Fate....Risk....and Reward

[Pioneer1]

Conversations with ProfD and frankster have made me think about the times in my life when I've took leaps of faith and the rewards I've gotten were much greater than I even asked for or even imagined.

Even at what I considered "low" points in my life, this has happened.

I remember when I was homeless and living in a shelter.
They only gave us coffee in the mornings and pushed us out of the door by 7am.
It reached a breaking point when one young man who was a diabetic who went into sugar shock one morning because he couldn't get any carbohydrates to balance his chemistry.
We said they need to give us some donuts or toast or something....not just coffee and water.

I got together with some people and we went to the administration running the shelter and gave them our complaint and said we demand donuts or bagels as a form of carbohydrates.

3 days later I was standing in line to get in the shelter and one of my partners asked me did I hear the news that they were going to be giving us food starting tomorrow morning.
I happily said, "Oh....them jokers are finally given out some donuts???"

He said, "NAW MAN......DONUTS, YOGURT, PUDDING, CAKE, POP TARTS, CEREAL, TOAST, OATMEAL, BOILED EGGS...all kinds of shit"

Apparently my complaint reached the county board of commissions and they determined that it was a health risk for so many people of various ages to wake up and be sent out on the street without adequate nutrition.


That's just one MINOR example of what I'm talking about.
But it's one I bring up often because it's so easily understood.

Have any of you taken risks or leaps of faith hoping to get some sort of reward and the Divine rewarded you not only with what you wanted by with benefits that you didn't even expect or imagine?

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, Pioneer1 said:

Have any of you taken risks or leaps of faith hoping to get some sort of reward and the Divine rewarded you not only with what you wanted by with benefits that you didn't even expect or imagine?

No. 

 

Since I was a little boy, I've always been a go-getter. 

 

If my parents took too long providing for me...I took matters into my own hands and let them pay me back.  

 

So, I've never taken the time to sit down and hope, wish or pray for whatever I wanted. 

 

I've always made moves to make sh8t happen. 

 

I'm considered successful by western standards. 

 

As a result, I take full credit for it too.  No sky fairy.

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

Hmmm........
Very interesting position!

I'm very curious about that mentality.
I find it impressive on some level and frightening on another....lol.

Have you ever been disabled or seriously ill almost to the point of death?
If so, did you pray then or consider God and religion?

Have you ever been suicidal?
Meaning......if you don't believe in any outside intervention have things ever gotten so bad that you'd rather just not "be here"???


People may be surprised to learn than actually the old school Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad had similar beliefs.
They didn't believe in life after physical death and believed that man was God.
They used to teach that if you would get anything, it would be because you or another man got it for you.
 

[ProfD]

@Pioneer1, there are common sense messages in religious texts.  People will recite but don't truly live by them. 

 

For example, faith without works is dead.  I've taken that literally since I was a child. Actions make things happen...good or bad.

 

I wasn't born a resident agnostic.  I grew up in church mainly because my mom forced me to go.  The music was great though. 

 

I've read the entire Bible too. I never believed in Santa Claus.  At 12 years old, I realized the sky fairly was Santa Claus for adults.

 

At that time, I also successfully negotiated with my parents out of having to go to church because I was accountable for my own sins.  Let me go to h8ll.

 

To this day, my very Christian mother and father still believe I'm running from some kind of ministerial calling on my life.  Bless their hearts. 

 

I'm still telling them I've made reservations in h8ll if that's my final destination.  They don't think it's funny but can only shake their heads.  

 

NO matter what I've gone through in life, I've never prayed about anything because it solves nothing. 

 

I go to the doctor if I'm sick.  I put in work to get paid and buy whatever I want and enjoy my life. 

 

I've never feared death.  In fact, I'm slightly jealous of folks who no longer have to deal with the BS that comes with living. 

 

My life has always been too good to think about ending it.  But, I do wonder how much time I will have to witness the f8ckery of this world.

 

I would love to live long enough to see the system of racism white supremacy dismantled and replaced with a system of justice and Black folks on top.

 

 

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

Well.....
I'm not sure why I believed this....perhaps because of the nature of the conversations we've had.
But although you haven't given your actual age....I had the impression that you were slightly older than me.
I'm in my mid-50s so I had the impression that you were atleast in your late 50s and possibly early 60s.
Again...you didn't say this but because of the things we've remember growing up and talked about....I presumed this.

But I say that because I was surprised to hear you say that not just one but BOTH of your parents are still alive!
Which is a GREAT thing!
You just don't run into a lot of people our age with ONE parent still alive let alone BOTH.
But perhaps you're younger than I thought...lol.

Concerning the belief in a Higher Power and the afterlife.....

I'm not sure if I'd want to live in a world where the most intelligent beings are humans.
Especially with this White man running the show.
Racism aside.....as good as things can get, there remains a chance of an accident or something happening to ruin shit.

I certainly wouldn't work and pay bills.....lol.
Not if I thought this was the ONLY life.
My focus would be on having as much fun as I could possibly have before exiting MY WAY.

