Philosophy

Attain Power Within

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“Things have no hold on your soul. They have no access to it, cannot move or direct it. It is moved and directed by you alone. It takes the things before it and interprets them as it sees fit.”

— Marcus Aurelius  

The only true & lasting power in this life you will have is within yourself.  

Politicians & governments seek to control people, but they can’t control you if you don’t let them.  

It’s easy to give up your mind and spirit – almost everyone is doing it. 

What is difficult yet empowering is to take control of yourself. To dream your life & live it. 

To not be distracted by the people & things outside of yourself; To not be pushed and pulled by the world. 

And to not try to push or pull others or the world. But to simply lead & live your life – with your own beliefs & perspective, and NOT the perspective of your government or schemers outside of you.  

Real power comes from within. 

Be Called Crazy (Trust Yourself)

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“When they call you crazy, remember that great ideas don’t come from average minds.”

— Nikola Tesla   

Whenever you choose to think for yourself, you will be called crazy by everyone who has conformed – especially if they’ve conformed to not having their own mind.  

It’s much easier to give up your mind and conform than it is to have your own mind & beliefs. 

You may even be called a witch or a devil, truly, for thinking different than your community. 

That’s how the community got rid of anyone who thought different or disagreed with their leaders – they called them a witch or a demon & then they got the people to agree, and the “witch” was burned to death… 

That really happened – & it still happens today – just in a more subtle way.  

Communities and people are so strong in their ways of conformity – that anyone who thinks different is often punished. 

It’s happening less, but it still happens today.  

In the early 1600s Galileo was sent to house arrest for claiming that the Earth revolved around the Sun. He used science, telescopic observations, to come to this conclusion. The church of the day believed everything revolved around the earth, and could not accept Galileo’s blasphemy, so they punished him.   

Being ahead of your time may get you punished. You will definitely be called crazy.  

But the good news is that science has gained much more power over the years – since science is based on research, trial and error, learning, & not just a blind belief. 

If you’re going to have an impact on this planet and the human species, you will almost definitely be called crazy by the people who have conformed to blind belief. 

Be called crazy. 

Be called a witch or a devil. 

Ignore the conformists. 

Trust yourself. (& trust real science)

Compare Less, Lead More

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“Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the best way that is in you.”

— Carl Jung  

Comparison is a form of following. 

And we all follow someone, or some idea. 

And then usually we compare ourselves with the idea we follow – & the other followers of the idea – whether it’s a religious idea, a scientific idea, an athletic idea, an educational idea, a government idea, an artists idea, etc. 

We find ourselves comparing ourselves to those we want to fit in with. 

We mostly follow, and that’s ok.  

So what does it mean to lead?  

The answer differs for all people. 

To lead is to find your own style; to find what works for you.

Research and learn about the subjects and ideas and people and organizations you are interested in. 

Don’t try to imitate them completely – but think about what it is you admire about them, and try applying it to your life.

Choose multiple role models, multiple organizations, multiple ideas, and choose from a place that comes from within you – & not a place of just trying to appear a certain way. 

Keep learning & keep changing if you discover more things you are interested in. 

It’s ok to change. 

It’s ok to not conform. 

And it’s ok to lead.

Real Religion?

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“Real religion is the transformation of anxiety into laughter.”

— Alan Watts   

There are a numerous amount of religions, and that’s ok. To each their own. 

I study multiple religious books but I don’t identify with any one religion. I am open to many religions, and I enjoy learning. 

Anyway, most of these religions are very serious – so serious that if you don’t believe in it, you’re going to be tormented in hell forever!!!! 

Now that’s a real trick those religions pulled on people to control people & scare people into obedience.  

I can’t say if there is a heaven or hell, but I can say that real laughter can be a spiritual experience. (& not laughter at another person pain, but laughter to laugh. Laughter at something funny. Laughing because we feel so much joy in our life.)  

To ease the anxieties of people & add some joyful laughter. That sounds like a spiritual experience to me. 

Nutrition of Your Mind

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“When we think about nutrition, we often only think of food. But it’s also the information you consume, the people who influence you, and the content you allow in your mind. Your brain deserves clean nutrition too.”  

Some people are obsessed with nutrition of their body, but who thinks about nutrition of their mind?  

Who understands that the news and shows we watch are influencing our mind? 

Studies show that you become like the 5 people you are closest with. 

You become similar to what you consume, and who you’re around.  

What are you doing, not just for a healthy body, but for a healthy mind?

DARE To Use Your Own Intelligence

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“Have the courage to use your own intelligence.”

