{"id":1266,"date":"2008-08-05T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2008-08-05T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue\/2008\/08\/pollyannaism-and-the-serenity.html"},"modified":"2008-08-05T09:45:00","modified_gmt":"2008-08-05T09:45:00","slug":"pollyannaism-and-the-serenity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2008\/08\/pollyannaism-and-the-serenity.html","title":{"rendered":"Pollyannaism and the Serenity Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Group<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is more from Group Beyond Blue<\/a> member Luthitarian on what it means to be real. I find him to be so wise. In fact, I wish I could hear his sermons on Sunday instead of the ones I catch as I’m ushering Katherine outside, who is yelling “Jesus is poopy!”…<\/p>\n

If looking only on the bright side, being positive, etc., is the definition of being a Pollyanna, which it generally is, then there’s plenty wrong with ‘Pollyannaism’. That’s just as skewed a vision as looking only on the dark side.<\/p>\n

A quote of the Dalai Lama’s I read recently stated, “If you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” That’s where Buddhist, or contemplative, detachment comes in. We don’t grumble over the unfairness of there being winners and losers, or of having to face loss and the pain of grief. We accept it as it is, without labeling “good” or “bad”, “positive” or “negative”; without taking a stance called “optimism” or “pessimism”. The experience just IS. That’s it. Period.<\/p>\n

When we are able to see it as it is, hard as that might be, we can get what it has to offer in terms of its lessons.<\/p>\n

I’ve spoken before of the illustration I’ve used in sermons about “optimism” and “pessimism” and judging a glass of water as being “half full” or half empty”. Again, these are judgments, attachments to a certain way of thinking that is skewed and sees only half of the reality.\u00a0
While the optimist and the pessimist are arguing over whether or not the glass is half empty or half full, the realist comes along, picks up the glass, and gratefully drinks the contents.<\/p>\n

But, does that mean we have to accept things as they are, doing nothing about them? I don’t believe so. I don’t believe a Buddhist or anyone else would tell us that if our arse is on fire, we are to accept the reality and just learn from the experience. We have every right, reason, and expectation to put the *%$@#* flames out!<\/p>\n

If we see injustice and poverty, we don’t simply accept that “that’s life” and life means suffering. We are to engage it and change things in order to relieve the suffering and pain. This is what Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Engaged Buddhism” is all about. This is what results from his Buddhist understanding of “interbeing.”<\/p>\n

It’s also the point, after all, behind the teaching of Reinhold Neibuhr, theologian, cultural critic, and author of the Serenity Prayer:<\/p>\n

“God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To read more Beyond Blue, go to www.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue<\/a>, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is more from Group Beyond Blue member Luthitarian on what it means to be real. I find him to be so wise. In fact, I wish I could hear his sermons on Sunday instead of the ones I catch as I’m ushering Katherine outside, who is yelling “Jesus is poopy!”… If looking only on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health"],"yoast_head":"\nPollyannaism and the Serenity Prayer - Beyond Blue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2008\/08\/pollyannaism-and-the-serenity.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pollyannaism and the Serenity Prayer - Beyond Blue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here is more from Group Beyond Blue member Luthitarian on what it means to be real. I find him to be so wise. 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