But again....this would be ONLY if I TRULY and SINCERELY believed beyond any doubt that there was no Higher Power or Life after death.

 

[ProfD]

4 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

I'm in my mid-50s so I had the impression that you were atleast in your late 50s and possibly early 60s.

 

But I say that because I was surprised to hear you say that not just one but BOTH of your parents are still alive!

Nah bro, we're around the same age.  My parents were teenagers when they f8cked around and had me.

[Pioneer1]

Regardless, it's still fortunate to have parents who are still alive....especially if the relationship is great!
 

 

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Regardless, it's still fortunate to have parents who are still alive....especially if the relationship is great!

Absolutely.  To some degree, the roles are reversed now.  They call me for advice and help.  But, it's great to be in a position to help them as needed.

[Pioneer1]

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

Absolutely.  To some degree, the roles are reversed now.  They call me for advice and help.  But, it's great to be in a position to help them as needed.

Man, if my Parents were still here for me to offer my help to them!
The older I get the more I appreciate them.

[frankster]

 

 

On 7/3/2023 at 12:24 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Conversations with ProfD and frankster have made me think about the times in my life when I've took leaps of faith and the rewards I've gotten were much greater than I even asked for or even imagined.

Even at what I considered "low" points in my life, this has happened.

I remember when I was homeless and living in a shelter.

 

Yeow.... so sad to read  and must have been tragic to endure.

Respect!!!!! for having surviving that and coming out the better for it.

 

On 7/3/2023 at 12:24 PM, Pioneer1 said:

They only gave us coffee in the mornings and pushed us out of the door by 7am.
It reached a breaking point when one young man who was a diabetic who went into sugar shock one morning because he couldn't get any carbohydrates to balance his chemistry.
We said they need to give us some donuts or toast or something....not just coffee and water.

I got together with some people and we went to the administration running the shelter and gave them our complaint and said we demand donuts or bagels as a form of carbohydrates.

3 days later I was standing in line to get in the shelter and one of my partners asked me did I hear the news that they were going to be giving us food starting tomorrow morning.
I happily said, "Oh....them jokers are finally given out some donuts???"

He said, "NAW MAN......DONUTS, YOGURT, PUDDING, CAKE, POP TARTS, CEREAL, TOAST, OATMEAL, BOILED EGGS...all kinds of shit"

Apparently my complaint reached the county board of commissions and they determined that it was a health risk for so many people of various ages to wake up and be sent out on the street without adequate nutrition.

 

These are the events in life.....that demonstrates the Power of the Spoken Word.

 

On 7/3/2023 at 12:24 PM, Pioneer1 said:

That's just one MINOR example of what I'm talking about.
But it's one I bring up often because it's so easily understood.

 

Explain

 

On 7/3/2023 at 12:24 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Have any of you taken risks or leaps of faith hoping to get some sort of reward and the Divine rewarded you not only with what you wanted by with benefits that you didn't even expect or imagine?

It depends on what you mean by Leap of Faith?

I have taken Risks but most of my actions are guide by Reason not so much Faith and or  Logic with a healthy dose of Will

Trying to develop more Faith heartell is a Source to or of Great Power

 

 

 

 

 

WE SHARING....testimonials or confessional????

I pretty much grew up lower middle class.....

Our lives to onlookers appeared great but on the inside pure misery - my escape was books.

To Pops the whole religious thing was a hustle..Moms was into keeping an Open Mind

 

 

I have had my battles with illnesses and temporary disabilities....Anything I wanted I had to save up to or work toward.

I do believe in a world of higher powers accessible to all of us....

We all pray just not effectively all the time - Real Prayer is your True Desire.

Your True Desire is that which you Do not question or doubt(often) but think of with feeling.

 

 

On a Metaphysical Tip: Faith is Fate.

[Pioneer1]

Whaaaaat?

You mean to tell me that frankster has come out from behind the pulpit.....off the stage....and down to sit and chat amongst the peoples?????


frankster

Thanks for sharing that, you seem more human and less robotic to me now.....LOL.

Like you I also grew up in a lower middle class (working class) environment.
My community was just about all Black though.
Also like you I grew up with both Parents in the house.

I'm guessing you're probably over 40 if you were fortunate to have BOTH parents in the house...lol.




 

[frankster]

14 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Whaaaaat?

You mean to tell me that frankster has come out from behind the pulpit.....off the stage....and down to sit and chat amongst the peoples?????


frankster

Thanks for sharing that, you seem more human and less robotic to me now.....LOL.

Like you I also grew up in a lower middle class (working class) environment.
My community was just about all Black though.
Also like you I grew up with both Parents in the house.

I'm guessing you're probably over 40 if you were fortunate to have BOTH parents in the house...lol.

 Yep over 40...had them both growing up.

Community was mixed.....Then mostly black 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

 

 

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

Seems to me it would be a bit frightening to live in a world believing there was no power higher than man.

Infact......
If one were to believe there was no power higher than human beings, and White folks were on top in this world.....why NOT sell out and just be a flunky for them?
Might as well get as many benefits and rewards as you can in this life time before the lights turn off....lol.