Continued from previous post

Idea 7

Sacrifice can be a meaningful act, and we should seek significance over immediate luxuries.

Have you heard the story about the monkey who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar? As the story goes, there was a cookie left inside an open jar, and the opening of the jar was just huge enough for the monkey's hand to get in-- but not big enough for his fist to come back out with the snack in it. So, if he insisted on attempting to hold onto his treat, he would be stuck.

The moral here is that there is a price for greed: the ape got himself captured due to the fact that he refused to just let go of the cookie.

How different is this from human behavior? How many people pursue satisfaction every day that isn't in their best interests? And how many hesitate to make sacrifices that are in their best interest?

Among the adverse effects of seeing the world as a pit of misery is that it makes it especially simple to justify a life based upon instant satisfaction that will make it more bearable. Plus, if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad, right? This is the reasoning behind binge eating and drinking, substance abuse, sexual debauchery, and other self-harming behaviors.

The other side of this argument is sacrifice, the kind that brings much better things in the future by giving up something now. This goes back to ancient times when tribes would put food aside to make it through the winter season or to help those in the neighborhood who couldn't hunt or farm.

This is another subject greatly represented in the Bible. When God kicks Adam and Eve out of paradise, it's explained that their initial sin is the reason for the extreme and cruel life that everyone should face. However, our suffering in life is the sacrifice we should make so that we may experience happiness in the afterlife.

This brings us to rule seven: look for significant goals over the pleasure principle.

Now, you might think this is a simple principle and something that many people already do. After all, we sacrifice our time to go to work and put in hard hours now so that we can take a trip later or unwind on a beach in the summer season.

But this goes much deeper than sacrificing for your personal gain; there are huge and small things we can sacrifice for the higher excellent, and the bigger the sacrifice, the more rewarding it can be.

It can help to think about the lotus flower. This plant starts its life at the bottom of a lake, and inch by inch it escapes the darkness till it breaks through the surface of the water and blooms in the sun's rays.

In other words, stick to something and be all set to make sacrifices to reach your objective, and you will be rewarded.

Idea 8

Lies are a common tool of self-deception, but we must strive towards honest living.

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed that you could certainly determine the strength of a person's spirit based on how much pure naked truth they can tolerate. While the naked truth is oftentimes considered a valuable commodity in our culture, we nevertheless tell lies frequently.

Among the main factors for lying to our own selves and to other people is to get what we think we desire. The Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler called these life-lies, and they're characterized as the things we'll do and say to turn an inadequately thought-out goal into a reality.

For instance, you might picture your retirement as taking place on a remote beach in Mexico, with an unlimited supply of margaritas. This kind of object can be so appealing that you'll continue fooling yourself into thinking it's possible, even as activities accumulate that make it ever more far-fetched.

You could easily even establish allergies to the sun, sand, and alcohol, but persist in deceiving yourself about this perfect plan-- although it's not actually a plan at all, since you have not determined any concrete steps that could potentially make it an actuality.

These kinds of delusions typically go together with our ability to delude ourselves into thinking we currently understand everything we need to understand. This is an especially absurd point of view to have given that it shuts down our natural desire to learn and grow.

However even worse, and far more evil, things can transpire when you're living a life-lie and unwilling to acknowledge the naked truth. In John Milton's legendary poem, Paradise Lost, Lucifer is depicted as a sensible character, however, one who ends up being too proud and enamored with his talents-- so much so that he and his backers are evicted of heaven for daring to challenge God's supreme truth.

This establishes guideline number eight: stop lying and be truthful.

You don't have to give up each one of your high-reaching goals, but you need to be flexible so that your objectives are reasonable and reflect the truth. So, as your understanding and worldview change, so must your goals. And if your life is off track, it may be time to challenge the existing truth you're following, the one that has you feeling weak, despised, or worthless, and reaffirm your personalized truth so that you can get back on the ideal track.

 

Idea 9

Discussions are an opportunity to discover and grow, not compete.

Countless years after his death, the ancient philosopher Socrates is still deemed one of the wisest men who ever lived. One of the reasons for this is his belief that the only thing he was certain of was that he knew absolutely nothing, and this was a driving force in his conversations and his openness to learning.

When you engage in real conversation, it must be a comparable procedure to thinking.

Thinking things over is essentially listening to yourself as you check out two sides of a problem. So, in a manner, you're generating your own internal dialog, which can be difficult given that you need to effectively represent both sides while also staying open-minded in your conclusion.

This is one big reason individuals consult with one another to ensure that they can more quickly present the two sides of an issue and come to a conclusion. Even kids will do this: if one kid thinks it would be enjoyable to play up on a roof, they may recommend this idea to a pal who then points out the dangers of this idea. The conversation that occurs permits the kid with the original idea to take in the new perspective, consider how likely it is that someone will fall and hurt themselves, and hopefully make the ideal choice.

However, discussions oftentimes do not go this way. Rather, one individual-- or possibly both individuals-- will refuse to listen and treat the dialog as a competition they have to win, so as to validate their assumptions. So, instead of hearing what the other individual has to say, they'll be considering what to say next or behave like it's a contest of one-upping one another.

This is why the ninth rule is "listen to what other people have to say" while presuming you have something to gain from them.

A simple suggestion for being a better conversationalist is to listen and then sum up or recap out loud what the other individual has said. This serves multiple purposes: it helps assure that you have actually heard things properly, while likewise helping them stick in your memory; it likewise lowers the probability of distorting or oversimplifying information in order to match your side of the discussion.

Sometimes the naked truth hurts, and it's painful to take in details which implies you have to change your ideas and notions. However,, this is the price you pay as part of the lovely process of education and growing.

 

Idea 10

The complexity of life need to be confronted with clear and precise language.

