Question regarding the Charisma Myth

bhouse114 · 2016-12-13T19:58:26+00:00

I'm not a religious person in any sense of the word either.

This is how I see it as far as charisma. We are our own God.

When people imagine god they imagine perfection. When they pray they are asking for guidance from the most wise being imaginable. And who answers them? The most wise version of themselves. All of the guidance and knowledge that people ask God for is within themselves.

As a non religious person you have an advantage as you get to be the master and designer of your own fate. And that (at least for me) gives you an unbelievable sense of power and confidence

Harry_Fraud · 2016-12-13T23:38:00+00:00

I got arrested in April. As the my court date neared, I did everything I could do for myself with the help of my attorney, but I still wasn't offered diversion or a plea bargain at all. We filed mitigation documents, but I received no response. The stress got to me, and I cried, but the decision was out of my hands.

I decided to pray for clemency, mercy at the hands of the court. I prayed like clockwork for a week, and Thursday before my court appointment on Monday, the DA offered to clean the slate and process me through adult diversion. I showed up to court on Halloween Monday, and signed the papers. Whether or not my turnaround is causation or correlation, I don't care. Returning to my religion is a personal choice, and I feel it served me well.

I don't see God as an almighty being excusing fools for being fat and stupid. Jesus doesn't fucking "take the wheel" and magically steer you away from a head on collision. Prayer won't turn your life around, or stop your dope cravings.

I see my faith as a personal choice in embracing optimism in a world otherwise depressing to me. I figure that I need to look out for myself, and in doing so, with prayer, I can accept that any adversities in fact, will serve a purpose-- the purpose of learning, grounding my reality, or bettering myself.

Sometimes the Hamster, with its yarn, weaves a quilt of gold. From Chip & Joanna Gaines's book, The Magnolia Story, I understood my own experience reflected in Joanna's stream of consciousness:

"I was good at that. I'm good at following the rules-- most of the time. But once I was on my own in New York, my faith became something very personal. It was no longer about what my parents knew or what my pastor knew. I came to think of God as more of a gracious friend who was accompanying me on this journey, a friend who wanted to carry my burdens and speak into my life and shape me into who I really was and who I would become."

With the court case hanging over my head, I felt pressured to live my last week of life as though I would never see the lights of day again. I read two books a day, lifted and biked to the gym, and stepped up my sleep schedule and personal hygiene. I didn't know how I would come out of the court system, how my life might change, but with my luck I was not to go back to jail. I'd say God helps those who help themselves. He may grease the skids and help the universe tilt things your way, but my personal religion is way more than that.

What drives me is the internalized concept that I was, in fact, worth saving. Someone who supposedly knows all of my dirt still told me through circumstance that I have value which should not be squandered. I'm not looking to convert anyone to agnostic religion, but I am certain of the fact that if it is not already, convert to the religion of striving for Authenticity and Self Improvement. Because everyone is worth it. But it's up to the individual to see the signs and convince themselves, IME.

mushroommountains · 2016-12-14T05:24:37+00:00

It's not about actually believing it, it's just about imagining that visual as a way to help yourself out

do_it_or_leave · 2016-12-14T16:36:27+00:00

It is an exercise. You can imagine your dog solving all your problems if you want. Of course it will be easier to your mind to think destiny or the universe or an omnipotent being solving all your problems. Try to be more open to the meaning, the message the book tries to pass to you, instead of the words used.

pastaganred · 2016-12-13T23:09:45+00:00

You will never be charismatic in the male sense if you read something and then it changs your world view. What you need is that hard headedness of being a man and never swaying no matter what. Hard headed stubbornness is male charisma.

Title	Question regarding the Charisma Myth
Author	refusewool
Upvotes	4
Comments	6
Date	December 13, 2016 6:46 PM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/5i5c0t/question_regarding_the_charisma_myth/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/question-regarding-the-charisma-myth.79055 https://theredarchive.com/post/79055

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