Kindred,
Life is complex.
I use to think it easy to follow great philosophers and think
positive.
Unfortunately, there are really bad people out there,
capable of and do perpetrate real harm and cause traumatic injuries.
It becomes difficult to think positive when seriously
injured and abused; and to not have these bad experiences change you in a major
negative way.
When describing bad experiences or sins of
perpetrators, which by nature are negative actions, sins or crimes, there is no
way to change this history of the negative to positive no matter the spin.
Since the problems of abuse, sins or crimes, are not
committed by the victim or survivor, expecting the victim to change history or
behavior, in other words, victim blaming or shaming, does nothing to change the
negative behaviors of the perpetrators.
Take this statement by the philosopher Lao Tze:
Watch
your thoughts; they become words.
Watch
your words; they become your actions.
Watch
your actions; they become your habits.
Watch
your habits; they become your character.
Watch
your character; it becomes your destiny.
How do you watch your thoughts when tortured or
abused?
When
injuries are caused to you then there are automatic responses to the pain and
suffering.
The
victim did not initiate or cause the thought of abuse, the action of abuse or
tragedy.
The
trite statements of forgiveness, as if forgiveness can be forced
or
as if forgiveness by the victim will stop the abuses when it is not the actions
or
the character of the victim that caused the abuse, sin and crime.
Having moral outrage is not a sin, it is a just and
moral response to sin, crime or injustice (as Jesus would attest when
confronting money changers in the Temple).
Realize, however, victim or perpetrator, dreamer or
good deed doer, that ultimately you are still responsible for your thoughts,
actions and character.
If you make bad choices that damages your character,
you will most likely be destined for bad consequences and ultimately Hell.
Do
not throw away salvation by damaging your character.
