realistic and self reliant. Agreed, Pad. "God helps those who help themselves" because there is no fucking god.  RE: As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
January 24, 2011 at 3:16 am
(January 23, 2011 at 1:39 pm)dave4shmups Wrote: This is something that I've really struggled with. As a Christian, I used to mentally surrender things that I could not control to the god that I believed in. And I do have a LOT of stress at work right now! Emotional stress is like $$$ in the bank... IF I am going to invest $$$ I bloody-well want a good return on my investment.!! So IF a situation is OUT of my control it would seem fruitless to 'invest' emotional energy worrying about it. Similar to the serenity prayer but a bit more materialistic....(only way to get through to a young "budding accountant" daughter) No worries! 
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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As a non-believer, how do I mentally let go of things beyond my control??...
