If I don’t die today then it’ll be some day…

So why wait to apply myself?

Delving deep into the absurdities of human nature—the exceptions, the warts, the roll-your-eyes-at-the-sky ironies—and not turning away from them (as comforting as that may be), allows the author to make sense of it all.

IMHO, the hours that turn into days into months into years…that time isn’t meant to be nickel-and-dimed, spent in the service of reinforcing our comfort zones, always hoping to be buoyed by fortune (that ONE burst of effort that will ensure you never have to strive again).  That time is meant to be used audaciously, cutting away ignorance and constantly checking to see if our stances make sense.  We are not meant to parrot others’ words and live in the squalor of platitudes—we’re meant to venture into the rich Unknown, and glory in the opportunities that existence is always brimming with.

IMHO, acceptance of limitations allows me to strategically navigate through and past them.  Denial of limitations (the road most often taken from what I’ve seen) MAY allow me to surpass them, but will quash my ability to navigate.  We’re BORN with limitations—clues, if you will—that serve as rough guides telling us where to place our focus and spend our time.  

Why slave away trying to learn how to levitate when you could freely soar by exploring the possibilities that are RIGHT HERE?

Human nature seems to dictate that we try to express our core philosophies in the most convincing way possible.  But to write effectively, one must go beyond that—one must be able to effectively express multiple viewpoints on the same subject through different sets of eyes.  A writer must see that opposing philosophies are not staunch lines drawn in the sand, but the result of life experiences that are unique to each and every one of his/her characters.  And then?  

Then you gotta make it entertaining.

How much novelty must we thirst and lust after, how much novelty must we claw our way towards, how much novelty must we experience…before our perception deepens to the point where we recognize EVERYTHING as novel?

The more you recognize how much of you is just programming, the easier it is to rewrite yourself.

IMHO, the point of tradition is to create a roughshod path that eases the way so that travelers can see where NEW paths can be paved…it is NOT meant to be evoke blind adherence/veneration.  If that is ever the case, then tradition no longer facilitates discovery…

Because it has turned from a path into a cage.

I believe the point of emphasizing “external structure” (and by that I mean the outer things; environment, clothing, schedule, systems) is to work your way inward…to impose that outer discipline on your inner thoughts and habits.  Once you are inwardly disciplined, that’s when you can riff on the outer stuff.  The inwardly structured trust themselves to apply themselves when they need to, because they no longer need to harp on outer symbols that REPRESENT structure.  The peril of focusing on outer structure is confining one’s focus to outer symbols.  If one were to not impose structure on the inner worlds/mindset, then one is stuck advocating what is outwardly satisfying but practically useless…and they will remain stuck perpetuating symbols rather than taking actions.