Do we choose to be born with a chronic illness or disability?

#1 23-03-2011, 05:31 PM

Hello,

A few months ago I did a work placement at a school for people with disabilities (down syndrome, autism...) and it made me wonder why these people were born with these disabilities? Would their soul choose to be born like this and why? I don't necessarily think having a disability is bad since all the people I worked with didn't seem unhappy and they were all extremely pleasant to be around. Are the disabled born into the world to teach the humans they come into contact with to become more compassionate and loving?

It will be interesting to see what others think about this subject.

Star

HealingLight77 · #2 23-03-2011, 06:09 PM

From what I've come to understand, yes, we do choose our illnesses and strengths/weaknesses before each life. We choose these things for our spiritual growth and development, and of course, karmic reasons.

I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons that a soul would choose to be born with mental disabilities. Perhaps for those that you stated, or perhaps to allow themselves to spend a life learning how to 'receive' and be taken care of. I would suggest reading books by Michael Newton, as they get into detail about how and why people have chosen different issues for their lives.

BlueSky · #3 23-03-2011, 06:20 PM

I drove by a dead squirrel today coming to work. Strange choice he made!

I read of woman who was killed by her husband after the police ignored her pleas for help in the paper yesterday. Strange choice the policeman made prior to this life to ignore the call and for the husband to choose to want to kill his wife and for the wife to chose to die in horror. How did they coordinate all that considering everything else that occured in lives of the 3 involved.

The concept sounds respectfully absurd to me.
Sorry.........just being honest.

I hope you don't mind.

Have you ever hurt someone badly................I have...............and to dishonor this person more by saying we somehow agreed to do so prior to our existance is a slap in the face on top of the hurt I caused. It also wrongly relieves me of responsibilty which blows karma right out the window.
I mean, if I agreed to hurt someone, why would i have to pay back in the form of karma............
Makes no sense to me.............................James

Sarian · #4 23-03-2011, 06:37 PM

I've read that myself, but I would like to understand that further. It doesn't really makemuch sense...I have heard it's part of a learning process. I have heard and encountered some situations where someone who had developed a debilitating disease yet have shown profound strength which totallly blows my mind... or a story a dear friend told me about her daughter and her illness and dying days which all I can say is it seemed like that little girl was truly an angel of sorts, and held such strength and wisdom...so I find myself wondering if it's how we react or handle a situation like that...learn from it. Will we have strength, will we find wisdom, will we be an inspiration to another, on both sides, whether we are the inflicted one or we are loving or caring for the inflicted one. Some handle thse situations very poorly, which is understandable, but others, the stories are amazing...

I'll be interested in hearing other's views on this one.

LOL, James. I can understand where you are coming from. I've been having this debate for quite some time over this...and they get very upset and can't understand why we would chose such lives or for that matter, why would god decide this if it is god who decides and not us...or maybe no one does and these are just flukes.

Internal Queries · #5 23-03-2011, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteShaman

I drove by a dead squirrel today coming to work. Strange choice he made!

I read of woman who was killed by her husband after the police ignored her pleas for help in the paper yesterday. Strange choice the policeman made prior to this life to ignore the call and for the husband to choose to want to kill his wife and for the wife to chose to die in horror. How did they coordinate all that considering everything else that occured in lives of the 3 involved.

The concept sounds respectfully absurd to me.
Sorry.........just being honest.

I hope you don't mind.

Have you ever hurt someone badly................I have...............and to dishonor this person more by saying we somehow agreed to do so prior to our existance is a slap in the face on top of the hurt I caused. It also wrongly relieves me of responsibilty which blows karma right out the window.
I mean, if I agreed to hurt someone, why would i have to pay back in the form of karma............
Makes no sense to me.............................James

the concept of "karma" is pet peeve of mine. the concept allows for a "blame the victim" social mentality since it advocates that victims chose to be victims and/or deserve to be victims. also, the "karma" concept is misery perpetuated since each victimizer must come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must to come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must come back ... ad infinitum.

so NO, IMO, people do not chose to be born into diseased or disabled bodies nor is their manifestation in a diseased or disabled body an indicator of bad karma incurred from a previous life. spontaneous Circumstance deals the cards and all we can do is play our hands as best we can with the cards we're dealt.

