Thoughts and prayers are useless, to an atheist. and I have learned I may have MS. What do I get instead? )
Ears. People who are willing to hear your unvarnished truth.
Positive energy, as in refreshing, or as in healing energy. I am an empath. I did not know that word until later in my life. Being an empath is not something you ask for. you just are. The concerns for empaths is not knwing what they can or cannot do with the gift. There is also the realization all people should know. People can drain your energy leaving you tired, worn out, depressed, and just zapped. People don't always realize they are being drained. That is the first thing you must learn. if you are with a few people and someone turns very negative about absolutely everything, my advice is to excuse yourself to get some air, go bathroom, or something. Then leave the group. Go be alone. Practice breathing that fills your lungs with oxygen. Also you can meditate on your chakras. Get them to remove all negative energy. If you are doing it right, you will feel it leaving your body and replacing your lungs with good oygen. When you feel better, remember to create an invisible shield. Stop people from draining you. You must be aware of the sickness of others. You want to give them healing energy, but you do not want their disease. That takes a while to learn. I often send healing energy prayers from a distance. They get the energy and you have a lot more protection. Being a empath is a long subject, but it is what I do to help others. Not soliciting, lol.
@BettyColeman Where do I start? You have made a number of claims that I find difficult to believe and would like to know how you can back up these claims with evidence. Positive energy I can sort of understand in a motivational sense as NLP and other talking therapies can have the same effect, but how do you measure healing energy? You then contradict yourself by saying the way to deal with negative people is to run away? What happens to your positive energy then? Can it not combat negative attitudes? What evidence do you have that your healing prayers work, because all the research into prayer shows that there is no difference in its effectiveness than you would find with chance? You do also realise that James Randy has a substantial prize available to anyone who can prove that they are a genuine faith healer?
Please understand that this is not written to belittle you in any way, but I am genuinely interested to know if you can substantiate your claims.
I just offer consoling words, help, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, being a good friend, things that can actually make a difference.
That's a very hard one. I grew up on "prayers". A couple of years ago I visited a couple where the wife was dying of cancer. I found I had nothing to offer other than my presence. I really do not know what to say.
I think being present is very valuable.
I give money and offer assistance for property losses and other personal tragedies . If they are not needed then condolences. I usually write small story about a person when it is a death that helps the survivor understand what their loved one meant to me.
I still offer thoughts, sometimes there is a solution there.
life's not fair but just be positive as your mind is a powerful thing.
Leigh, are you responding directly to ravnostic?
In other situations where most people say "I'm praying for you...", would you say that to somebody -- say somebody whose daughter just died?
in that instance, i would just say sorry for your loss BlueWave. i lost a sister just under a year ago
Advice, assistance, money, a sympathetic ear... stuff that actually helps!
Support, time, energy, money, you know, stuff that actually helps.
My charities are Foundation Beyond Belief and Doctors Without Borders. If I am in a position to give my personal self to assist in any way I can, I will participate in any way I can. I have empathy and compassion for my fellow humans who share this planet together.
Similar to what others before me have said...I think "thoughts" are a valid method of showing one's support. And receiving a message like "I'm thinking of you" or "You are in my thoughts", does produce the "warm and fuzzies" - which can't be anything but a positive. After all, placebos have been scientifically proven to work.
Although the "warm and fuzzies" will never cure MS, the positive vibe from that feeling will help with general health and mental stability.
However, prayers without action are meaningless.
EDIT: Sorry for the double-post. Had a poor internet connection that I refreshed my browser and started my comment over.
this site echoes sometimes
Peace and tender thoughts to someone who has suffered a loss.
Compassion. Wishful thinking (prayers) do absolutely nothing whereas compassion is demonstrated
what works for you when there is great distance?
you ask a question that is difficult for anyone regardless of their stance on god or religion.Usually there are no words and I am responding to you as someone at a distance so acts are not a possibility. I would like to ask you as a person in your position what you would want that might make a difference to you?@ravnostic
I do have support. More of a hypothetical question to see what the larger agnostic (etc) community here does. I'm a bit surprised at the amount of responses I'm seeing, I must say.
Just that there there for me and let them know if I need anything. Then we all sit around and bitch about getting older together lolz. Everyone's got something.
Sympathy. Understanding & empathy. Concrete help.
BTW, Anthony Jeselnik (sp) has a Netflix special titled "Thoughts & Prayers". It's not for the faint-hearted, but it is hilarious!