It is so very easy to get caught up in the unimportant and inconsequential in life — in its trivialities – isn’t it? As young people, we are often filled with a sense of foreboding around exam time. This apprehension is further fueled by our parents, our teachers, and even our classmates. We seemingly are all focused on some mythical goal, the perfect test score. Herein lies nirvana, the passage to a higher celestial plane. Many a young person is driven to distraction, some even to suicide, (1) by something of virtually no value at all.
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How do I begin my great adventure?
I have, figuratively, read all the books and listened to every piece of advice but, though clever and thoughtful, none of the conversations fully apply to me — why not? This is because my life is unique. I can reach out and touch you and feel the warmth of your body, but who are you? I will not and cannot truly know.
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Take a chance
Just by the advent of being alive, I am truly a fortunate man. The universe took a chance on me. I won the celestial lottery by being born. It must be the same for all human beings. If valid, why then do most of us refuse to take a chance on our own lives — our own worthy and excellent qualities, why not? This is because of a preconceived concept of safety. I want to live a life without any risk. I think it would be fair to say that everyone is risk-averse. None of us, consciously, wants to put ourselves in harm’s way.
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Gratitude
I was just so overwhelmed this morning, so thankful. It was a beautiful day filled with the iconic and endearing image of brilliant sunshine and singing birds imploring us to be awake and conscious. Being alive is quite an interesting phenomenon if we take the time to reflect, isn’t it? It is both freeing and enslaving: liberating in that in this entire universe with its rocks and planets and bugs and other life forms, I was given me, my consciousness — my life. It is conversely profoundly tyrannizing because I have free will. (1) For this reason, I can experience joy and elation, and yet also ache with pain and suffering – spiritually, philosophically, and physically.
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Passion
Passion: what is it and where do we find it? Simply put: it is an intense emotion that compels us to act in a specific direction toward personal discovery and fulfillment. It is an energy, however, that must be individually stimulated and encouraged. It cannot be thrust upon a person. Herein lies the problem. How do educators, employers, parents, and friends expose people to the opportunities that “being passionate about something” reveal?
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Setting goals
Why are goals so necessary in a constructive life? This is a good question. Most of us as human beings have a strong sense of time. This is reinforced on a daily basis through conversations and our digital world — questions such as “When will you arrive?” or “How old is she?” are some simple examples. If a person pulls himself out of the teleological nature of life, he appears lost or directionless.
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Frustration
Everyone has had similar experiences, I am sure. We are almost late, but not quite, and then, a shoelace broken, a paper lost, or a coffee split — frustration! It threatens to quickly color the day. How does one overcome the pain and angst that threatens to flood in? Many times we don’t and the day goes from bad to worse.
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Give yourself a real break
You’ve probably noticed that you have never been busier. Do you need a break — a real break? The oft-asked question is “Was it always like this? Did we always live in such a hurried and frenetic way?” Actually no, the pace of life was far different in earlier centuries. Yes, as a society, we were more subject to the vagaries of life — the crippling maladies and strange diseases arrived without notice. And, for the lower classes, life was often short. But curiously, as a society, we were happier. Why? (1)
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Liberty and freedom
To be independent and not controlled by anything or anyone — this is what everyone espouses and hopes for. But, from what is it that I want to be free? Do I want to be free from pain and suffering? Do I want to be free to live a fulfilling life? And ultimately, do I want to be free from ending, do I want to be immortal? The latter questions are extremely private, but most certainly must be resolved as early as possible on one’s path in life.
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Can you commune with nature?
We hear a lot about the concept of Gaia, Mother Earth. (1) According to this theory or philosophy, we are all interconnected — the rocks, the birds, the bugs, the bees, and the animals — everything!
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