Intolerance, superstition and ignorance grow up with the ease of weeds. Tolerance, reason and knowledge on the other hand, must be cultivated like flowers. This explains why the former are in such abundance and the latter in such short supply.
"Forgotten were the elementary rules of logic, that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and that what can be asserted without evidence can also be refuted without evidence."
Balance is often that which is most desirable in one situation while in another it is quite inappropriate. The same is true of moderation. Often it is precisely what is called for, say regarding food and drink. Other times it is simply wrong. There is no such thing as an appropriately moderate goodness, kindness or mercy.
Viewed in a certain light, all of life is a conflict. Among others there are conflicts of opinion, conflicts of resource allocation and internal conflicts when our values are seemingly in opposition.
That which most often does us harm is that which lies outside of our conscious awareness. This is the primary reason why we must do everything within our power to increase our awareness of ourselves and the world we inhabit.
We often hear people advising us to simply go with the flow. I do not subscribe to that advice. There is a reason why boats and ships come with oars and rudders.
"Beginning with self-concern is the only sound approach to the solution of moral problems that involve other men and organized society, as well as one's own life..."
I regularly ask people what their life's purpose is. More often than not I am met with a rather blank stare followed by a confused attempt to articulate something without understanding.
I find this more than a little bit baffling. How can you set priorities, choose between options or plan ahead if you don't have a clear goal in mind?
Aim for improvement and not perfection. Do not relinquish your right to be wrong and make mistakes. If you do you will have deprived yourself of the surest means of learning and moving forward.
Each and every one of us has a vast array of memories. This is inevitable. What is not inevitable is the memories we chose to recall and focus on. And, while it is useful to occasionally recall some bad memories in order to avoid repeating our mistakes, it is more important to spend time focusing on good memories. That is, if being happy is our aim.
