I’ve arrived at a place in my life where a tantalizing possibility has begun to arise:  those who practice discipline in a variety of domains can help others out, for they are strong.  They can solve others’ problems, for they are astute.  They can be compassionate when others are spiteful, for they are detached.  They can give of their wealth, for they have restrained their cravings. 

Lastly, they can inspire the low, for they were once low themselves, and have marked a perch in the annals of possibility.  

Discipline isn’t just something to keep me fulfilled.  It is a tool through which, if I am blessed enough to tap enough of my potential, I could potentially spread fulfillment to others.

If one can maintains their code/standard of behavior through action (particularly under stress or the lack thereof:  when no one is watching), then they never have to worry about whether they’re “badass” or “spiritual” or “noble” or any other high-sounding label.  That person never has to worry about advertising some grandly worded set of ideals.

(S)he is simply living them.

Personally, I believe the key to perceiving dogma (and how to escape it) lies in knowing/disciplining myself enough to be ethical first, effective second. 

Unfortunately, it seems that if you become ethical and effective enough, people will construct a dogma around you, and stop concerning themselves with ethics and effectiveness.

I enjoy simplicity as much as the next person, but to only see the good or evil in something doesn’t just bar me from seeing that which is effective, but also that which is transcendent.

A scientifically sound model of reality states that billions of years ago, an extremely dense kernel of energy/matter expanded due to unknown causes, instantiated time and space (and thus causality), and through partially understood mechanisms like gravity and exploding stars, eventually gave rise to life on Earth.

This, to me, is nothing short of amazing.  McDonald’s is amazing.  Trees are amazing.  Reality TV is amazing.  Humans are amazing.  You get the point.

I used to dismiss certain phenomena as “boring,” but as I grow older I increasingly see boredom and monotony are a result of my limited perspective.

Because sometimes, I find it hard to believe that I exist at all.

Being disciplined gives me a chance.  Being strategic increases my chances.  Everything else seems to be icing on the cake.

For much of my life, I tried to find a shortcut around discipline and strategy.  Now, I suspect that there isn’t any.

There is a beautiful irony in a writer who details the hero’s journey; the hero’s journey means an individual will venture into chaos, and through [logic/discipline/perception/audacity/creativity/any number of timeless qualities] bring order to that chaos so that others may navigate it.  

What do you think the writer does when (s)he wrenches a narrative out of a blank page?

In order to contemplate meaning across eons, cultures, and beyond the scope of space and time, I find it useful to view morality as an abstract human construct.  But in day-to-day life, I have no problem pretending it’s a definitive truth, for I am personally biased against malicious behaviors.

From what I’ve experienced, it’s not the high state of mind that allows me to avoid unpleasantness and drudgery, it is seeing through the illusion of “unpleasantness and drudgery” that brings about a high state of mind.