Wonderful stories and synchronic events / coincidences?

[Aibao]

49 minutes ago, Weezer said:

I have began reading the book SAPIENS (which is advertised on this site) and it has an interesting take on the evolution of "fantasy" by early humans.  How fantasy is necessary for the cohesion of people when their groups expand beyond small communities where everyone knows everyone.  Fantasy is an idea, and even a belief about something that is not tangible, and that is what religion is.  And people can have all kinds of fantasies, some more popular than others.  Build some fear for not being obedient into a fantasy, and perhaps some heavenly reward for being obedient, and then do your best to kill off other popular fantasies, and you have christianity, along with a god borrowed from the Jewish faith, which was borrowed from previous faiths.  All the way back to primitive fantasies.  

 

So which is more logical?  That one god started everything?  Or many gods trickling down to one?

 

I highly recommend this book.  The author, Yuval Noah Harari, has a knack for writing.

I saw this book in a Polish bookstore, but I thought the purpose of the book was to convert to Judaism or something, so I missed it - now that I know it might be interesting I will buy it.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

5 minutes ago, Aibao said:

some Christian denominations believe that after death you can get a chance to convert and go to heaven? I read something like this somewhere, but I'm not sure if it was in some kind of Christianity or if it was heresy.

Every christian denomination is heresy, according to every other denomination.  But, yes, there is a doctrine that teaches that you can be saved all the way up to the point at which death, hell, and the grave are all thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone at the end of Revelation.  This means that, even if you reject jesus in this life, even if you reject him after judgement, even if you reject him after the Great Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon, even still when he stands you upon the edge of that fiery shore, you can still repent and be saved.  I don't know why anybody would, if they've already come that far without him.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

5 minutes ago, Aibao said:

I saw this book in a Polish bookstore, but I thought the purpose of the book was to convert to Judaism or something, so I missed it - now that I know it might be interesting I will buy it.

I am only in Chapter 2 at this time, but from the authors comments, I get the idea he is atheist or agnostic. 

[Aibao]

20 hours ago, walterpthefirst said:

 

That argument would only be true if the following things were true.

 

1.  That everyone originated from Adam and Eve. 

(There is no evidence for this and it is also genetically impossible.  One man and one woman is too small a gene pool from which to populate a world.  

 

2.  That everyone in the world but eight people were killed by the flood. 

(There is no evidence for a global flood.  Also eight, highly interrelated people is far, far too small a gene pool to repopulate the world. 

 

3.  That every human culture has an idea of gods and hell.

(In the earliest form of pure Buddhism there are no gods and there is no hell.  Souls reincarnate in various forms until they achieve Nirvana, which is non-existence and not heaven.  Later forms of Buddhism were mixed with other beliefs and these introduced gods, demons, hells and heavens into certain types of Buddhist belief.)

 

 I have to ask you, Aibao.

 

How many hoops are you prepared to jump through to keep the possibility of Christianity alive in your mind?  In this case you are jumping through five hoops.  The lack of evidence and the impossibility of Adam and Eve (1 & 2), the lack of evidence of a global flood (3) the impossibility of Noah's family repopulating the entire world (4) and the false claim that all human cultures have and idea of gods and hell (5).

 

What next?  Are you going to ask me a question that requires you to jump through 10 hoops to believe that it's true?  And next week and the week after that?

 

Where does this end, Aibao?

 

 

Walter, I forgot to explain one important thing - why do I ask such strange questions and am ready to jump circles: the so-called mystical experiences, because contradictions or other things can be somehow explained and circumvented, but the fact that someone, for example, has heard / seen God, cannot be explained so easily. As a rule, even as a believer, I was skeptical about some issues until someone I considered conscientious and truthful and faithful, etc. Christian (Paul Washer) presented his experience with God. Washer spoke of the testimony, where, after his conversion, he fasted and prayed for evidence - he asked God to appear to him. After a few days he heard and saw a fire suddenly falling to the ground, he fell on his face in fear, and all he heard was the ambulance. Paul Washer is a Baptist, and Baptists tend to be more skeptical and reserved than Pentecostals, which is why I was moved and scared by his confession.

