tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038032059747160770.post2686815279562025580..comments2020-02-26T15:18:11.053-05:00Comments on <br><br>Living Without God—A Life of Reason: Could I Have Been Wrong All Along?Bill Cooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07877676340567105536noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038032059747160770.post-11933133366040136242008-11-07T20:59:00.000-05:002008-11-07T20:59:00.000-05:00To my anonymous contributor:I am very happy to pos...<I>To my anonymous contributor:</I><BR/><BR/>I am very happy to post the comments and consider the ideas of anyone who takes the time to offer words of sincerity and good intention in a deliberate and respectful tone. One of the very aims of this blog - as stated in the introduction atop this page - is <I>"to respectfully engage others who might have a different perspective on life."</I><BR/><BR/>•A correction for the record: <I>"You somehow appear to believe that psychotherapy or other professional help can change your mother's world view..."</I> --- I will assume that your words just got a little jumbled. I made no such representation. I am willing to overlook this as harmless error.<BR/><BR/>•I draw a clear distinction between things that <I>cannot</I> change and things that, for whatever reasons, <I>probably will not</I> change.<BR/><BR/>•I stand by my judgment that doing nothing in the face of obvious mental illness and great suffering is totally misguided.<BR/><BR/>•Finally, I think my siblings should consider the possibility that my feelings on the matter are informed by personal experience with serious mental illness. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My commitment to a program of medication and therapy has led me to the best state of mental well-being I have enjoyed in a very long time. I can now give and receive love very freely. My mother can do neither.<BR/><BR/>------------------<BR/><BR/>If for no other reason, I value your comments because I believe they were offered with sincerity and honesty. Thank you.Bill Cooneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07877676340567105536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038032059747160770.post-5041838102966551232008-11-06T23:37:00.000-05:002008-11-06T23:37:00.000-05:00Bill. it's time to realize that there are some...Bill. it's time to realize that there are some things that cannot be changed. You somehow appear to believe that psychotherapy or other professional help can change your mother's world view, her religious fanatacism and allow her to have a closer, more loving relationship with her family. I feel your pain and understand that you want things to be better than they are.<BR/><BR/>Some personality disorders are virtually unchangable. Most psychologists would agree that sociopathy, schizophrenia, passive-agressive behaviors and many, many, many other personality disorders are very difficult if not entirely impossible to correct. Sometimes people are just what they are and years and tens of thousands of dollars of psychotherapy will have little or no lasting effect. I have experienced this with both a wife and a friend -severe disorders & no success after many years of psychotherapy (but they keep going which I feel at this extreme is a disorder in of itself.) <BR/><BR/>At your mother's late age it would be even more difficult to elicit a change and would likely cause her additional stress & confusion. She has structured herself to protect herself, to rationalize her life/existance -it would be extremely difficult for her to change this late in life -and even if she could the change would not necessarily elicit the effect you are hoping for. <BR/><BR/>Let it go. Consider the possibility that your siblings feelings on the matter may be tempered with wisdom. Remember, you can't fix everything -some things don't need fixing -some things simply are what they are whatever is done. and we need the wisdom to accept them as such. <BR/><BR/>I don't mean to sound like a 12-step program Bill, but accept what you can't change, let-go & let life, appreciate & love your wonderful wife & daughter (you are a lucky man) ...and move upward & onward !!! <BR/><BR/>I disagree with you on many issues Bill ...but I believe you are a good man !!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038032059747160770.post-65401453661612267432008-10-16T15:32:00.000-04:002008-10-16T15:32:00.000-04:00Take a deep breath Bill. You are fine. At least yo...Take a deep breath Bill. You are fine. At least you are not hiding behind some false curtain and you are not pretending to live in the Land of Oz.<BR/><BR/>It is they who are fooling themselves, and I am not referring to the religious aspect. I am talking about how she conducts her life.<BR/><BR/>My mother has made a mess of my sisters life, who now happens to be in rehab...finally. She has 'never' admitted to having a problem, but something in her life made her sit up and take notice. Than the stars above.<BR/><BR/>She attribute much her her life's wrong decision back to my mother. Now don't get me wrong, my sister is not laying blame to my mother, she knows she is an adult and made all of these decisions all by herself. My mother just laid the groundwork.<BR/><BR/>When my mother is even slightly told that one of her children has demons to battle due to their childhood, then her wall goes up and I mean you can practically see it go up. So what does that tell me...'They know what they do.'<BR/><BR/>And they do not want to face and or deal with themselves. They are not the ones that need fixing, obviously you do. Well for what it's worth Bill, you do not need any fixing. You did good!Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04689263509227953924noreply@blogger.com