Life truly is a huge and complex tapestry, and yet we tend only to see the isolated parts we need to see. If you're strolling along and see an apple on the ground, you probably don't consider the branch, tree, roots, and soil that were all connected before it fell.

The reason is that we tend only to recognize or focus on the things that are either beneficial to us or stand in our way. The apple captures our attention since it represents food and sustenance. But we don't regard the tree and the soil because they are of no usage in satisfying our desires.

Of course, we can't be thinking about everything at all times-- the world is far too complicated for that, so the mind streamlines things and makes it simpler for us to get on with our lives. However, every once in a while, something can occur to shatter our conception of the world and make things seem chaotic.

This is why rule ten is incredibly important: utilize accurate language.

How does this help? Well, think about the word "car." You understand what a car is right? It's an auto that gets you from point A to point B. But when this vehicle breaks down midway between A and B, do you understand the exact ways in which a car works? Can you pop the hood and repair this piece of intricate machinery?

There's a good chance that when your car breaks down, you feel primal impulse to curse and possibly even kick the car for not being such a basic thing any longer. This is what happens when things get intricate and chaotic, so in order to recuperate, you must restore order by clearly and precisely discussing what failed.

The same thing needs to occur when your body breaks down and you get ill. There could certainly be any variety of problems going on, so you require to tell your physician the precise signs and symptoms. Does your stomach hurt or is it a fever? Did it start after you consumed something? What was it? By being exact, you can restore order and take steps to begin feeling much better.

Precise language can make your relationships run more smoothly also. Does your partner do something that bugs you, like failing to clean up after themselves? The earlier you're honest and definite with them, the easier life will be.

 

Idea 11

There are bad and oppressive individuals, but we must prevent subduing humanity.

In George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier, the author comes to the conclusion that socialism was drawing in defenders in England, not as a result of sympathy for the severe conditions facing miners, but out of hatred for the rich and powerful.

Today there are similar mindsets toward male-dominated management referred to as the patriarchy.

One influential source of this hatred for the patriarchy is Max Horkheimer of the Marxism-based Frankfurt School, a proponent of so-called "critical theory". He felt that education and intellectualism need to concentrate on social change, and, instead of working to empower women, it must seek to fight and destroy the powerful oppressors in a culture-- i.e. the ruling males. Likewise, in humanities courses worldwide today, the recommended political action is the dismantling of our macho culture.

Everything has to do with ruining rather than fixing or building, and according to the author, it has left us with an outrage directed at male behavior that can tend to be exceedingly harsh and shortsighted.

For example, numerous male students are regularly faced with hostile allegations of becoming part of the patriarchy-- however, the path of righteous modification should not include dealing with every man as a prospective sex offender.

While it's true that many males have behaved deplorably, the author argues that guys have likewise used their naturally aggressive attitudes for good, like participating in healthy competition, checking out harmful locations, and making much-needed development.

It advises the author of skateboarders. Outside a few of the buildings at the University of Toronto school, there were incredible skateboarders revealing admirable valiancy and a willingness to accept danger. However, the city authorities chose to restrict skateboarding in the school.

This brings us to rule number 11: do not bother youths skateboarding.

We can't develop guidelines that break the very nature of who we are as individuals. Our rules should definitely secure us, however, they should not do so in such a way that reduces the good qualities in individuals.

We've actually seen a pretty good fictionalized account of what can happen when males are stripped of their masculinity. As the story in Fight Club shows us, hostility can then end up being a forbidden fruit that manifests itself in fascist tendencies. Another, real-world response to emasculation is the existing renewal of conservative politics.

The honest truth is, females do not want young boys to grow up without the possibility to discover things for themselves and be independent. He presumes that every boy has a mommy, and what type of mother would wish to care for a reliant man-child?

Idea 12

Life is difficult and full of sadness, so it is very important to commemorate the little delights in life.

Have you ever needed to take care of an ill individual? It can be among life's harder difficulties. The author's daughter has actually been coping with extreme arthritis given that she was 6 years of age. She has struggled with constant pain, needing frequent injections and multiple surgeries for joint replacements.

If you had a child in this scenario, you may think life is unfair-- however, it is essential to acknowledge that the dark littles pain, suffering, and grief are what give the excellent moments their worth.

Regard as Superman. When this character was first presented, he was extremely popular. However then, the comics writers kept giving him power after power up until he was virtually invincible. Naturally, readers beginning to find him super boring.

If there is no risk of danger, Superman's victories are hollow. And in the exact same way, great moments would be meaningless if we didn't need to fight through problems and suffering to reach them.

This is why it is essential to follow rule 12: make the very best out of even the tiniest pleasures that life uses.

By following this rule, you'll make sure to embrace life and value every great thing that comes your way. You'll likewise be sure to see yourself through the bumpy rides, even when they're prolonged.

After years of pain and pain, the author's child eventually discovered a brand-new physio therapist who assisted her to find greater mobility, a reasonable quantity of normality, and a lot less pain. There might be more complications down the roadway, but they're both delighted to take pleasure in the improvements for as long as they last.

This is the very best attitude to have; it's the kind that makes you take your time to stop and pet a feline when you cross one on the walkway.

Keep in mind, there is no day without the darkness of night, just as there's no order without turmoil. There is suffering in life, however, it's also what gives significance to our determination and makes the moments of peace so satisfying.

Summary

Navigating through life is a continuous battle filled with trials and adversities, and if there's any guarantee in life, it's that there will likely be more difficulties around the corner. But there is also charm and pleasure to be discovered, however short-lived these minutes might be. All you can do is try your best, be honest and truthful, and prevent being self-centered and prideful. It's also essential to take obligation for your own lot in life, and not blame the world or other folks for your drawbacks. Ultimately, it is only you who can improve your life.