Anger

[chiatea]

What happens if you resist anger very much so? Is it possible to turn your anger on yourself and cause your problems?

Problems: Bipolar and ocd (worrying)

[S. Earl Martin]

The questions you are asking are difficult to give yes and no answers to. It is a decision you will have to decide, but anger or repressed anger can lead to self destructive behavior. Resisting anger is different than refocusing it. Anger can be used as a positive or a negative force. You decide what actions you want to do. Weather you want to create or destroy. If you try to just hold it inside? It can come out as a very dangerous force. Determine what is making you angry and why. Decide a course of action that will be benifical to deal with the cause of the anger. Set goals that will help to minimize future anger.

As far as having Christian parants and being bisexual? Before you take action you should have a clear picture of what your goal is for doing it. What do you see as the outcome.

Also some Christians are very conservative. Others are more liberal. All people sin. Not one is perfect. Any sex outside of marriage is considered sin. Some denominations believe that sex for any reason other than reproduction is a sin. No sin is considered greater than another. Although sin that leads to death is defined differently by different denominations. Christ died to take away our sins. We are saved by His blood. Not by not sinning. However exactly what degree we can still sin and still be saved is debatable. I believe that the changed life has to be internal. Love thy neighbor. Have no other God than God. The lesson of the good samaritian is a good example.

The problem with religion in general as I see it is people who follow the religion most think they are an expert. That everyone should do it the way they think or they are not holy enough. You take someone who is a novice and they accept a religion and they argue that God told them this or that. So they think they are an instant expert.

God is love. Do what you can to make the world a better place. If you see someone who needs help? Help them. If someone wrongs you? Try to forgive them. This is true worship. It is what is in your heart and your intent that God will judge.

[chiatea]

If you hold in your anger, do you turn it on yourself and cause yourself mental problems such as ocd and bipolar or just plain mental problems? Can you give me a yes or no answer to that?

thank you for your replies thus far Earl.

[S. Earl Martin]

Each person is different and they react in their own way. So it is possible that they could become self destructive. What causes Bipolar and OCD is also not clear. Weather it is a chemical imbalance or what I am not sure. It might be genetic? It might be a learned behavior?

More research and getting mental help would be your best option with that. I am not qualified to give you that advice. Sorry. If you believe you have these conditions? Or if you have been diagnosed? Seek a professional. They are the most qualified to treat the condition. Peace

[chiatea]

Diagnosed. And I might consider getting a second opinion. I've never heard of someone who hears voices and talks to themselves and is bipolar but not schizophrenic. That's why I do not understand the diagnosis yet.

[S. Earl Martin]

I had that, but it was a result of the medication. I think. Yeah it would be best to be sure what is wrong and how to treat it. Mental problems are difficult to diagnose sometimes because no two people are the same. I still talk to myself, but I don't carry on a conversation. Usually just one sentence. I need to eat. Or I will put it here. Or something like that. 

[S. Earl Martin]

Are emotions a muscle?
 
No! Muscles are physical parts of the body. Emotions are mental parts of the psyche or personality. Emotions influence our actions.

[S. Earl Martin]

The way I understand it is we tend to develop patterns of behavior. As we get older these patterns become more fixed and difficult to change. If we develop a pattern of becoming angry or sad it becomes more prevelent in our behavior pattern. It also is on an individual basis. If we get angry at someone and we continue to get angry at them. It can become a habit to react to them that way. That is why it is important we consciously determine how we are reacting to stimuli and determine if it is being productive or destructive. No matter how old we are we can still make changes in our behavior. 

[chiatea]

Can I ask you a question? I've wondered if the beliefs I have, which differ from any other person on the planet (that I know of), is a way of dealing with things such as why children go hungry and the pain in the world. You see, I believe that God and the devil are at war and the devil wants me to go to hell. I do not believe in an all powerful God. But I do believe in a loving God. With the pain that i've went through, I wonder if the devil is winning.

But, I've read about this thing called dissociation. What is it exactly, and would my beliefs be caused by it? Can I just not deal with the thought that children go hungry and break bones etc?

