Tag: buddhism

When I’m stuck in negativity, I know “this too shall pass,” is objectively true. But if I harangue myself with that phrase when it doesn’t resonate, I just prolong my negativity. So I accept whatever thought arises naturally, even if it’s false. It could be “this will last forever,” “this is hopeless,” etc. I don’t…

Sometimes, I can nag or rationalize myself out of negativity. Oftentimes, I can’t. I find it more effective to acknowledge my negativity’s validity (not its metaphysical/objective truth, because who knows what’s objectively true? We still don’t know if this is a simulation) and its right to exist. Intellectually, that may seem like I’m agreeing with…

Sometimes, when I’m deep in the throes of being a happy idiot, I realize it’s the smartest choice I could have made in that moment.

I haven’t had a lot of success with rationalizing or forcing away my negativity. Obviously, it’s not smart to outwardly express it or act it out (in a lot of situations, anyway), so for the longest time, I defaulted to bludgeoning myself with reasons as to why my negativity was invalid or irrational. Predictably, that…

Obviously, a journey begins with a single step, but personally, I have encountered a follow-on need to nurture positivity; it primes my perception for opportunities and choices, rather than browbeating and relentless disparagement. I could adopt the age-old argument that greatness comes from voluntary misery, but I’ve lived way too long in a wretched and…

I used to think I had to nag and berate myself in order to perform, but then I observed folks who were great performers and positive-minded. I realized I’d rather aim for that, then be upheld as a tortured example of outward excellence–internally stuck in discontent, insecurity, and the constant temptation to put others down…

After decades of focus on learning and striving, I began to question what I was learning and striving for, when the question of what is objectively valid is up in the air, given the unknown breadth of existence, my short time in a body, and the limitations of my physical senses. It may be semantics,…

Why am I here? Why do I exist? Those questions evoke a mess of philosophies and religions, a giant web of wagging fingers and unprovable conclusions. Juxtapose that against the seeming insignificance of my extremely limited perspective in a possibly infinite breadth of space-time, and it seems I am able–until that (probably) unresolvable ambiguity is…

Admittedly, I can only base this off personal anecdotes, both negative and positive, but I believe that without self-examination, we become more reactive than proactive, and subsequently waste our ability to initiate and create.

There’s tons of value in identifying what I don’t like, and taking measures to avoid/minimize it in the future. But I don’t want to define life through my aversions. After living most of my life in exhausting paranoia, distrust, and judgmental analysis, I’ve found I’d rather trust in an underlying benevolence and positivity, even though…