[Aibao]

1 minute ago, Weezer said:

I am only in Chapter 2 at this time, but from the authors comments, I get the idea he is atheist or agnostic. 

good to know. I think I'll buy this book tomorrow.

[Aibao]

4 minutes ago, Aibao said:

Walter, I forgot to explain one important thing - why do I ask such strange questions and am ready to jump circles: the so-called mystical experiences, because contradictions or other things can be somehow explained and circumvented, but the fact that someone, for example, has heard / seen God, cannot be explained so easily. As a rule, even as a believer, I was skeptical about some issues until someone I considered conscientious and truthful and faithful, etc. Christian (Paul Washer) presented his experience with God. Washer spoke of the testimony, where, after his conversion, he fasted and prayed for evidence - he asked God to appear to him. After a few days he heard and saw a fire suddenly falling to the ground, he fell on his face in fear, and all he heard was the ambulance. Paul Washer is a Baptist, and Baptists tend to be more skeptical and reserved than Pentecostals, which is why I was moved and scared by his confession.

I will briefly mention why Washer is unlikely to be lying about God appearing to him as a fire from heaven: Washer is skeptical of Pentecostal-approved miracles and healings. Rather, he believes that miracles can happen, but not as they were in New Testament times. Therefore, I rejected the option that he might lie.

[walterpthefirst]

2 hours ago, Aibao said:

Walter, I'm sorry, I really am. I know my questions are tiresome and unbearable, and I admire you for still answering me. But look, my point is that I am counting on the worst possible - in this case, the existence of a Christian God, and therefore endless torture. Yes, it bothers me, but what if, despite the fact that it bothers me, it is true? Isn't it worthwhile to address such an issue?

 

Are there any Bible claims that can be disproved? What if something starts to work? For example, the Bible mentions that the days will come when false teachers and accusers of truth will arise and begin to believe in pleasing lies. Does this also apply to atheistic arguments that these are lies according to the Bible? That's why I'm afraid to explore them sometimes ...

Like the fact that I live under stress and fear that God may exist, and this seems to be a confirmation of the words of the Bible that unbelievers are faced with only a terrible expectation of judgment.

 

It turns out that even our eye is deceiving and the image we see in the brain is interpreted to match our views on reality. So how do you see the truth? What is even true then? Can Christianity be true, but we cannot see it because we are ignorant, unenlightened? Therefore, we do not reach Christian arguments because we do not have the Spirit in us as the Bible says?

 

I don't know what is true anymore: when I read the Christian arguments I think it is convincing and there is good evidence of Christianity. But when I turn to the contrary arguments, I find them convincing too. Therefore, it is difficult for me to say what is true.

 

Aibao,

 

If you are not prepared to believe what your senses tell you, do you step off a pavement into heavy traffic?   Do you jump off tall buildings because you don't trust what your eyes are telling about the height?  Do you thrust your hands into fire because you don't trust what your skin is telling you about the heat?

 

No, of course you don't.  You live and work and go about your days trusting and using the evidence of your senses.  And you also trust in the evidence given to by other people.  You trust your bank to tell how much money you have.  You trust a restaurant not to serve you food that is poisoned.  You trust the buses, taxis, trains and planes that you use, not doubting that they are properly maintained and safe to use.  We all have no option but to place our trust in each other and we do this throughout our lives, every day of our lives.

 

But when it comes to Christianity, you lose all such trust and start to panic about everything.  So, in just this one, very specific area of your life, you stop trusting any and all  evidence.  Doesn't that tell you something significant about yourself?  That you live normally like the rest of us most of the time, but you have a BIG, BIG problem with Christianity?   

 

As I said before, I can keep answering your questions as long as you can keep asking them, but we both know that this kind of back-and-forth exchange won't really help solve your problem.  Nothing I can do here will solve your problem.  No answers anyone, anywhere can give will ever make the fear go away.   So you need to do some different.  You need to stop asking questions about Christianity and get professional help.

 

I think Weezer is right about you.  You need to break the unhealthy cycle of questioning and re-questioning by seeking some kind of counselling.

 

I will continue to be here for you, but please be warned!  I will also continue to advise you to seek professional help.

 

Thank you,

 

Walter.

