I was reading an article about how people with depression were committing or contemplating suicide after watching Avatar. I thought it sad that people could be so hopeless about the prospects of being happy in their life that they would convince themselves that killing themselves might result in a rebirth on a Pandora-like world.
It reminded me of a parable I heard in a sermon given by Rabbi Warren Stone when I was a kid and he was at Stephen S. Wise in Los Angeles. It's been around 30 years since I heard it, so forgive me if I don't tell it like he did.
Two men die and go to Heaven. As they enter, they see a choir singing and dancing joyously. One man goes and joins in, but the other hangs back, mumbling and grumbling."Hey," he calls to a passing angel, "where can I get away from all these screeching hippies and get a little peace and quiet?"
"You can't," the angel says. "People sing their joy all around."
"What kind of Heaven is that? How can I enjoy it with all that noise?"
The angel puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's only Heaven for those who choose to enjoy it. For those who choose to be miserable... it's not."
When we join with others and celebrate living, we make our lives worth living. When we isolate ourselves and grumble, we don't.
It's a simple and powerful moral.
Be well. Be happy. God bless.
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My alternate moral: Blessed are those that are happy with the way things are, all others are probably out of luck. Unless of course you can change the way things are, in which case you should definitely do that.
A bit like the AA prayer: "God give me the strength to change the things I can, the patience to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Great story--I think it hits right on--the problem isn't always the externals, it may just be your attitude.
Man, life is different for different people, and nobody really get any education in life.
If a guy or a girl gets left out from friends.... then the life of that person is less valuable and maybe not worth living.
Life is not for anyone, and people believe in many things....
I didn`t see Avatar yet, is it good??
I heard it came as far as a real rollercoaster ride, having someone die in the theatre or after or something. Sounds pretty cool in a tragic sort of way.