“Control” or “Surrender”

Contemplation of “Control” or “Surrender” brings to mind the first stanza of the Serenity Prayer:

“God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.”

To me by far the hardest part is the last.  When I know that something is inevitable I have very little difficulty accepting it.  While not entirely in tune with the adage “If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it”, that is a good start.  When I see something that I think needs changing and I know I have the power to effect that change, I act, usually.  However determining whether a thing can be changed or not is not always self evident.

Health issues, particularly cancer, are rife with this sort of dilemma.  Will adding XYZ to my diet improve my prognosis?  Will adding XYZ minutes to my treadmill workout improve my prognosis?  How much, how many, and in what way?  With affirmative answers it should be easy to take control and add XYZ to my diet (allowing for my lack of teeth) or XYZ minutes to my treadmill workout.  It is only a matter of overcoming the lazy me’s inclination to surrender to sloth.  I say “only”, but that is where the courage comes in!

Robert Niel Beatie – February 23, 2013