[walterpthefirst]

2 hours ago, Aibao said:

I will briefly mention why Washer is unlikely to be lying about God appearing to him as a fire from heaven: Washer is skeptical of Pentecostal-approved miracles and healings. Rather, he believes that miracles can happen, but not as they were in New Testament times. Therefore, I rejected the option that he might lie.

 

Have you ever considered the possibility of well meant self-delusion, Aibao?

 

Many people have the capacity to delude themselves in many ways, yet their motivations are pure and honest.

 

I would suspect that Mr. Washer genuinely believes what he says and that he is not lying.

 

He's just mistaken and deluding himself.

 

 

Now, please go and see about getting some professional help for your issues.

 

Thank you,

 

Walter.

[Wertbag]

6 hours ago, Aibao said:

is it true that some Christian denominations believe that after death you can get a chance to convert and go to heaven?

Yes, there are some who believe in universal salvation.  They say the bible talks of judgement, and salvation based on faith alone has no judgement to it.  They believe that the only way there can be any justice is for god to judge fairly based on your life and not purely on your belief in Jesus.

The big problem with universal salvation is that it makes it more likely to be saved if you are ignorant of the bible.  Breaking laws you didn't know existed, having no faith in Jesus if you've never heard of him and failing to do good works that you weren't aware that god valued, leaves the ignorant justified in saying they had no way to know better.  But if you follow that logic then it makes sense to burn all bibles and never teach Christianity again, because you would save more souls by making everyone ignorant, than you would spreading the word.

 

Those who believe in salvation by faith only have the problem that horrible people like Hitler or the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer could make it to heaven based on a belief in Jesus, but if their works don't matter then all the people killed would go to hell while the murderers get to experience joy in heaven.  Its horrific, and only gets worse when you think of people in heaven having to see the person that murdered them, and being told they will have perfect happiness even though they know their loved ones are burning in hell.

 

So with this glaring hole in faith only salvation, many groups have started saying its faith plus works.  What amount, what works, how its balanced, what it all means, is all open to subjective opinion.   So you are left with a core doctrine that Christians cannot agree on.  Makes it all sound very man made and not divinely inspired.

[Aibao]

22 hours ago, walterpthefirst said:

 

Aibao, czy kiedykolwiek brałeś pod uwagę możliwość złudzenia się w dobrej intencji?

 

Wielu ludzi potrafi oszukiwać się na wiele sposobów, ale ich motywacje są czyste i uczciwe.

 

Podejrzewam, że pan Washer naprawdę wierzy w to, co mówi i że nie kłamie.

 

Po prostu się myli i łudzi się.

 

 

A teraz idź i zobacz, jak uzyskać profesjonalną pomoc w swoich problemach.

 

Dziękuję Ci,

 

Waltera.

I didn't take it into account. Actually, I find it strange that he might be wrong when he heard the ambulance and fell to the floor in fear (can you fall out of fear of your own delusion?). But thanks for your observation. I bought a book that Weezer mentioned, and I also found a book about lies - Aja Raden "The Truth about Lies", maybe I'll learn something interesting, and in my case, knowledge removes fear.

[Aibao]

It's so strange that only I seem to be scared of religion here. I envy you that you are not moved by the testimonies of miraculous conversions of others, the alleged fire from heaven that the preacher Paul Washer saw, and other things. It scares me. That's because it gives a signal that there is a possibility that a Christian God exists. Moving on, if the possibility turns out to be true, hell also exists, so it's better to fear and convince yourself of the biblical God. But I'm here hoping to find out it's not true. I was already there, I was already in religion, unless I "did Christianity" wrong .... so maybe I was never a real Christian.

