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DaveEucharist
Guest
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=9237409&postcount=13
I’ll think about what you wrote. Thanks
I’ll think about what you wrote. Thanks
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DaveEucharist
Guest
I learned much from the operas I’ve seen at the Met! You mentioned Macbeth! I saw Verdi’s version of it a few months ago. I’ll think about what you wrote. I am familiar with some of the literature you mentioned. I never considered thinking about how these stories apply to my life.
I’m reminded by Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Just saw it and Manon by Massenet last week.
I’m reminded by Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Just saw it and Manon by Massenet last week.
I think what would or could help you is to read some of the great works of world literature that deal with characters facing your exact predicament. I am sure you realize that your situation and your feelings about are nothing new. Many, many people have lived through what you are living through, some coming out better, some coming out worse. Literature (fiction) seems to sometimes work well at helping one gain some perspective and guidance on all this. Somehow fiction is sometimes more “real” than biography, memoirs, and essays.
So, for you, most people would recommend works of literature such as:
-Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoyevsky
-Death and the Dervish, by Mesa Selimovic
-Crime and Punishment, by Dostoyevsky (then see the Woody Allen film “Crime and Misdemeanors,” which is retort to Dostoyevsky’s thesis)
-The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
-Don Quixote, by Cervantes
-The Divine Comedy, by Dante (strictly speaking, not a novel, but it can be read as a novel. I recommend the prose translation by A.S. Kline)
-Faust, by Goethe (actually, a play, but can be read like a novel)
-David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist, by Dickens
-Les Miserables, by Hugo
-These plays by Shakespeare: Hamlet, King Lear, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Macbeth, and The Tempest.
For a comprehensive work of literally criticism addressing all of the above, I would recommend Dr. Harold C. Goddard’s two volume work The Meaning of Shakespeare (which would have been better named The Meaning of Everything as Discovered Through Literature).
You are very well educated, so perhaps you are very familiar with all these works of literature. In that case, I guess your case is hopeless, and you will not be finding any relief from your soul sickness. Just kidding there.You could read them again.
You mentioned going to the opera at the Met. What, if any, conclusions about do you draw from the stories of such operas as Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Wagner’s Parsifal, Wagner’s Tannhauser, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, and Puccini’s La Bohème? Did these stories move you at all? Or did you just consider them to be “sound and fury, signifying nothing”?
How about the text Beethoven used in the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony? Those words seem to be part of how Beethoven dealt with his own soul sickness, which he felt despite his enormous fame and success as a composer and conductor.
Beyond all that, you need to know that there are people in the world who have a surprisingly high degree of fulfillment, and that those people can be found at all levels of the Class System, though they are rare at all levels. And, if possible, you should try to make some personal contact with one or more of these rare individuals. Yes, many are poseurs. But real persons with truly advanced souls are out there, and there are even a few of them in your medical field.
I am particularly not recommending any overtly religious or spiritual essays, since I get the impression that you don’t take such things seriously, being so well educated in science and secular matters, and having seen so well how the material world really works, how the world is generally run by people who are, inwardly, cynics, skeptics, pessimists and misanthropes.
I hope that was of some use to you. Best wishes.
L
LumenGent
Guest
Hi Dave,
Have you watched the movie “Cool Runnings”? Pay close attention to the encounter between Derice and Coach Blitzer before the final scene where Derice asks coach Blitzer why he cheated, he replies "Derice, a gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without one, you’ll never be enough with one
The point is that, if you don’t feel content with what you have right now, you never will with the “luxuries” that you feel missing out on.
If you are not enough without the things you want, you never will be with them.
Sometimes our focus should not be on the people who live “better” lives than we do. We should be mindful of the fact that there are many many people who through no fault of their own barely have anything to get through each day, where are their luxuries? Appreciating what we have and being mindful of others, is one of the most pleasing virtues a person can have.
To be fortunate enough to be on a six figure salary at such a young age is not something worth feeling unhappy about, considering that their are many people out there who would never make that amount in a lifetime.
Have you watched the movie “Cool Runnings”? Pay close attention to the encounter between Derice and Coach Blitzer before the final scene where Derice asks coach Blitzer why he cheated, he replies "Derice, a gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without one, you’ll never be enough with one
The point is that, if you don’t feel content with what you have right now, you never will with the “luxuries” that you feel missing out on.
If you are not enough without the things you want, you never will be with them.
Sometimes our focus should not be on the people who live “better” lives than we do. We should be mindful of the fact that there are many many people who through no fault of their own barely have anything to get through each day, where are their luxuries? Appreciating what we have and being mindful of others, is one of the most pleasing virtues a person can have.