BlueSky · #6 23-03-2011, 06:56 PM

[quote=Sarian]I've read that myself, but I would like to understand that further. It doesn't really makemuch sense...I have heard it's part of a learning process. I have heard and encountered some situations where someone who had developed a debilitating disease yet have shown profound strength which totallly blows my mind... or a story a dear friend told me about her daughter and her illness and dying days which all I can say is it seemed like that little girl was truly an angel of sorts, and held such strength and wisdom...so I find myself wondering if it's how we react or handle a situation like that...learn from it. Will we have strength, will we find wisdom, will we be an inspiration to another, on both sides, whether we are the inflicted one or we are loving or caring for the inflicted one. Some handle thse situations very poorly, which is understandable, but others, the stories are amazing...

I'll be interested in hearing other's views on this one.

LOL, James. I can understand where you are coming from. I've been having this debate for quite some time over this...and they get very upset and can't understand why we would chose such lives or for that matter, why would god decide this if it is god who decides and not us...or maybe no one does and these are just flukes.[/quote]

I don't think we choose our lives, in fact, I don't think we live on. I think life lives on and we affect it and experience it while we are here as us.
It wouldn't matter if we were a rock or a person.............we are life and it is awesome. Personally, I don't need anything else, afterwards...as me.
James

BlueSky · #7 23-03-2011, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Internal Queries

the concept of "karma" is pet peeve of mine. the concept allows for a "blame the victim" social mentality since it advocates that victims chose to be victims and/or deserve to be victims. also, the "karma" concept is misery perpetuated since each victimizer must come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must to come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must come back as a victim who needs a victimizer who must come back ... ad infinitum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Internal Queries

so NO, IMO, people do not chose to be born into diseased or disabled bodies nor is their manifestation in a diseased or disabled body an indicator of bad karma incurred from a previous life. spontaneous Circumstance deals the cards and all we can do is play our hands as best we can with the cards we're dealt.

I hear ya but I think we can do more than just deal with circumstance. I think we are responsible for making this world better. We can restore balance.
Better to live and die as one who made a difference than to live as one who lived only to die into a better life.

Internal Queries · #8 23-03-2011, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteShaman

I hear ya but I think we can do more than just deal with circumstance. I think we are responsible for making this world better. We can restore balance.
Better to live and die as one who made a difference than to live as one who lived only to die into a better life.

perhaps the "best we can" part of my statement includes acting on the responsibility to try to make a better world.

BlueSky · #9 23-03-2011, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Internal Queries

perhaps the "best we can" part of my statement includes acting on the responsibility to try to make a better world.

Yes of course. I didn't mean to imply that it didn't. I can see how my words could have come across that way though.
Thanks for setting me straight....

James

Chrysaetos · #10 23-03-2011, 07:26 PM

Saying that's it's all karma doesn't really explain why existence is as it is. Just past lives ad infinitum. A meaningless cycle without an origin. If there's no origin than how can we judge something as good or bad? Sin is out of the question. We can't be held responsible for someone who ate a magical apple given by a talking snake.
And it's all morals and ethics, which are cultural and subjective anyway. I don't know whether our 'universe' is bothered with human morality.

If it's all about choice, ask yourself if you would choose to be born with incurable disease. Ask yourself whether you want comfort and happiness or extreme suffering and illness.
And if spirit/soul/self is 'perfect' or 'all-good', what's the point fooling around?

What is worth mentioning though is that everything we know here.. dreams, inspirations, joy, change, process, progress, learning.. wouldn't be here without the 'bad'.
You can't learn without falling. And water and fire can be nice, but you must know how to use them.
It still doesn't explain why it is that way though.

My answer is.. I simply don't know..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Internal Queries

spontaneous Circumstance deals the cards and all we can do is play our hands as best we can with the cards we're dealt.

I like this approach, it may not look empowering but it is.
It makes us humans adventurers who just have to deal with what is presented.

Predestination beliefs on the other hand make us blindly accept unhappiness as if it's something we deserved. It's a constant guilt tripping game.