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@@ -4889,6 +4889,105 @@ beliefs. I may be tearing down my own beliefs. γνῶθι σεαυτόν!
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# Post 21 of #100DaysToOffload https://100daystooffload.com/
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*** PUBLISHED Life :life:
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+**** Death, Taxes, and Job :100DaysToOffload:
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+ :PROPERTIES:
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+ :EXPORT_FILE_NAME: 2023-01-11
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+ :EXPORT_HUGO_PUBLISHDATE: 2023-01-11:
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+ :END:
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+
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+Today I'm going to pay my taxes, work on updating my living will and
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+health care power of attorney, telling others when I want
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+doctors to pull the plug if I can't make that decision myself.
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+
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+Death and taxes. You can't live with them, and they get you in the
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+end.
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+
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+When discussing death, taxes, and "I know I'm right, why is all this bad
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+stuff happening to me?", there's no better place to turn than Job...
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+
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+# #+caption: [[https://FOO.COM/BAR/BAZ.JPG]["Name of work" by WHO is licensed under cc by 2.0]]
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+# #+attr_html: :width 200px
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+# # [[file:images/BAZ.JPG]]
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+
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+#+hugo: more
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+
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+Job is the oldest book in the bible. It pre-dates Rome, it pre-dates Abraham
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+Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Jacob Astor, Joseph Stalin, and Benjamin Netanyahu
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+:-). It pre-dates the Christian faith and Jesus' birth by hundreds of
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+years.
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+
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+For those who may not be familiar, Job is a story of suffering. Unjust
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+suffering. Short version: Behind the scenes (Job never learns this) Satan
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+makes a bet with God that Job (God's "righteous servant") will curse God
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+if God lets Satan take away his money, family, and health. God takes the
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+bet. Job's children die. His livestock is stolen. He skin breaks out
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+in boils. His wife and his friends blame him and tell him it's all his
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+own fault. Some friends. His loving wife summarizes "Job, do you still
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+hold to your integrity? (claim it's not your fault) Curse God and Die !"
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+
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+Fortunately for us (and germain to the topic of my living
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+willing/advanced medical diretive), Job did not live in 21st Century
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+Canada, was not counseled to kill himself to keep the governments
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+health care expenses down, but instead endured (seemingly) pointless
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+suffering, wrestling with the question "Why?", and as a result we have
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+one of the greatest works of literature in human history that has
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+inspired theological and philosophical debate and great art for
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+millennia. "Curse God and Die ?"
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+
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+Let's hear from Job.
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+
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+#+begin_quote
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+For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
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+And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
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+Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
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+
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+Job 19:25-27
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+#+end_quote
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+
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+
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+I can not read those words without hearing the setting in Handel's Messiah.
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+
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+The phrase
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+
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+#+begin_quote
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+Yet in my flesh shall I see God
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+#+end_quote
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+
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+is likely going on my tombstone. It is an expression of the hope of
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+resurrection and eternal life.
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+
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+Seeing those words on a tombstone would probably make Job happy (Job
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+happy?), because, immediately before that he said:
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+
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+
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+#+begin_quote
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+Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
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+That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
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+
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+Job 19:23-24
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+#+end_quote
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+
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+But in context, he's referring to his long-running instance that he is
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+innocent, that his actions and thoughts are right, and that no-one
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+(God included) can question that. Sound like any people or current
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+cultural movements you know?
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+
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+The book ends with God asking Job a series of unanswerable questions. Job
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+finally admits he may not have the whole picture and that maybe it's time
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+to be humble and admit his limitations, frailty, mortality and, yes, the
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+possibility of his own moral failings when faced with an Eternal, Omnipotent,
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+Infinite, Just and Merciful Creator.
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+
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+May I do the same.
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+
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+Oh, and to those who may decide to pull the plug on me or not, yeah, the
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+answers are often not clear. Sometimes suffering has a purpose. Do what you
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+think is best at the time and leave the rest to God. It's all any of
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+us can do.
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+
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+#43 of #100DaysToOffload take 2.1, https://100daystooffload.com/
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+
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+
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**** PUBLISHED Generation P :100DaysToOffload:
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:PROPERTIES:
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:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: 2023-01-08
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