To be fortunate enough to be on a six figure salary at such a young age is not something worth feeling unhappy about, considering that their are many people out there who would never make that amount in a lifetime.
M
mrs_katekista
Guest
Dear Dave,
Always pray. Talk to God with all your heart! Give all your worries to Him. You can talk to Him about anything,anytime, anywhere because He is in you; all you have to do is respond to the love that he has for you! proecclesia.com/talk_ysktt49.mp3
You will be in my prayers! May you soon find peace in your heart!
By the way, Payless shoes are not that bad; they do last! I guess if you’re a frequent PL shopper, you know which ones to pick.
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
I hope this helps! Peace and all good!
He said that one way is to find your neighbor. Meaning seek someone who needs help. I am not talking about giving donation to your parish or tickets or any charity. I suggest you find a soup kitchen, visit the sick in your local hospital, donate some blood to Red Cross, etc. Volunteer to help out. Do you like to cook? Make some meals for the homebound in your community. I guess what I’m trying to say is, instead of just giving away your money, try to do something where you have to put some direct effort on what you’re trying to do. Well, bloodletting isn’t really hard work but at least you know you’re giving a part of yourself to someone.
May I suggest that every time you try to do something, ask yourself this question: Does/would it please God? If yes, then go ahead. If not, who then does it please? Why? Your conscience might not always direct you to what God would want you to do. So be very careful.Why not?Are you familiar with the life story of St. Francis of Assisi? He was a son of a rich cloth merchant in Assisi, had a potential to be a noble knight but he gave up everything to serve God through the sick and poor. If you’re interested, there is a short audio book about his life. librivox.org/gods-troubadour-by-sophie-jewett/
Always pray. Talk to God with all your heart! Give all your worries to Him. You can talk to Him about anything,anytime, anywhere because He is in you; all you have to do is respond to the love that he has for you! proecclesia.com/talk_ysktt49.mp3
You will be in my prayers! May you soon find peace in your heart!
By the way, Payless shoes are not that bad; they do last! I guess if you’re a frequent PL shopper, you know which ones to pick.
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
I hope this helps! Peace and all good!
D
DaveEucharist
Guest
Other things besides “lack” of wealth bother me.** I feel inadequate about my achievements. I feel like nothing is good enough for God, myself, or other people.** I was sent to a very competitive east coast boarding/“prep” school since age 10 and completed Ivy League education (undergrad and graduate) at age 23.5. Still, others entered special early entry medical doctorate programs (2+4 BS/MD, etc) or other more “special” academic paths in an already exclusive community. So, I just feel like a normal worthless fish in the school.
How should I go about getting over feeling worthless, pathetic, and just an “average Joe”??
Things didn’t work out the way I wanted. If I enter medical school (ie, M.D.) I’ll be a non-traditional student (ie, older, career changer, etc) and will probably feel worse. Even if I enter neurosurgery as a specialty (interested because I work near that area sometimes) and devote my life to it (as of now I prefer to remain unmarried)…so what…? others got to it younger.
Whatever I achieve in life, I feel like it doesn’t matter because others did it younger. Maybe they are just smarter, better, and more elite than me?
How should I go about getting over feeling worthless, pathetic, and just an “average Joe”??
Things didn’t work out the way I wanted. If I enter medical school (ie, M.D.) I’ll be a non-traditional student (ie, older, career changer, etc) and will probably feel worse. Even if I enter neurosurgery as a specialty (interested because I work near that area sometimes) and devote my life to it (as of now I prefer to remain unmarried)…so what…? others got to it younger.
Whatever I achieve in life, I feel like it doesn’t matter because others did it younger. Maybe they are just smarter, better, and more elite than me?
D
DaveEucharist
Guest
Am I just a “bad” Catholic because I wasn’t raised one? My parents have no religion. I became Christian alone . Protestant first then Catholic in college.
D
DaveEucharist
Guest
That will be a big step for me. I never volunteered in my life.
M
Megan7
Guest
Great list, thanks!I think what would or could help you is to read some of the great works of world literature that deal with characters facing your exact predicament. I am sure you realize that your situation and your feelings about are nothing new. Many, many people have lived through what you are living through, some coming out better, some coming out worse. Literature (fiction) seems to sometimes work well at helping one gain some perspective and guidance on all this. Somehow fiction is sometimes more “real” than biography, memoirs, and essays.
