The other day, I was speaking with one of my co-workers, a very nice lady in the Human Resources department. I don't see her often, since she works part time and I don't work in the HR department. She made the mistake of asking me how things have been.
I reflected on my soap opera life and said, "Is there a limit, a specific number, of crappy events that can land in a person's lap in any given four month period?"
"I don't think so," she said, confirming my suspicion.
"Well, I'm getting pretty sick of it," I replied.
She then asked if I were a religious person. I smiled politely and said, "Not really."
"Sometimes that can help," she said. I tried casually to steer the conversation away from the topic, but then she said, "You might think about talking to The Man Himself, since He's the only one who can really help you."
At this point, I made some excuse and headed back to my own territory.
Despite what some may think, I had no desire to confront her about the issue. It bothered me that she pushed God on me as an answer to my problems, especially after I told her I wasn't religious. But what bothers me even more is that people don't seem to think about what it all means. My co-worker suggested that I pray. Here's how my prayer would have gone:
"Hey, God. I'm getting a bit fed up with all this shit you're dumping on me, so why don't you knock it the hell off? I know you're a sadistic bastard... The Book of Job showed me that you're the kind of guy who'll destroy anything you like just to win a bet. I don't know if this attack on me is another sign that you need Gamblers Anonymous or just something you're doing for kicks. Either way, quit it."
Somehow I doubt that my co-worker would have appreciated that prayer. I suppose there's even a fair chance that she wouldn't even think of my crappy situations as being something caused by God. I've met many people like that.
These people honestly believe that only good things come from God. Anything bad is from the Devil or from Man. It never occurs to them that, according to their own religion, God created both Man and the Devil, so either way, He's responsible.
No mythical God will cure my ills, just as no fictitious deity or demon created them. They're just the result of coincidence. And I'll get through them as I always have, with my own willpower and fortitude. I've made it through thirty-four years this way. I'm not quite willing to throw in the towel, yet, let alone pray to something unreal to save me.