[Aibao]

I recently saw photos of the execution of Saddam Hussein and I dare to say it here - in the face of hell, even to this murderer and tyrant, I felt compassion during his execution. I know, it's not normal, but unfortunately those were my feelings. Maybe if he did something to me or murdered my family, I wouldn't feel sympathy. And I had this situation in my family: my brother took a loan for my name and surname. Soon, an enforcement order by a bailiff appeared on my bank account. I was in shock. I know that my brother didn't mean to go wrong and originally wanted to pay off the debt. He failed. For a long time I felt like killing him, wished him badly in my mind and thought that maybe it was okay if there was hell. Now I have almost paid his debt. What I feel for my brother now is compassion, because I also learned the reasons why it happened and that he did not want to be wrong at first. Today I do not wish him bad and I would not like hell for him. The only thought that remains in my mind is: Didn't the idea of hell arise out of revenge? I don't know how much truth there is, but I read somewhere that the Jews started the idea of hell out of Zoroastrianism....In general, the idea that God appears as fire might also be a Zoroastrian idea. But I am not sure, I can probably speculate endlessly, as Walter said. Sometimes I lose hope to understand everything.

[walterpthefirst]

55 minutes ago, Aibao said:

I didn't take it into account. Actually, I find it strange that he might be wrong when he heard the ambulance and fell to the floor in fear (can you fall out of fear of your own delusion?). But thanks for your observation. I bought a book that Weezer mentioned, and I also found a book about lies - Aja Raden "The Truth about Lies", maybe I'll learn something interesting, and in my case, knowledge removes fear.

 

 

Yes, that's right Aibao.  Knowledge removes fear.

 

Now that you have said this it is time for me to tell you about my fear.

When I was a very young child my cousins used to tease and taunt me because they saw that I was afraid of the sound of bursting balloons.  You know how cruel and unthinking young children can be.  So, they burst balloon after balloon in my face, making me cry.  Very soon I began to dread going to birthday parties and other celebrations where there were going to be balloons.

 

Of course I didn't have the understanding or the vocabulary to explain this to my parents.  All they could see was that young Walter would get very tense and nervous before going to what should have been a happy and fun meeting of family and friends.  Sometimes I would cry before going and beg my parents not to take me.  Some times I even hid so that they wouldn't find me.  They never could understand why I behaved like this.

 

My fear of sudden, loud noises grew to include a terror of thunderstorms, a fear of sonic booms and even a car backfiring loudly could panic me.  During the worst storms I even wet myself in fear and then cowered under the covers of my bed, dreading the double trauma of the thunder and the dismay of my parents when they discovered what I had done.  They were kind and sympathetic to me but they had no real understanding of my behaviour.

 

But as I grew into my teens I developed an interest in science and the natural world.  I spent long hours on the school library reading about volcanoes, rivers, the deep ocean, the planets and the stars.  I resolved to teach myself about thunderstorms; how they formed, what they were and why they were so loud and violent.  Eventually I came to realize that they were just another natural phenomenon, like sunshine or fog or snow.  That provided I didn't put myself in danger, they couldn't hurt me.

 

This knowledge was a turning point, Aibao.

 

I soon began to stand and watch thunderstorms from behind the window, noting the flash of lightning and then counting the seconds to the thunderclap to estimate how far away the storm was.  From that I could tell if it was approaching or receding into the distance.  That gave me a sense of control, not exactly over them, but over myself.  I learned not to fear them but to actively enjoy their displays of electricity and noise.  Knowledge removes fear.

 

I couldn't deal with my fear of balloons and other loud noises so easily, but after a while I began to develop mental strategies for calming myself at parties and at air displays where jets would loudly streak through the sky.  These strategies also depended upon knowledge to remove my fear.  I realized that the popping of balloons was no more that the sudden release of air under pressure.  I understood that the roar and shriek of jet engines was only a by-product of a powerful, but controlled, chemical reaction that was taking place within them.  

 

Nowadays I suffer next to no fear from any sudden, loud noises, provided that I'm expecting them.  So I can attend firework displays or parties with any kind of distress.

 

But my fear still expresses itself violently within me if I am unprepared.

This happened about five years ago, when my wife and I were invited to a wedding ceremony in a large castle.  Everything was perfect until a guard of honour fired their antique muskets in a salute to the bride and groom.  This surprised and terrified me because nobody warned me that this was going to happen.  So I ran away crying hysterically and my wife found me a few minutes later, sitting on a lawn, rocking back and forth and weeping like a child.  Once I had calmed down we than had the difficult and embarrassing task of explaining why a 55 year old man ran away howling in fear.

 

So, you see Aibao, I DO understand what irrational fear is.

