"Everything happens for a reason."

Some of those reasons are just shittastic, is all.

This is certainly my theory. I don't need more character. It already takes a forklift to move around the character I have. I knew how to smell the roses prior to a metric fuckload of misery. The misery just meant that I had to let the roses die. It made me who I am today, but I think I could have been a better person without it. If I ever find out that there is a God, and all this was a bar bet with Satan, I'm going to storm heaven.

Sometimes the Supernatural portrayal of God is oddly comforting.

Unless, of course, you're traditionally Christian, I suppose.

I knew how to smell the roses prior to a metric fuckload of misery. The misery just meant that I had to let the roses die. It made me who I am today, but I think I could have been a better person without it.

I often feel this way.

Oh, my dad used to say "God evens everything out in the end" as a way of telling me not to complain when things were unfair.

As an adult I resent him or saying that, because if anything I err on the side of being too passive when unfair stuff happens to me.

I am unclear, but I think the God doesn't give you more than you can handle thing is a misquote. I Corinithians 10:13 talks about not being tempted more than you can bear, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish than suffering. [link]

I think the God doesn't give you more than you can handle thing is a misquote

It doesn't matter if it's a misquote if that's what people actually mean to say.

"Special children to special parents"--there's a Mormon equivalent that says special needs kids were "spirit warriors" in the pre-existence and all they need in this life is a physical body to fill in the to-do list before they can go to heaven (a very inefficient system, to me, but what do I know). It's very comforting to some parents, I understand, but I know one couple with known genetic markers for unpleasant conditions who have decided that it is their responsibility to provide bodies for spirit warriors. They have about half a dozen special needs kids, and last I saw them, she was pregnant again and very proud.

No, right, people are definitely saying an unhelpful thing. But I'm adding that they're also wrong to what they think is their source. Probably.

One more hour and I get to strip more paint. Yay?

I just got called a moron on Twitter by a total stranger! Do I get an achievement badge or something?

(I'd said jokingly that as an atheist Jew, I would have ROCKED this Pew survey, which apparently was HILARIOUS because Jews can't be atheists, therefore I'm a moron. Nobody tell him about New York City, ok? I'd hate to think I'd inadvertently caused someone to die of shock.)

I dislike most platitudes. They're by definition annoyingly glib.