So, for you, most people would recommend works of literature such as:
-Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoyevsky
-Death and the Dervish, by Mesa Selimovic
-Crime and Punishment, by Dostoyevsky (then see the Woody Allen film “Crime and Misdemeanors,” which is retort to Dostoyevsky’s thesis)
-The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
-Don Quixote, by Cervantes
-The Divine Comedy, by Dante (strictly speaking, not a novel, but it can be read as a novel. I recommend the prose translation by A.S. Kline)
-Faust, by Goethe (actually, a play, but can be read like a novel)
-David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist, by Dickens
-Les Miserables, by Hugo
-These plays by Shakespeare: Hamlet, King Lear, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Macbeth, and The Tempest.
For a comprehensive work of literally criticism addressing all of the above, I would recommend Dr. Harold C. Goddard’s two volume work The Meaning of Shakespeare (which would have been better named The Meaning of Everything as Discovered Through Literature).
You are very well educated, so perhaps you are very familiar with all these works of literature. In that case, I guess your case is hopeless, and you will not be finding any relief from your soul sickness. Just kidding there.
You mentioned going to the opera at the Met. What, if any, conclusions about do you draw from the stories of such operas as Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Wagner’s Parsifal, Wagner’s Tannhauser, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, and Puccini’s La Bohème? Did these stories move you at all? Or did you just consider them to be “sound and fury, signifying nothing”?
How about the text Beethoven used in the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony? Those words seem to be part of how Beethoven dealt with his own soul sickness, which he felt despite his enormous fame and success as a composer and conductor.
Beyond all that, you need to know that there are people in the world who have a surprisingly high degree of fulfillment, and that those people can be found at all levels of the Class System, though they are rare at all levels. And, if possible, you should try to make some personal contact with one or more of these rare individuals. Yes, many are poseurs. But real persons with truly advanced souls are out there, and there are even a few of them in your medical field.
I am particularly not recommending any overtly religious or spiritual essays, since I get the impression that you don’t take such things seriously, being so well educated in science and secular matters, and having seen so well how the material world really works, how the world is generally run by people who are, inwardly, cynics, skeptics, pessimists and misanthropes.
I hope that was of some use to you. Best wishes.
Best wishes & prayers to the OP
F
fhansen
Guest
I like this paragraph from the Catechism The quote following it is from John Henry Cardinal Newman:
**1723 The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called “newspaper fame” - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
**
**1723 The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called “newspaper fame” - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
**
I
InLight247
Guest
Since you are a Catholic who believes in God, you know we are created by and for God.
Therefore, like St. Augustine said, man is created with a God shaped void in his soul. Nothing can satisfy a person except God. We are not created for material possessions. That is why no matter how much things you own, you will never be satisfied. This has been proved time and again from numerous true life stories. How many rich people have committed suicide? How many rich people who own everything you can imagine but remain unhappy?
We are created for God, not for money, then why does a person have to compare with others about how rich he is? Wealth is not the meaning of life. God is. If a person earns the whole world but loses his soul, he has nothing. You said you have never volunteered and you don’t care about commitment in your relationship. Maybe these could be the starting points for you to trace the possible root of your unhappiness.
The difference between self centered and God centered makes a huge difference in one’s happiness.
The one who focuses everything on himself tends to think as follows:
How much money do I make?
How many possessions do I have?
How may I better entertain myself?
How can I enjoy life more?
How can I get instant gratifications?
How can I be superior to others?
How would I feel better about myself? The list goes on.
Since self love is so strong, anything does not fulfill the self gratification makes the person unhappy.
The one who focuses on God tends to think as follows:
How can I better live out God’s commandments?
How can I put God first and love my neighbor as myself?
How can I serve in my church and my community?
How can I help people in need with my time, talent and treasure?
How can I better develop virtues such as humility, patience, charity, etc. and become a better version of myself?
How can I improve my prayer life?
How can I develop a better relationship with God, family, and friends? The list goes on.
Since the person is not self centered, he has an attitude of gratitude, he counts his blessings and blesses others with his generosity. He does not have a mentality of lack but a mentality of abundance. Such a person enjoys the joy and peace of the Lord.
Hope this is helpful.
Therefore, like St. Augustine said, man is created with a God shaped void in his soul. Nothing can satisfy a person except God. We are not created for material possessions. That is why no matter how much things you own, you will never be satisfied. This has been proved time and again from numerous true life stories. How many rich people have committed suicide? How many rich people who own everything you can imagine but remain unhappy?
We are created for God, not for money, then why does a person have to compare with others about how rich he is? Wealth is not the meaning of life. God is. If a person earns the whole world but loses his soul, he has nothing. You said you have never volunteered and you don’t care about commitment in your relationship. Maybe these could be the starting points for you to trace the possible root of your unhappiness.