Do you know what I'm asking?

Thanks. I hope I have begun to get my question across.

[chiatea]

If a person believes that most people in the world have been in less pain them them, is that just a defensive mechanism to keep that person from dealing with or giving that person a way to deal with the real pain in the world?

If a person believes that most people in the world have been through more pain than them, (I know this is opposite of the above statement)why would they do that?
I have thought that the reason would be to (Relieve) the thought (worry, or pain that comes with the idea) that they have been through the most pain, more pain than anyone (which is the above thought),  but it would also (CREATE) the worry that other people have suffered more. Does this get rid of one thing, and create another? Why would a person alternate between these beliefs? 

[S. Earl Martin]

My computer is really pissing me off. I spent an hour composing a response and when I pressed post it gave me an error message and closed. So the post was lost. It is my connection that is screwing up. It isn't able to process the information for some reason. Lets try this again.

[S. Earl Martin]

I realize what happened I had an incoming email message at the same time and it freaked out.

All people suffer pain in this world. Both physicial and mental. The level at which we suffer is relative to our life experience. We can react to it in different ways. We can allow it to make us angry and cause more pain in others or ourselves. Or we can react by trying to make the world a better place.

Thousands of people mostly children die every day due to starvation. While the developed world squanders Trillions of dollars on entertainment and weapons to kill even more people. Different groups are so concerned about the unborn, but don't do a thing to help them once they are born.

Dissociation and avoidance reactions are a natural defense humans use to avoid situations that they find unpleasant. Being aware of them is the first step in dealing with the thing we are avoiding.

As far as God goes? I believe that an all powerful God does exist. Why God allows this world of suffering to continue is a question that a lot of people have asked for a long time. Personally I believe this world is a test. To see weather we will accept God or reject God. If we accept God and try and do what God asked us? We move on to another place. Heaven maybe? If we reject God we come back to a world like this one or to a less pleasant place. Hell maybe? The prophets and Jesus where sent to teach us the way to God. I also believe Jesus is the son of God.

The determination of weather God or the devil is winning is determined by what you are doing in your life. Are you doing things that make the world a better place? Or that make people happy. Or are you doing something that makes people sad and causes anger and confusion? This is the fruit you bear. The seeds you plant on a day to day basis. Produce the fruit you bear. If you sow heartache? You reep heartache to an extent. If you sow good deeds then good will come back to you for the most part. This does not always work out. Sometimes good people suffer and bad people win, but I believe that most of the time good wins out.

To change our beliefs is a natural thing. As we grow and learn new information we change our perspective. Different experiences change what we know or what we think we know.

I must stress that I am giving you my opinions, but I am not a professional and I would recommend that you address these issues with a professional. They would be better prepared to help you.

This post isn't as good as the other one but I have other things I must do today and this will have to do. Lets see if this one posts or if my computer screws up again? Peace and good things be yours.   

[chiatea]

I have a problem. I might choose not to care about children in the world because I "can't handle caring about them."

I recently have thought about starting to care for them because I'm upset that I am not "normal" and that I don't have that drive or whatever it is that makes people want to care about kids. Like I can just "turn off" my care about them. Why can I turn it off? How do I turn it back on? By facing it?

With my illness, like I said, I don't know right now if any children have been through a lot of pain. It may be because of my present, yet  far fetched beliefs.

How do I face the fact that children do starve? If I'm around them, I can turn the pain off. But, i may isolate myself so that I don't have to SEE a child not get a toy for Christmas etc.

[S. Earl Martin]

It is good to have compassion, To care about other people. Many people just turn off this reaction and just care about themselves. Again the fact that you realize this about yourself is a step in the right direction. Prayer is a good outlet. If you can't do anything physical to help? Then at least do something spiritual.

I think this is just part of the process of you coping with your condition. 

[chiatea]

So you mean, pray for other people to get my mind off myself?

[S. Earl Martin]

That is not what I meant, but that could work if that is your goal. I meant that because you said you didn't have compassion and that concearned you if you prayed for other people it could help you have compassion. Sorry I did an infusion today and need to rest. TML Earl