— Immanuel Kant 

If you’ve had a unique language and way of thinking and living for the first 25 years of your life, and then angry, uneducated, military-like men march into your life and tell you you’re wrong, & they try forcing their beliefs into you, would you submit?  

Sort of like what the Europeans did to the Indians. 

Or they march into your life and tell you that you are correct – but they hate it! And they want to change you to be like them. 

It happens more often than you can imagine. Conformity has always been a stronger gravitational pull than beating to the sound of your own drums.  

Einstein said, “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”  

It is almost always fear within a person that guides them to conform. 

And when you conform, you lose your independence. You stop seeing the world with your own eyes & you start seeing the world from someone else’s perspective. 

Many people want that though – they want to be led, and that is okay. 

But if you’re going to be an authentic leader, you must DARE to use your own intelligence. 

Happiness > Dignified

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“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”

— Charlotte Bronte  

Is happiness something only for children?    

As people age, it appears that any true happiness leaves them. (Not everyone, but the majority).

Many people get more death-like as they age, and less life-like. 

The true joy they had a child leaves them as they learn about the “real world.”  

In the real world you discover some people who only find “happiness” at someone else’s pain….thats not happiness or joy; that is sickness. 

But if the majority of people are sick, and even world leaders promote this sickness – it’s difficult to find true happiness. 

So, it is great to be serious, but we can also be happy too (& not “happy” at someone’s pain).  

How can you discover a real happiness again? 

That’s a great question, and the answer will be different for most people. 

What did you enjoy when you were younger? 

Do you have any hobbies that you actually like? 

Turn the television off. Ignore cruel politicians & never befriend a person who laughs at someone else’s pain.

You’ll never be happy if you laugh at the pain of someone. 

Think about what you enjoy, and take time to do some of that. 

How To Calm Negative Energy

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“There are many ways to calm a negative energy without suppressing or fighting it. You recognize it, you smile to it, and you invite something nicer to come up and replace it; you read some inspiring words, you listen to a piece of beautiful music, you go somewhere in nature, or you do some walking meditation.”

— Thich Nhat Hahn 

Negativity is a part of human society. 

Positivity is too, but negativity seems to be “winning” so far. 

It’s easy to watch the news and get emotional and angry. 

70% of USA politicians intentions are to provoke negative emotions in people.

It’s easy to take the negative bait of a politician – but then you’re caught like a fish. 

It’s easy to be negative. It’s easy to be angry. 

It’s easy to hate.  

And the majority of people conform to “easy” because what is great is difficult. 

It takes time to be positive. 

It takes being intentional about your mental health. 

It takes ignoring cruel politicians and focusing on good leaders and being a good leader.  

But yea, Thich Nhat Hahn has some good ideas about how to calm negative energy: 

— Invite something nicer to replace the negative

— Read some inspiring words

— Listen to beautiful music 

— Go somewhere in nature 

— Do walking meditation 

Add Fun To The Game & Arts

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“When an archer shoots for enjoyment, he has all his skill; when he shoots for a brass buckle, he gets nervous; when he shoots for a prize of gold, he begins to see two targets.”

— Zhuangzi    

In this life there is work & play, and some people get to play for work; athletes & artists mainly. 

The best artists and athletes really love what they do.  

To most of them though, it is still work & requires extreme effort. 

The fun gets taken out of the game & the art as we age, but it doesn’t have to.   

Just because others have lost the joy of the game or art doesn’t mean you need to. Don’t conform. 

If you love the game, play. You’ll become great. 

If you love the art, do it. You’ll also become great. 

Focus Means Saying “No” Often

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“There are measures of focus and one of them is how often you say no.”

— Steve Jobs  

Almost everything cries out for your attention.  

They say:

Look at me!  

Think of me! 

Listen to me! 

Your parents want your attention. 

Your teachers want your attention.

Your children want your attention.

Your government wants your attention. 

Your friends want your attention. 

Celebrities want your attention.

Mr Potato Head wants your attention. 

And so there’s a certain balance needed in giving our attention to others. 

It’s healthy to give your attention to people you trust, people who are helping, and people you help. 

But we don’t need to give our attention to everyone. 

And most importantly, we must attend to ourselves as much as possible. 

Listen to yourself. 

What do you think? What do you actually think? (Don’t just repeat something you’ve heard) 

What do you want? 

It’s healthy to not give our attention to everything. It’s healthy to say no.  

It’s healthy to focus on your life path & to not be distracted by all the noise and people outside of ourselves.  

So, go your way. 

Trust your path. 

And say no to any strangers who go out of their way to get your attention. (Even if they’re in the government …governments should be here to protect and serve – & not to scare people…)