Mercy & Compassion

[_hagoth7]

There is relatively little discussion of things like mercy and compassion.

a while back, I invited people to watch Thunderheart.

The hoped-for takeaway from that film was the paradigm shift (change of heart) of the main character...who finally learned his roots...and his willingness to shed his aggressiveness and tendency to be overbearing.

From others, I was hoping to see a shift from judgment/oppression to empathy/compassion.
The hoped-for outcome was a broader sense of brotherhood. More mercy. More compassion.

That is what we're supposed to get from the message that we are all children of loving Parents in Heaven.
We are all related.

Is there a reason we can't get along, peacefully?

[_Ceeboo]

Hey H7!

Is there a reason we can't get along, peacefully?

There are many reasons why humans haven't (and still don't) get along, peacefully.

In general terms - the list is extremely long. To name a mere few that are found on this long list: Power, greed, selfishness, money, corruption, control, arrogance, etc.)

In regards to this board - specifically as it relates to Mormonism - the list is shorter, but still rather long.

Whenever you take an organization (religious, political, cultural, etc) that promotes division and/or has strands of division that is woven deeply in the fiber of said organization - you will always find human beings that struggle with extending peace toward others - and struggle with their own peace - and struggle with where to place peace on their personal priority lists.

Mormonism promotes and creates the turbulence (The new policy - Dad sitting in the parking lot at his daughter's wedding - etc.) - Mormons are forced to navigate, manage, and weigh this turbulence. Many individual Mormons (as well as many individual ex-Mormons) are placed in very uncomfortable and fragile positions - and what's even worse is that they aren't the only one who is experiencing this rocky flight - many times they have the most precious things on planet earth with them - on the same plane experiencing the same turbulence (Their children - their spouses - their parents - their grandchildren)

Division and exclusion creates and causes pain - pain never brings forth peace.
Never!

Mormonism places this upon its people.
Mormons are merely the people.

Just my take!

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_hagoth7]

Hey H7!

Hello again friend. :0)

Is there a reason we can't get along, peacefully?

In regards to this board - specifically as it relates to Mormonism - the list is shorter, but still rather long.

Whenever you take an organization (religious, political, cultural, etc) that promotes division and/or has strands of division that is woven deeply in the fiber of said organization - you will always find human beings that struggle with extending peace toward others - and struggle with their own peace - and struggle with where to place peace on their personal priority lists.

Mormonism promotes and creates the turbulence (The new policy - Dad sitting in the parking lot at his daughter's wedding - etc.) - Mormons are forced to navigate, manage, and weigh this turbulence. Many individual Mormons (as well as many individual ex-Mormons) are placed in very uncomfortable and fragile positions - and what's even worse is that they aren't the only one who is experiencing this rocky flight - many times they have the most precious things on planet earth with them - on the same plane experiencing the same turbulence (Their children - their spouses - their parents - their grandchildren)

Division and exclusion creates and causes pain - pain never brings forth peace.
Never!

Mormonism places this upon its people.
Mormons are merely the people.

Just my take!

My take? Emotional pain over exclusion is a choice, not a given.
We can choose to take offense. Or choose to not take offense.

There are many reasons why humans haven't (and still don't) get along, peacefully.

In general terms - the list is extremely long. To name a mere few that are found on this long list: Power, greed, selfishness, money, corruption, control, arrogance, etc.)

That is more to the point I was trying to get at.

Is there anyone who has seen Thunderheart who can comment on the change of heart that the main character had?

Peace,

Yes please!!!!!

[_subgenius]

...(snip)...Is there a reason we can't get along, peacefully?

Yes, there is a reason (other than stagnation equaling death).
Robert Frost speaks of it in his poem "Mending Wall"
http://www.bartleby.com/104/64.html

consider this excerpt against your question in the OP

"...He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors."
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbors?"...
...
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down!" I could say "Elves" to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself.
...

[_Lemmie]

My take? Emotional pain over exclusion is a choice, not a given.
We can choose to take offense. Or choose to not take offense.

This is an interesting point. I was recently informed that with no consideration of my life, family, and accomplishments, my stepmother is telling family members that my father 'is worried' about me. The reason? Because I am not Mormon. I am making every effort to not take offense, and my outer behavior clearly reflects that, but on the inside I am hurt that my step-mother is apparently encouraging my father to value me only in terms of my relationship with the Mormon church, and that my father seems to agree.

Is my emotional pain a choice? I don't think so. I have three children, I cannot fathom putting a religion above my relationship with one of them; that my father thinks so little of me that he would do that is hurtful. Not because I CHOOSE to be hurt, but because I AM hurt.

[_Lemmie]

Haven't heard front h7, lately, does he have a comment on emotional pain not being a choice?

[_hagoth7]

...(snip)...Is there a reason we can't get along, peacefully?

Yes, there is a reason (other than stagnation equaling death).
Robert Frost speaks of it in his poem "Mending Wall"
http://www.bartleby.com/104/64.html

consider this excerpt against your question in the OP

"...He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors."
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbors?"...
...
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down!" I could say "Elves" to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself.
...

Interesting. I just read the poem in full, and unless I'm reading it errantly, I think Frost implied the opposite meaning....that fences in most cases are *not* the preferred solution.

...Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence....

Thoughts?

[_hagoth7]

This is an interesting point. I was recently informed that with no consideration of my life, family, and accomplishments, my stepmother is telling family members that my father 'is worried' about me. The reason? Because I am not Mormon. I am making every effort to not take offense, and my outer behavior clearly reflects that, but on the inside I am hurt that my step-mother is apparently encouraging my father to value me only in terms of my relationship with the Mormon church, and that my father seems to agree.

Is my emotional pain a choice? I don't think so. I have three children, I cannot fathom putting a religion above my relationship with one of them; that my father thinks so little of me that he would do that is hurtful. Not because I CHOOSE to be hurt, but because I AM hurt.

Understood. I am sorry to hear that you are hurting. I wish you peace.

[_I have a question]

My take? Emotional pain over exclusion is a choice, not a given.
We can choose to take offense. Or choose to not take offense.

This is an interesting point. I was recently informed that with no consideration of my life, family, and accomplishments, my stepmother is telling family members that my father 'is worried' about me. The reason? Because I am not Mormon. I am making every effort to not take offense, and my outer behavior clearly reflects that, but on the inside I am hurt that my step-mother is apparently encouraging my father to value me only in terms of my relationship with the Mormon church, and that my father seems to agree.

Is my emotional pain a choice? I don't think so. I have three children, I cannot fathom putting a religion above my relationship with one of them; that my father thinks so little of me that he would do that is hurtful. Not because I CHOOSE to be hurt, but because I AM hurt.

You don't know that your father is valuing you that way.
You only know that your gossipy stepmother is telling people that tale.
Someone needs to tell her to STFU.

[_subgenius]

...Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence....

Thoughts?

i suppose that is the inherent beauty of poetry...thoughts indeed.

For example, Frost writes -
"He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors."
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbors?"

mischief?

and then he goes on to hope that his neighbor would come around on his own...which speaks volumes to the "getting along" idea.

But yes - there is something that doesn't like a wall, just as there is something that does like it...so, if we take away the primary notion of the something that does not like the wall...what is that "something"? I have yet to resolve whether that "something" is behind us or in front of us.