Adversity

Everybody is a problem, has a problem, lives with a problem or makes problems!

As the Bible says, "Don't think it is strange when troubles come your way..."

In fact, we cannot read the Bible without seeing that every tribe, every kind of person of every age had troubles. So, the issue is not whether we will have pain, problems, sicknesses and persecutions but how we choose to deal with them.

Pain is inevitable but misery is optional.

So, the A in APART stands for the reality of ADVERSITY. How we face problems and think about them will make the difference between effectively handling pain or making ourselves miserable.

The Bible does not sugar coat troubles as do some groups of Christians. But it does tell us how to live with joy in the midst of pain.

How to Be Anxious, Depressed or Worse

I have been in the counseling field a very long time. Long enough to learn that Anxiety and Depression are the two great causes of mental dis-ease and pain in life. And, unfortunately, they are not decreasing. Despite the growth in America's wealth and comfort over the past fifty years people are increasingly suffering from minds that are unquiet.



Since WWII America has experienced unbelievable growth in the basic necessities of life. Abraham Maslow developed what he called a "Hierarchy of Needs" way back in the Fifties. At the bottom were things like food, clothing, shelter, safety and security. In every one of those areas we in America have become incredibly secure. Even the poor in America have free health care, plenty of food and more clothes than we can wear.



Why, then, are we such a nation of anxious, depressed people? Why are people not satisfied, happy and peaceful? Why are counseling centers and Pastors' offices filled with people who are what we call, "The Worried Well"?



Both anxiety and depression are symptoms of Pessimistic Thinking. Read the works of Martin Seligman if you want to learn more about these issues but hang on a bit longer to read more of my ideas.



I have come up with a short acrostic to explain how we can think ourselves into a frenzy of Anxiety/Depression. It is APART.



A=Adversity

P=Pessimistic Thinking

A=Anger

R=Rumination

T=Total Thinking



Adversity: When adversity comes along, as it always does, some of us slip into anxiety, panic, pain and depression while others slough it off and deal with the problems effectively. Pain is inevitable but Misery is optional. Some people seem to assume that all pain is automatically a disaster.



Pessimism: this is the key ingredient to joy or misery; elongated suffering or shortened discomfort and time in the slough of despair or moving through life with equanimity. So, how do we make ourselves miserable?



Repeatedly think: This is a Personal Flaw. The reason this Adversity is happening to me is that I am deeply broken as a person. I am the problem. Karma from the past has come upon me and I am suffering because of my flaws. God is punishing me. I am unlucky, unchosen and unloved by the universe.



The Personal Problem is Pervasive. It covers all of life and all of my concerns.



The Personal Problem is Permanent and will never change.



I could be/should be Perfect yet I am imperfect.



Pessimism=Personal Problems that are Pervasive and Permanent.

Unemployment and Optimism

It is hard when we hear the news report almost daily that unemployment rates are soaring. In fact, they are at "RECORD HIGH RATES!!!!!!!!!!!"

I just watched BBC News via my computer and they discussed a government study saying two seemingly contradictory things. One, unemployment rates in Britain are at RECORD HIGHS!!!!!!
Second, employment rates are at record highs. (Guess which was trumpeted by the media?) How can that be?

It is easy to understand. The total number of in the workforce is higher, much higher than ever before. Thus, GB has far more people working and not working at the same time.

Now let's return to the USA and see what is happening. One would assume that all the news is bad and getting worse. All we hear is disaster, bankruptcies and despair. Here are the headlines:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7537463.stm
The US unemployment rate climbed to 5.7% in July official figures show, its highest in more than four years. Firms cut workers for a seventh month in a row.
Yet, I am an optimistic realist. Take a look at this chart.
Unemployment rates worldwide, 2005:
World:
6.3%
East Asia:
3.8%
Rich countries:
6.7%
United States:
5.1%
European Union:
8.7%
Japan:
4.5%
Australia:
4.8%
Latin America:
7.7%
Africa:
9.7%
Middle East:
13.2%

This week I read that the unemployment rate in the USA is about the same as it was in 2005. I just watched the BBC say that the rate in Great Britain is 11.40% and in Germany it is higher. In other words, the USA has less than half the unemployed people of two other wealthy European nations.

Despite this, we have some politicians shouting about how Europe's ways are superior to our own. They say that America is in an awful, terrible economic condition and we must immediately adopt more of the EU's high taxes and welfare ideas.

I suppose these Left Wing Pols want us to catch up with the EU by doubling our unemployment rate. Maybe they will be happy when we have 10 to 20% of our people out of work. But not me. I am pretty optimistic about America. This nation develops more new jobs every year than the entire EU combined.

Let's not change our great system for one that is worse. All change is not good.

Learned Optimism

Photo of a Pessimist

I realize that I am an optimist. I tend to see the upside of things while many folks, if not most, tend to see the downside.

I have not always been as optimistic as I am now.

I grew up in a family that was dominated by pessimistic thoughts. My Maternal Grand Father was a "Worry Wart" of the first order. He was, in fact, so filled with worry and pessimism that it led him to deep hopelessness and depression.

I nursed my Grand Father for several years and that developed a strong resistance to pessimism. However, I found my own thoughts wandering in that direction with great frequency. And, since I had no training in how to renew my mind, I would often end up angry, distressed and behaving like a "Wounded Water Buffalo". (Now all you "Friends of the Wounded Water Buffaloes" do not need to email me cause I apologise in advance.)

Then I learned how to renew my mind and take pessimistic thought prisoner to rational, positive thinking. Wow! What a relief. Thank God for His wonderful words of comfort and growth.

I began this post with some reflections on the unemployment figures for Ohio and the USA. However, my introduction became so long I am going to close this post and do another one on the malaise in America.

Still Learning

My daughter has been teaching me for a long time and she is still way ahead of me now. However, an old dawg CAN learn new tricks.
http://hookedonhouses.wordpress.com/

When you're typing a post type the words you want to be the link, say "Nesting Place" and then highlight (right click and drag over the words), then look up at the top bar where you can change the font, do bold, italics, etc. You'll see a little globe looking thing with what looks like 2 chain links. Click it and a box will pop up. Paste the web address there, then click done. The words you highlighted should become bold and will now be a linky. You can't click it in the edit window, but if you preview the post, it should work.

Thanks, Julia
It worked!

DAD

Check out Another Blog

My daughter Julia has a blog called, Hooked on Houses that you can click on the left side I have named it Fun With Houses. She is a great writer and works so very heard to write about her favorite topics, houses and decorations.

Julia has gotten 375,000 hits since January 2008 and I have less than 15,000 in three years. That tells us something I suppose. She is good; very good.

So, check her out and see why the critics are raving and giving her so many awards.

Annual Report

We are having our Board of Trustees meeting this weekend and it is good to review what has happened over the past twelve months. In just one area, awakening folks to the gift of aging and the promise of "Unleashing Seasoned Believers," we have had several great gatherings and stimulated hundreds if not thousands of stimulating conversations.

I heard tonight that people are inspired and developing networks of like minded Believers who want to come together to support mutual interests.

That is great. Keep up the good work. If you have a desire to network with others for support, prayers and inspiration but wonder what to do send me an email or make a comment on this blog.