 

But now I also know that you understand that knowledge is the key that will set you free from fear.  As I said yesterday, you will need help in your journey out of fear, but I believe that you have it within you to do this.  Yesterday I also said that I am here to help you and I will continue to do so in any way I can.

 

But, please go and seek the professional help that you so badly need.  Knowledge will help you, but first you need specialized help.

 

With kind regards,

 

Walter.  

 

 

 

 

[◊ Weezer ◊]

10 hours ago, Aibao said:

 

I recently saw photos of the execution of Saddam Hussein and I dare to say it here - in the face of hell, even to this murderer and tyrant, I felt compassion during his execution. I know, it's not normal, but unfortunately those were my feelings. 

 

I didn't see those photos, but also am very uncomfortable seeing ANYONE get killed on purpose like that.  In my way of thinking it is barbaric revenge.  When will you realize that under all that fear you are a compassionate and wise human being. When you understand how humans get "formed" ---- to be what they become, you understand you could very well be like that person if you had been born with their genes and had been through the same life experiences.  That is empathy.  You have your fear and lack of self confidence because you were "programend" to be that way.  And you are going through reprogramming now. Perhaps you can do it through education/information, but it may take a long time.  Some professional help, possibly some medication, could speed things up.

 

Also, do you have any positive, encouraging friends or relatives that are encouraging you?  If not, try to find some.  Ask a counselor at the college if there are any support groups.  You are getting support here, but face to face is more effective.

 

P.S.  To the above I will add that I belive you have above normal intelligence and are very insightful.  You don't deserve the fear you are living with.

[Aibao]

23 hours ago, walterpthefirst said:

 

 

Tak, zgadza się Aibao. Wiedza usuwa strach.

 

Teraz, kiedy to powiedziałeś, nadszedł czas, abym opowiedziała ci o moim strachu.

Kiedy byłem bardzo małym dzieckiem moi kuzyni dokuczali mi i szydzili ze mnie, ponieważ widzieli, że boję się odgłosu pękających balonów. Wiesz, jak okrutne i bezmyślne mogą być małe dzieci. Tak więc, balon za balonem pękały mi w twarz, sprawiając, że płakałem. Bardzo szybko zacząłem bać się chodzenia na przyjęcia urodzinowe i inne uroczystości, na których miały być balony.

 

Oczywiście nie miałem zrozumienia ani słownictwa, aby wyjaśnić to moim rodzicom. Widzieli tylko, że młody Walter był bardzo spięty i zdenerwowany przed udaniem się na coś, co powinno być szczęśliwym i zabawnym spotkaniem rodziny i przyjaciół. Czasami płakałem przed wyjściem i błagałem rodziców, aby mnie nie zabierali. Czasami nawet się ukrywałem, żeby mnie nie znaleźli. Nigdy nie mogli zrozumieć, dlaczego tak się zachowywałem.

 

Mój strach przed nagłymi, głośnymi dźwiękami urósł do grozy burz z piorunami, strachu przed uderzeniami dźwiękowymi, a nawet głośny samochód może wywołać we mnie panikę. Podczas najgorszych burz moczyłem się nawet ze strachu, a potem kuliłem się pod kołdrą łóżka, bojąc się podwójnej traumy wywołanej piorunem i przerażenia moich rodziców, gdy odkryli, co zrobiłem. Byli dla mnie mili i współczujący, ale nie mieli prawdziwego zrozumienia mojego zachowania.

 

Ale kiedy dorosłem, zacząłem interesować się nauką i światem przyrody. Spędziłem długie godziny w szkolnej bibliotece czytając o wulkanach, rzekach, głębokim oceanie, planetach i gwiazdach. Postanowiłem uczyć się o burzach; jak powstały, czym były i dlaczego były tak głośne i gwałtowne. W końcu zdałem sobie sprawę, że to tylko kolejne naturalne zjawisko, takie jak słońce, mgła czy śnieg. Pod warunkiem, że nie narażam się na niebezpieczeństwo, nie mogą mnie skrzywdzić.

 

Ta wiedza była punktem zwrotnym, Aibao.

