Tag: Buddha

It often seems necessary to water down conclusions (those that explain past behaviors and also predict future ones) with tact, flowery words, and sometimes lies. But in regards to myself, this seems unproductive and dangerous.  Beating myself up is also unproductive, but it always seems effective to look in the mirror and work with the…

I banged my head against the wall for a long while, trying to figure out whether it was “old” or “new” that worked better.  Eventually, I realized I was asking the wrong question; I should have been wondering how to apply time-proven principles to modern contexts.  Someone who can do that isn’t wedded to doing…

I believe that the deeper I know the “why” behind my actions, the better I am at persevering through discomforts.  Not only that, but I also become better at enjoying transient pleasures without getting too attached to them. To me, fully knowing the “why” is dependent on examining the evidence arising from my past actions,…

Like everyone else, I’ll experience happiness and depression, motivation and lethargy.  To me, the question is not so much whether I cling to one end of the spectrum and avoid the other, but whether I continue working towards my objectives, and continue acting in a way that brings me peace at a bone-deep level. From…

The passage of time and the steady diminishment of my capabilities means that even if I do nothing, my objectives gradually creep away from me. To me, this means that each second is a vote.  I can use that second to gain territory (or at least learn something in the attempt), or I can use…

I’ve seen people chase their bliss by getting the right this or that, by doing XYZ tasks at ABC times. Call me lazy, but I have found that the opposite approach is much more accessible and far less stressful (although in the short term, it’s incredibly uncomfortable):  I try and dig into my faults/shortcomings, reconfigure…

As I delved deeper and deeper into the idea of an all-powerful, all-knowing benevolence that doesn’t just guide us but also comprises us, a funny thing happened to me:  I became agnostic (I don’t believe one way or another in the existence of a higher power). Because I realized if such a force exists and…

In the past, I have been hamstrung by preferences.  I have either favored the all-out surge, or the slow, steady advance.  But life does not necessarily accommodate one approach all the time.  That’s why I believe it’s important to use all tools—logic, intuition, and constant, CONSTANT assessment of evidence and context—to justify whatever approach I…

Being humble and honest about which pieces of me function in a mechanistic manner allows me to strategize their placement/employment…it allows me to direct these processes, and in doing so, honor the premise that maybe, just MAYBE, I am in possession of something as precious—and arguably divine—as free will. So yeah—humility, honesty, and constant assessment…

It’s crucial to keep trying.  The misses may be discouraging, but they’re incredibly important; if I can figure out how much I missed by, and for what reason, I can use all that to inform my strategy, and allow me a greater chance of hitting future targets.