The difference between self centered and God centered makes a huge difference in one’s happiness.
The one who focuses everything on himself tends to think as follows:
How much money do I make?
How many possessions do I have?
How may I better entertain myself?
How can I enjoy life more?
How can I get instant gratifications?
How can I be superior to others?
How would I feel better about myself? The list goes on.
Since self love is so strong, anything does not fulfill the self gratification makes the person unhappy.
The one who focuses on God tends to think as follows:
How can I better live out God’s commandments?
How can I put God first and love my neighbor as myself?
How can I serve in my church and my community?
How can I help people in need with my time, talent and treasure?
How can I better develop virtues such as humility, patience, charity, etc. and become a better version of myself?
How can I improve my prayer life?
How can I develop a better relationship with God, family, and friends? The list goes on.
Since the person is not self centered, he has an attitude of gratitude, he counts his blessings and blesses others with his generosity. He does not have a mentality of lack but a mentality of abundance. Such a person enjoys the joy and peace of the Lord.
Hope this is helpful.
T
the_phoenix
Guest
Just wanted to join the chorus
and echo what an awesome reading list
this is.
Am familiar with many of the works
from my university days as an English major …
will need to track down those I haven’t read.
Many thanks!
T
the_phoenix
Guest
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DaveEucharist
Guest
If I upgrade my career to a specialist medical doctor (ie, neurosurgery), what would be the point of that aside of fulfilling my desire to do something “great and way above average”?
D
DaveEucharist
Guest
Thanks. I’ll think about it. It’s not just “lack” of materials that bothers me…it’s what I perceive as lack of accomplishment. Others will be super medical doctors way before me. I’ll probably still feel below average. 15-16 year olds with early admission to MIT Harvard Yale. They are out of there. I wasn’t one of them. Just a normal 18 year old in college that graduated with normal A’s and B’s. Sometimes I think “whats the point of going to medical/MD school in my 30’s if others started fresh out of undergrad? I’ll still be worthless and pathetic with an average brain”.
I was almost accepted into medical school after undergraduate school. Made it on two wait-lists. It’s competitive. Life happened and I just started a career.
I
IrishRush
Guest
Thank you Phoenix! That’s it!TobyMac
Lose My Soul
D
Demetra2
Guest
Could this be post be from a troll? He had me concerned but now I’m not so sure.
D
DaveEucharist
Guest
No. I can see why it seems so since my thoughts are so eccentric. That’s why it’s easier to express them online. Maybe some therapy as DaddyGirl suggested will help. I got advice and am leaving this thread.
God bless.
L
Lost_Wanderer
Guest
Don’t be so quick to compare yourself to other people. That never ends well. On the other hand, if you insist on it, just know that for every person you think has done things better than you, there are about five or more people who rank lower.
Then again, I still suggest you cease comparing yourself to others. I for one am trying to find some other form of proof than that to measure myself. I must say I owe it to God when I feel disgusted by the ego fests that I’m sometimes a witness too.
You? Average? Hehehe… heheheh… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Sorry sir, but if you’re average then I no longer know what that makes me. Again, if you insist on comparison, consider me one of the five or more people who are still waaay below your level.
Honestly, if I had the same amount of success you have (only as a writer), I would stop at the money I make. So long as I’d write what I’d like and get paid as much as you, I’d be happy to settle down, get married, and use my money to raise my family. That’s it. I’d certainly put a dead halt to caring about what other people think.
S
Samson01
Guest
To save lives is the point…My dad went to MIT and met my mom in Boston. They moved to NOVA/DC area and he started a printing shop that employed 30-40 folks. He never lost his head and would give you the shirt off his back. Don’t loose focus on why you got into the field. We lived a normal surburban life as he put most of his pay back into the company…Samson
Believe it or not, I’m actually sympathetic to the original poster.
I think some of the same thoughts myself, people who came out of college and became computer professionals or business people, and I think of my years of unemployment and underemployment and I think of what could have been.
When I get thinking as I do (as above), I think of the many people I know who are out of work or struggling to pay rent (some of whom made all the “right” decisions, became computer professionals, etc.) and I give thanks for my own situation.
I think some of the same thoughts myself, people who came out of college and became computer professionals or business people, and I think of my years of unemployment and underemployment and I think of what could have been.
This is pretty much how I feel about the matter.
When I get thinking as I do (as above), I think of the many people I know who are out of work or struggling to pay rent (some of whom made all the “right” decisions, became computer professionals, etc.) and I give thanks for my own situation.
- Status