 

Wkrótce zacząłem stać i obserwować burze zza okna, zauważając błysk pioruna, a następnie odliczając sekundy do grzmotu, aby oszacować, jak daleko jest burza. Na tej podstawie mogłem stwierdzić, czy zbliżał się, czy oddalał. Dało mi to poczucie kontroli, nie dokładnie nad nimi, ale nad sobą. Nauczyłem się nie bać się ich, ale aktywnie cieszyć się ich pokazami elektryczności i hałasu. Wiedza usuwa strach.

 

Nie mogłem tak łatwo poradzić sobie ze strachem przed balonami i innymi głośnymi dźwiękami, ale po pewnym czasie zacząłem rozwijać mentalne strategie uspokajania się na imprezach i pokazach lotniczych, gdzie odrzutowce głośno przelatywały po niebie. Strategie te również zależały od wiedzy, aby usunąć mój strach. Zdałem sobie sprawę, że pękanie balonów to nie więcej niż nagłe uwolnienie powietrza pod ciśnieniem. Zrozumiałem, że ryk i pisk silników odrzutowych był tylko produktem ubocznym potężnej, ale kontrolowanej reakcji chemicznej, która w nich zachodziła.  

 

W dzisiejszych czasach prawie nie boję się nagłych, głośnych dźwięków, pod warunkiem, że się ich spodziewam. Mogę więc uczestniczyć w pokazach sztucznych ogni lub imprezach z każdym rodzajem niepokoju.

 

Ale mój strach nadal gwałtownie się we mnie wyraża, jeśli jestem nieprzygotowany.

Stało się to jakieś pięć lat temu, kiedy moja żona i ja zostaliśmy zaproszeni na ceremonię ślubną w dużym zamku. Wszystko było idealne, dopóki straż honorowa nie wystrzeliła ze swoich antycznych muszkietów w pozdrowieniu dla młodej pary. To mnie zaskoczyło i przeraziło, bo nikt mnie nie ostrzegał, że to się stanie. Więc uciekłem z histerycznie płaczem, a moja żona znalazła mnie kilka minut później, siedzącego na trawniku, kołyszącego się w przód iw tył i płaczącego jak dziecko. Kiedy już się uspokoiłem, mieliśmy trudne i wstydliwe zadanie wyjaśnienia, dlaczego 55-letni mężczyzna uciekł wyjąc ze strachu.

 

Widzisz Aibao, rozumiem , czym jest irracjonalny strach.

 

Ale teraz wiem też, że rozumiesz, że wiedza jest kluczem, który uwolni cię od strachu. Jak powiedziałem wczoraj, będziesz potrzebował pomocy w swojej podróży ze strachu, ale wierzę, że masz w sobie to, aby to zrobić. Wczoraj też powiedziałem, że jestem tu po to, aby wam pomóc i będę to robił w każdy możliwy sposób.

 

Ale proszę idź i poszukaj profesjonalnej pomocy, której tak bardzo potrzebujesz. Wiedza ci pomoże, ale najpierw potrzebujesz specjalistycznej pomocy.

 

Z poważaniem,

 

Waltera.  

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Walter

 

