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In one of these 'breaking the ice' gatherings, a group of young people were asked to say what they would be doing or not doing in ten years.
Most weren't really sure but enjoyed discussing the topic. A few had clear options in case their #1 plan didn't work out. One young lady declared that gawd would decide what she's doing in ten years. I told her I hadn't asked his opinion and the idea was to engage one's brain and think about the future so either she participate or leave.
patrice
(47,992 posts)usual touch of Socratic acid.
Engage her personally and individually with questions; discover more about how she thinks that God thing might/could happen; offer whatever genuine respect you can for what she tells you; by questioning, look for a connection in her responses that would make it possible to ask her if God gave her the ability to reason because she wants her/the young lady to affirm her/the young lady's own commitment to truth by using her brain and its abilities like learning, knowing, and reasoning and, thus, FREELY choose her own commitment for God's will for her, rather than just have it more or less forced, or coerced, upon her by whatever happens. I'd be trying to get to the point that she was created (by whatever) to reason and reasoning can shape what happens, so if you believe in a God who would create in you the abilities to shape what happens, maybe that God WANTS you to use your abilities to freely shape what happens, instead of being like an im-mature non-entity on somekind of sugar tit of "grace".
patrice
(47,992 posts)means of a god-given ability to reason, in what I am suggesting here.
malaise
(269,054 posts)When they come with questions I try to answer them but I demand reason.
More than a few are intellectually lazy and only want to find a space to check the latest text message - and that one's not from their gawd either.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)but there is a certain amount of uncertainty involved in predicting the future. I prefer to call it fate or circumstance rather than God, but I kind of see the point. My last 10 years have been fairly predictable, but going back to, say, 1998, I never could have guessed my life would be what it is now.
malaise
(269,054 posts)about it is OK. One person said he didn't want to be in prison and I suggested that he might be a little more ambitious - even he laughed. A few only wanted two degrees, a family and a job.
The idea is to make them start thinking about ten years from now.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)to engage someone on, so that you can see your attitudes, your ideals, and your goals in life. It certainly is an icebreaker, but that young woman was probably shy and was just saying that she would leave it to God.
Not everyone is great with confrontational questions, and that kind of is, but it is fantastic that you engaged her brain. She might be shy, though, just saying, because I was asked that during a job interview and drew a tremendous blank.
malaise
(269,054 posts)She also had two friends from high school with her. No she wasn't shy - just disengaged and indifferent.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)But that question really made me draw a blank because I'm really good at things that pertain to the concrete, but the future isn't concrete. This may have not been the case with the person you were questioning, I'm just telling you my experience with that particular question.
I'm probably a little scientific so I tend to deal with things with direct answers, and that one ... I did not have one.
malaise
(269,054 posts)I understand the scientific basis of direct answers but her answer was anything but direct or scientific - some of our Fundies would make yours look like Einstein
Last edited Fri Feb 8, 2013, 05:51 PM - Edit history (1)
You asked a Fundie. Well, I'm not a fundie, and I found it difficult, struggled with it, and tried to answer, at least. LOL. Not well, but I did try.
EDIT: And this was for an Engineering position, so yeah, I had reason to answer the way that I did, but in retrospect, I'm thrilled I didn't get it because it was a terrible company
lunatica
(53,410 posts)8/28/2021 at 10 pm in her home? Would she plan to just sit around waiting for the killer?
malaise
(269,054 posts)Response to malaise (Original post)
KracevayaKoshka Message auto-removed
malaise
(269,054 posts)That answer requires thought
Response to malaise (Reply #14)
KracevayaKoshka Message auto-removed
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)OK, high-five! You sure showed her!
malaise
(269,054 posts)el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)I don't know exactly the exchange went down - but it's clear you came to a determination about what sort of person she is, that based on your story, I'm not sure I would have.
Bryant
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)I bet that's what you heard in your head when she said that.
That's what I hear when people go that route on me.
malaise
(269,054 posts)I don't 'get it'.
hunter
(38,317 posts)Now I can find computers more powerful than the one I was imagining in the trash.
I wanted to go to college to be an engineer. But it turned out I hated that so I changed my major to biology. It took me nine years to graduate from college because my mental health issues got worse in young adulthood -- depression, OCD, eating disorders, that kind of thing. Ten years from my high school graduation I was working for a contractor and renting a room in a house full of bachelor alcoholics and drug addicts. That's about the time I made my next ten year plan which put my college education to use, but was full of even bigger surprises.
My point is we live in a trickster universe. Sometimes the most unlucky people in the world are those for whom everything goes smoothly, just as they planned. Opportunities for growth often occur in unexpected and unpredictable places. The secret of life is to be ready to grow whenever one finds themself in these places.
malaise
(269,054 posts)but discussing dreams, likes and dislikes must be better than leaving it up to some imaginary friend
hunter
(38,317 posts)My mom's the sort who asks God and He answers.
But on that journey she encountered a priest she thought was creepy. Knowing what we now know about the Catholic Church, her radar was almost certainly accurate.
So my mom ended up in the radio business, met my dad, became a housewife and had a mess of kids.
In high school my mom might have been like your girl following God's will.
I've taught that age group and I probably would have let the girl be if I couldn't provoke any further conversation out of her. Maybe she's got plans she didn't want to express in a group -- something like marry the successful car dealer's son, have kids, be a Sunday School teacher, done. If she stuck around simply listening to the other kids maybe she'd learn something, maybe something they said would spark further ambitions.
The only way I would have pushed her was if I thought she was sassing me, and the odds are good she was sassing you, sensing your attitude about her "imaginary friend" and calling you on it.
malaise
(269,054 posts)but it's her life - she can have any plans she wants.
Mister Ed
(5,940 posts)I think I would respond with kindness and courtesy.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)if she thought that god wanted her to be totally passive in the choices. Anyone who thinks that god will lead them and they don't have to do anything is not doing it right.....and I would try to lead her to come to the same conclusion. She has to be active in making decisions.
malaise
(269,054 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)God helps those who help themselves.