misfortune

[MooNiNite]

does avoiding misfortune make you stronger or weaker?

[thelerner]

I guess it depends on what brought the misfortune on. If it was caused by foolishness not so great. But if was due to taking a calculated risk, striving for something good, taking on a hard task and failing, that's not so bad. That's the stuff that makes you stronger.

 

There's a third category. The shit happens through no fault of your own. Will it make you stronger or weaker, that all depends on how you allow it to effect you. Are you mentally and spiritually tough enough to take it and keep going?

[子泰]

.

Edited April 18, 2014 by dazed

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Fate is Destiny.

 

Luck is Chance.

 

The Gods of Fate and Destiny are the same as those of Luck and Chance.

 

It is not possible to avoid misfortune.

 

Any more than it is possible to avoid fortune.

 

Da Fortune Teller taught me much.

 

Dion Fortune was a great Saint and Adept.

...

Edited April 18, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[Yascra]

does avoiding misfortune make you stronger or weaker?

 

I'd say that depends on what you mean by these words.

If you mean avoiding something negative although you yourself were the person who created that, and if you then maybe even let someone else take the negative consequences just to avoid your own suffering, although knowing it would be your responsibility to take that suffering yourself, I'd say that's the way of avoiding misfortune that makes you weaker.

 

If you're avoiding misfortune long-termed, meaning you learn how to know before that something might end up bad, and therefore avoiding even the causes, that's definitely something that will end up making you stronger.

Misfortune and the resulting suffering themselves usually doesn't make people stronger. In most cases they will simply eat up a lot of ressources.

 

Still there's the question what you would regard as "misfortune". I would regard it as suffering consequences of negative causes that now inhibit you from getting the possibility to support others.

There are a lot of things that are generally considered "misfortunes" about which I personally don't even care.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Yascra

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

You simply can't avoid it.

 

Hit me more.

 

I got diamond chin.

 

I Vajra Monkey.

 

Misfortune's fist bleeds.

 

I'm jus' hunky dory.

...

Edited April 18, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[Unseen_Abilities]

I am stronger and tougher for having experienced terrible misfortune. I am now strong and tough for life.

[Rara]

Great answers. Yes, some things just can't be avoided, so deal with them when they arise. But you can certainly live a life that minimises unneccessary problems!

 

But don't live a life of fear attempting to avoid all problems. This just creates more.

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Edited April 19, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[GrandmasterP]

" Shit Happens. Live with it."

( Unofficial motto of the Society for Existential Analysis).

Bad times and Good times are both just 'times' and we're in 'em, always.

Resisting what 'is' wastes energy that could better be used for embracing, in order to engage with; what 'is'.

Edited April 18, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[nestentrie]

I think between thelerner and Yascra most of the bases that would cover the answer have been provided. It's a question of conscience, i think.

 

I think some further breakdown of what you consider 'misfortune' would lead to some further discussion though. To separate out what is brought on by one's own actions, and all that is inevitable coming from outside the person. What should and shouldn't be that can be either agreed with or not, as opposed to all that is done or not done that is either knonwn or not known.

[dawei]

DDJ58:

 

“It is upon bad fortune that good fortune leans, upon good fortune that bad fortune rests.”

 

Arthur Waley

 

(I often want to find a reason to quote the very old farts of DDJ translation....)

[ThisLife]

does avoiding misfortune make you stronger or weaker?

 

As is so often the case, although the question seems perfectly valid at first glance,.... it nevertheless is built on an un-examined and unproven premise -- namely that a person is able to choose to avoid misfortune. I think a story always illustrates more entertainingly what I mean :

 

*

 

*

 

 

 

 

"The Appointment in Samarra"

(as retold by W. Somerset Maugham [1933])

 

There was a rich and powerful merchant in Bagdad who one day sent his trusted servant to market to buy provisions. A very short while later the servant came running back, white and trembling, and said, “Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a very strange man in the crowd and when I turned,... I saw to my horror that it was Death that had jostled me. He looked at me and made a beckoning gesture. Please, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid this terrible fate. I am young and not at all ready to die. I can be in Samarra by this evening, and there Death will not be able to find me for there is no horse in all the land as swift as yours.”

 

The merchant was very fond of his faithful servant and so, lent him his horse. The servant mounted it, dug his spurs in its flanks, and as fast as the horse could gallop, down the road to Samarra he rode.

 

Then the merchant strode to the marketplace where he saw Death standing in the crowd. Fearlessly he went up to him and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my faithful servant when you saw him this morning?”

 

Death was somewhat taken aback by the merchant’s question, but replied, “That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, you see. For I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra and I didn’t think it humanly possible for anyone to get there that quickly.”

 

*

[Rara]

I think between thelerner and Yascra most of the bases that would cover the answer have been provided. It's a question of conscience, i think.

 

I think some further breakdown of what you consider 'misfortune' would lead to some further discussion though. To separate out what is brought on by one's own actions, and all that is inevitable coming from outside the person. What should and shouldn't be that can be either agreed with or not, as opposed to all that is done or not done that is either knonwn or not known.

Yes!