Walter, I feel for the fear you had in your childhood. I know perfectly well that kids can be cruel - I was one of the people teased at school, but that's because I was too calm, quiet and polite. The boys didn't really tease me, but the girls did, and they even cut my hair. If we were in the same school, we would definitely become friends, because later I became so brave (yes, Christianity and my empathy led to it) that I took in those children who were made fun of or teased. I was friends with a girl at school who was ridiculed because she came from a rather poor family and was accused of having head lice. I was her only friend, and no - she didn't have any lice. I cried many nights as a child because she was being mocked and prayed to God, asking why? Why her and not me? Then in school they started making fun of me because I was friends with the girl they were mocking. I'm just wondering if it weren't for Christianity, I would have behaved like that? That's why I sometimes think that this religion had advantages because it taught empathy. Although my mum thought empathy and my other qualities were independent, I was born with them. But I think my mother is exaggerating because I am her child and she idealizes me. It's probably even impossible to be born with a specific trait without learning it early. But as I started growing up and then left church, my great empathy faded and I started to watch out for people so that no one would manipulate me. But sometimes this empathy awakens, e.g. I saw a Ukrainian boy with his mother (back then in my country there were no free toilets for Ukrainians, then yes, and now again no) and I paid for a toilet for them. I could see his nose was bleeding. I myself went to the toilet, somehow breaking my tears. Recently I read about the war in Syria - I burst into tears. I read about a man who, out of fear of hell, tried to commit suicide - I know it's stupid, but I had to at least touch the screen of my laptop with my hand to send him sympathy. I don't think you're a victim, no, that's not what I mean, I don't want you to misunderstand me - just kids, and I think even grown-ups pick up our worst fears and use them against us. And I can put myself in fear of such balloon sounds. I also think that everyone has such fear, but not so great. We are automatically afraid of sudden noise. Let me tell you, my brother was afraid of chickens when he was little. It was terrible for him to see the hen. He cried with fear, even though the hen did nothing to him. Today, he doesn't have that fear, and I understood his fear only when I heard about the fact that when a hen is killed, she may run headlessly. The image in my head was terrifying. Perhaps my brother saw a scene like this in a movie or at a friend's house, whose dad had chickens, had horses, dogs and, I think, a cow. I am amazed that you have dealt with this anxiety enough for you to function normally. As a child, I didn't like balloons, I didn't like balloons to burst, I wasn't afraid like you, but I usually avoided balloons just because they burst. I have a question: has science alone solved your problem with this anxiety? Have you also tried, for example, to see a doctor? And did you ultimately tell anyone in the family besides your wife? If this is too personal a question then sorry, I am simply comparing your fear to my fear of Hell. Yours was more rational, because it is logical that noise can be scared even though you can cry out of fear, but my fear of Hell seems illogical and irrational. At least if I tell someone about it. I have already encountered ridicule in my family, which is why I am here because you understand me. Thank you for sharing your fear with me. And I admire you took this fear into your own hands and became interested in science - I think it helps that knowledge can really liberate.

 

When it comes to help, as I mentioned before, a psychologist in Poland can only laugh at me. I live in a Catholic country that is now also opening up to Evangelical religious movements. Religious trauma is a rather unused and unknown term among Polish psychologists and psychiatrists. That's why I honestly admit - I'm afraid to go.

[Aibao]

17 hours ago, Weezer said:

Nie widziałem tych zdjęć, ale też czuję się bardzo nieswojo, widząc KAŻDEGO celowo zabitego w ten sposób. Moim zdaniem jest to barbarzyńska zemsta. Kiedy zdasz sobie sprawę, że pod całym tym strachem jesteś współczującą i mądrą istotą ludzką. Kiedy zrozumiesz, w jaki sposób ludzie „uformują się” ---- aby być tym, kim się stają, zrozumiesz, że równie dobrze mógłbyś być taki jak ta osoba, gdybyś urodził się z ich genami i przeszedł przez te same doświadczenia życiowe. To jest empatia. Masz swój strach i brak pewności siebie, ponieważ zostałeś „zaprogramowany” na takie zachowanie. I teraz przechodzisz przez przeprogramowanie. Być może możesz to zrobić poprzez edukację/informację, ale może to zająć dużo czasu. Pewna profesjonalna pomoc, być może jakieś lekarstwa, mogą przyspieszyć sprawę.

 

Ponadto, czy masz jakichś pozytywnych, zachęcających przyjaciół lub krewnych, którzy Cię zachęcają? Jeśli nie, spróbuj je znaleźć. Zapytaj doradcę w college'u, czy są jakieś grupy wsparcia. Otrzymujesz tutaj wsparcie, ale twarzą w twarz jest bardziej skuteczna.

 

PS Do powyższego dodam, że wierzę, że masz ponad normalną inteligencję i jesteś bardzo wnikliwy. Nie zasługujesz na strach, z którym żyjesz.

