I originally posted this on another website, before I found this one, but I thought you'd like it here.
Imagine this scenario:
Scene: I am out camping with friends. As I sit down by the lakeside, it so happens there is a rattlesnake under me. I call for help. The snake is removed and safely disposed of, but it has bitten me many times. The following conversation happens.
-- "Well, the snake's gone now. You have nothing to worry about."
-- "Don't you think I should see a doctor?"
-- "What for? There's no snake anymore."
-- "Yeah, but it bit me."
-- "Oh, that's all in the past. It's over. Learn to live in the present."
-- "A venomous snake bit me! I need to see a doctor!"
-- "No, you don't. You need to quit holding on to the past. That snake is gone. You're not sitting on it anymore. Now, just go on with your life and quit playing the victim."
As the snakebites remain untreated, I become more and more ill. That leads to this:
-- "You've really got to get over it. We can't change the past. That venom isn't inside anybody but you, and that means you, and you alone, are responsible for it."
-- "Ew. She's got venom inside her?"
***Everyone backs away.***
-- "That's because a snake bit me."
-- "There you go again, blaming past circumstances. What are we supposed to do, go back in time and stop the snake from biting you? That can't be done. What happened, happened, so you just have to let it go."
-- "That's true. Look around. There are so many beautiful things here. See how pretty the sunlight is on that lake? And all you can think about is the one negative thing that happened. You need a more positive attitude."
Does this sound familiar to anyone here?
Imagine this scenario:
Scene: I am out camping with friends. As I sit down by the lakeside, it so happens there is a rattlesnake under me. I call for help. The snake is removed and safely disposed of, but it has bitten me many times. The following conversation happens.
-- "Well, the snake's gone now. You have nothing to worry about."
-- "Don't you think I should see a doctor?"
-- "What for? There's no snake anymore."
-- "Yeah, but it bit me."
-- "Oh, that's all in the past. It's over. Learn to live in the present."
-- "A venomous snake bit me! I need to see a doctor!"
-- "No, you don't. You need to quit holding on to the past. That snake is gone. You're not sitting on it anymore. Now, just go on with your life and quit playing the victim."
As the snakebites remain untreated, I become more and more ill. That leads to this:
-- "You've really got to get over it. We can't change the past. That venom isn't inside anybody but you, and that means you, and you alone, are responsible for it."
-- "Ew. She's got venom inside her?"
***Everyone backs away.***
-- "That's because a snake bit me."
-- "There you go again, blaming past circumstances. What are we supposed to do, go back in time and stop the snake from biting you? That can't be done. What happened, happened, so you just have to let it go."
-- "That's true. Look around. There are so many beautiful things here. See how pretty the sunlight is on that lake? And all you can think about is the one negative thing that happened. You need a more positive attitude."
Does this sound familiar to anyone here?
