Comments on: Comfort During Fearful Times: Acedia and Me http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:13:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Mary http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me/comment-page-1#comment-1812 Mary Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:14:52 +0000 http://www.comfortqueen.com/?p=924#comment-1812 Jennifer: Thanks so much for directing me to this book. I'm halfway through, and finding it pretty gripping. And helpful. As I recall, you say somewhere in WCB that it's important to differentiate between when you need comfort, and when you're just letting yourself off the hook. Acedia gets to this, I think, personally and societally. Most thought-provoking. Jennifer: Thanks so much for directing me to this book. I’m halfway through, and finding it pretty gripping. And helpful. As I recall, you say somewhere in WCB that it’s important to differentiate between when you need comfort, and when you’re just letting yourself off the hook. Acedia gets to this, I think, personally and societally. Most thought-provoking.

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me/comment-page-1#comment-1758 Jennifer Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:24:38 +0000 http://www.comfortqueen.com/?p=924#comment-1758 I wrote the best comment to your fantastic comments and it disappeared. and now my middle aged brain cannot reproduce it except to say I love your minds and Helga your phrase is my new rallying cry and Careen, yes to how grief and change can open the door to acedia and Gena it isn't about caring what others think for me, it's about finishing the loop of creating/writing which is communicating or knowing that I have. Communicated. Which is why blogging is so damn cool. I wrote the best comment to your fantastic comments and it disappeared.

and now my middle aged brain cannot reproduce it except to say I love your minds and Helga your phrase is my new rallying cry and Careen, yes to how grief and change can open the door to acedia and Gena it isn’t about caring what others think for me, it’s about finishing the loop of creating/writing which is communicating or knowing that I have. Communicated.

Which is why blogging is so damn cool.

]]> By: Pace http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me/comment-page-1#comment-1756 Pace Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:33:22 +0000 http://www.comfortqueen.com/?p=924#comment-1756 Yeah! I think that a lot of the messages we get from mainstream religion can feed acedia. Sometimes we get the message of, "Don't fix any problems in the world today. Don't associate with anyone too interesting, or you might get wrapped up in sin and worldly concerns. Instead, focus on your immortal soul and you will receive your reward in the afterlife." If that's the spiritual message we're getting from our religion, then it's no wonder we're feeling acedia. We become disconnected and isolated, and we stop caring. Even if we care about the hereafter, we stop caring about day-to-day life, which is where we are now, and when we stop caring about that, we get acedia out the wazoo. But regardless of your religion, there's another spiritual message you can take away from it. You can get the message of, "We are all one, here and now. We are all brothers and sisters. We care about each other. And what we do MATTERS." That's my acedia antidote. (: Yeah! I think that a lot of the messages we get from mainstream religion can feed acedia. Sometimes we get the message of, “Don’t fix any problems in the world today. Don’t associate with anyone too interesting, or you might get wrapped up in sin and worldly concerns. Instead, focus on your immortal soul and you will receive your reward in the afterlife.”

If that’s the spiritual message we’re getting from our religion, then it’s no wonder we’re feeling acedia. We become disconnected and isolated, and we stop caring. Even if we care about the hereafter, we stop caring about day-to-day life, which is where we are now, and when we stop caring about that, we get acedia out the wazoo.

But regardless of your religion, there’s another spiritual message you can take away from it. You can get the message of, “We are all one, here and now. We are all brothers and sisters. We care about each other. And what we do MATTERS.”

That’s my acedia antidote. (:

]]> By: Jenny Ryan http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me/comment-page-1#comment-1755 Jenny Ryan Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:42:09 +0000 http://www.comfortqueen.com/?p=924#comment-1755 I know it's not considered good etiquette to use capitals on the Internet, but I'm hoping that an exception can be made for gratitude :) Because I just have to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!! I know it’s not considered good etiquette to use capitals on the Internet, but I’m hoping that an exception can be made for gratitude :)

Because I just have to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!!

]]> By: Caireen http://www.comfortqueen.com/comfort-during-fearful-times-acedia-and-me/comment-page-1#comment-1753 Caireen Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:22:20 +0000 http://www.comfortqueen.com/?p=924#comment-1753 Yes! I get this - totally. In fact, I think I've just has a close encounter with acedia. I've had a year of madness; changes happening left, right and centre and so when a recent break up left me feeling utterly drained of everything I found myself thinking, "Who cares? I know I'm too tired to care. Nobody else does, so why should I?" It didn't last long though because I recognised it as my way of denying all the feelings that were being dredged up (i.e. a whole year's worth of coping, moving on, dealing with the change, getting exhausted by it) by this one experience and I focused and am still focussing on letting those feelings be heard and accepted whilst I now move naturally into a time of dormancy and renewal and rest. I guess what I'm trying to say is that for me, a state of uncaring and sloth is indicative of a state of intense denial. From there it can be a very slippery slope into a dark, unmindful place. So recognising that it is essentially an effort to cope with diffult and possibly overwhelming feelings and allowing yourself to gently let those feelings through in supportive, constructive ways, such as those you've talked about throughout your Comfort During Fearful Times blogs, can be very helpful towards avoiding it. Well... it is for me :-) Yes! I get this – totally. In fact, I think I’ve just has a close encounter with acedia. I’ve had a year of madness; changes happening left, right and centre and so when a recent break up left me feeling utterly drained of everything I found myself thinking, “Who cares? I know I’m too tired to care. Nobody else does, so why should I?”

It didn’t last long though because I recognised it as my way of denying all the feelings that were being dredged up (i.e. a whole year’s worth of coping, moving on, dealing with the change, getting exhausted by it) by this one experience and I focused and am still focussing on letting those feelings be heard and accepted whilst I now move naturally into a time of dormancy and renewal and rest.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that for me, a state of uncaring and sloth is indicative of a state of intense denial. From there it can be a very slippery slope into a dark, unmindful place. So recognising that it is essentially an effort to cope with diffult and possibly overwhelming feelings and allowing yourself to gently let those feelings through in supportive, constructive ways, such as those you’ve talked about throughout your Comfort During Fearful Times blogs, can be very helpful towards avoiding it. Well… it is for me :-)

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