Weezer, I am impressed that you discovered something about me - I may be above normal intelligence, I got a book on this subject, I am concerned with the so-called hyperpathy peculiar to such people. Perhaps I am overactive - I didn't know that about myself until I read a book about it and talked to my mother. As a child, I had to go to a special psychologist at school. Maybe that's also why. It sounds like a curse to me because my head keeps producing lots of questions and doubts - unfortunately religiously, and the fear is exhausting enough that I fell into sleeplessness. I actually fell into various things that were once inconceivable to me. I will not talk about it so as not to worry or upset anyone unnecessarily. But once I was an oasis of peace, religious fear destroyed that peace, it also destroyed my self-esteem, which was always low anyway. The worst part is that this religious fear fits perfectly with the verses in the Bible that all unbelievers are left with fear of judgment. This leaves me with further fears that the Bible may be right when this 1 thing already works for me.

[walterpthefirst]

34 minutes ago, Aibao said:

Thank you, Walter

 

Walter, I feel for the fear you had in your childhood. I know perfectly well that kids can be cruel - I was one of the people teased at school, but that's because I was too calm, quiet and polite. The boys didn't really tease me, but the girls did, and they even cut my hair. If we were in the same school, we would definitely become friends, because later I became so brave (yes, Christianity and my empathy led to it) that I took in those children who were made fun of or teased. I was friends with a girl at school who was ridiculed because she came from a rather poor family and was accused of having head lice. I was her only friend, and no - she didn't have any lice. I cried many nights as a child because she was being mocked and prayed to God, asking why? Why her and not me? Then in school they started making fun of me because I was friends with the girl they were mocking. I'm just wondering if it weren't for Christianity, I would have behaved like that? That's why I sometimes think that this religion had advantages because it taught empathy. Although my mum thought empathy and my other qualities were independent, I was born with them. But I think my mother is exaggerating because I am her child and she idealizes me. It's probably even impossible to be born with a specific trait without learning it early. But as I started growing up and then left church, my great empathy faded and I started to watch out for people so that no one would manipulate me. But sometimes this empathy awakens, e.g. I saw a Ukrainian boy with his mother (back then in my country there were no free toilets for Ukrainians, then yes, and now again no) and I paid for a toilet for them. I could see his nose was bleeding. I myself went to the toilet, somehow breaking my tears. Recently I read about the war in Syria - I burst into tears. I read about a man who, out of fear of hell, tried to commit suicide - I know it's stupid, but I had to at least touch the screen of my laptop with my hand to send him sympathy. I don't think you're a victim, no, that's not what I mean, I don't want you to misunderstand me - just kids, and I think even grown-ups pick up our worst fears and use them against us. And I can put myself in fear of such balloon sounds. I also think that everyone has such fear, but not so great. We are automatically afraid of sudden noise. Let me tell you, my brother was afraid of chickens when he was little. It was terrible for him to see the hen. He cried with fear, even though the hen did nothing to him. Today, he doesn't have that fear, and I understood his fear only when I heard about the fact that when a hen is killed, she may run headlessly. The image in my head was terrifying. Perhaps my brother saw a scene like this in a movie or at a friend's house, whose dad had chickens, had horses, dogs and, I think, a cow. I am amazed that you have dealt with this anxiety enough for you to function normally. As a child, I didn't like balloons, I didn't like balloons to burst, I wasn't afraid like you, but I usually avoided balloons just because they burst. I have a question: has science alone solved your problem with this anxiety? Have you also tried, for example, to see a doctor? And did you ultimately tell anyone in the family besides your wife? If this is too personal a question then sorry, I am simply comparing your fear to my fear of Hell. Yours was more rational, because it is logical that noise can be scared even though you can cry out of fear, but my fear of Hell seems illogical and irrational. At least if I tell someone about it. I have already encountered ridicule in my family, which is why I am here because you understand me. Thank you for sharing your fear with me. And I admire you took this fear into your own hands and became interested in science - I think it helps that knowledge can really liberate.

 

When it comes to help, as I mentioned before, a psychologist in Poland can only laugh at me. I live in a Catholic country that is now also opening up to Evangelical religious movements. Religious trauma is a rather unused and unknown term among Polish psychologists and psychiatrists. That's why I honestly admit - I'm afraid to go.

 

Aibao,

 

It seems that you cannot get the help that you need within Poland.

 

Germany is just across the border from you and their mental health facilities are no doubt much better than Poland's.

 

I would suggest that you make plans to get help there.

 

Thank you,

 

Walter.