Everyone gets drilled with certain lessons in life. Sometimes it takes repeated demonstrations of a given law of life to really get it into your skull, and other times one powerful experience drives the point home once forever. Here are 88 things I’ve discovered about life, the world, and its inhabitants by this point in my short time on earth.
1. You can’t change other people, and it’s rude to try.
2. It is a hundred times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.
3. If you’re talking to someone you don’t know well, you may be talking to someone who knows way more about whatever you’re talking about than you do.
4. The cheapest and most expensive models are usually both bad deals.
5. Everyone likes somebody who gets to the point quickly.
6. Bad moods will come and go your whole life, and trying to force them away makes them run deeper and last longer.
7. Children are remarkably honest creatures until we teach them not to be.
8. If everyone in the TV show you’re watching is good-looking, it’s not worth watching.
9. Yelling always makes things worse.
10. Whenever you’re worried about what others will think of you, you’re really just worried about what you’ll think of you.
11. Every problem you have is your responsibility, regardless of who caused it.
12. You never have to deal with more than one moment at a time.
13. If you never doubt your beliefs, then you’re wrong a lot.
14. Managing one’s wants is the most powerful skill a person can learn.
15. Nobody has it all figured out.
16. Cynicism is far too easy to be useful.
17. Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours.
18. Whenever you hate something, it hates you back: people, situations and inanimate objects alike.
19. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works alone can teach you everything you need to know about living with grace and happiness.
20. People embellish everything, as a rule.
21. Anger reveals weakness of character, violence even moreso.
22. Humans cannot destroy the planet, but we can destroy its capacity to keep us alive. And we are.
23. When people are uncomfortable with the present moment, they fidget with their hands or their minds. Watch and see.
24. Those who complain the most, accomplish the least.
25. Putting something off makes it instantly harder and scarier.
26. Credit card debt devours souls.
27. Nobody knows more than a minuscule fraction of what’s going on in the world. It’s just way too big for any one person to know it well.
28. Most of what we see is only what we think about what we see.
29. A person who is unafraid to present a candid version of herself to the world is as rare as diamonds.
30. The most common addiction in the world is the draw of comfort. It wrecks dreams and breaks people.
31. If what you’re doing feels perfectly safe, there is probably a better course of action.
32. The greatest innovation in the history of humankind is language.
33. Blame is the favorite pastime of those who dislike responsibility.
34. Everyone you meet is better than you at something.
35. Proof is nothing but a collection of opinions that match your own.
36. Knowledge is belief, nothing more.
37. Indulging your desires is not self-love.
38. What makes human beings different from animals is that animals can be themselves with ease.
39. Self-examination is the only path out of misery.
40. Whoever you are, you will die. To know and understand that means you are alive.
41. Revenge is for the petty and irresponsible.
42. Getting truly organized can vastly improve anyone’s life.
43. Almost every cliché contains a truth so profound that people have been compelled to repeat it until it makes you roll your eyes. But the wisdom is still in there.
44. People cause suffering when they are suffering themselves. Alleviating their suffering will help them not hurt others.
45. High quality is worth any quantity, in possessions, friends and experiences.
46. The world would be a better place if everyone read National Geographic.
47. If you aren’t happy single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.
48. Even if it costs no money, nothing is free if it takes time.
49. Emotions exist to make us strongly biased towards or against something. This hinders as often as it helps.
50. Addiction is a much greater problem in society than it’s made out to be. It’s present in every person in various forms, but usually we call it something else.
51. “Gut feeling” is not just a euphemism. Tension in the abdomen speaks volumes about how you truly feel about something, beyond all arguments and rationales.
52. Posture and dress change profoundly how you feel about yourself and how others feel about you, like it or not.
53. Everyone thinks they’re an above average driver.
54. The urge to punish others has much more to do with venting frustration than correcting behavior.
55. By default, people think far too much.
56. If anything is worth splurging on, it’s a high-quality mattress. You’ll spend a third of your life using it.
57. There is nothing worse than having no friends.
58. To write a person off as worthless is an act of great violence.
59. Try as we might to be otherwise, we are all hypocrites.
60. Justice is a human invention which is in reality rarely achievable, but many will not hesitate to destroy lives demanding it.
61. Kids will usually understand exactly what you mean if you keep it to one or two short sentences.
62. Stuff that’s on sale usually has an annoying downside.
63. Casual swearing makes people sound dumb.
64. Words are immensely powerful. One cruel remark can wound someone for life.
65. It’s easy to make someone’s day just by being uncommonly pleasant to them.
66. Most of what children learn from their parents isn’t taught on purpose.
67. The secret ingredient is usually butter, in obscene amounts.
68. It is worth re-trying foods that you didn’t like at first.
69. Problems, when they arise, are rarely as painful as the experience of fearing them.
70. Nothing — ever — happens exactly like you pictured it.
71. North Americans are generally terrible at accepting compliments and offers of help.
72. There are not enough women in positions of power. The world has suffered from this deficit for a long time.
73. When you break promises to yourself, you feel terrible. When you make a habit of it, you begin to hate yourself.
74. A good nine out of ten bad things I’ve worried about never happened. A good nine out of ten bad things that did happen never occurred to me to worry about.
75. You can’t hide a bad mood from people who know you well, but you can always be polite.
76. Sometimes you have to remove certain people from your life, even if they’re family.
77. Anyone can be calmed in an instant by looking at the ocean or the stars.
78. There is no point finishing a book you aren’t enjoying. Life is too short for that. Swallow your pride and put it down for good, unfinished.
79. There is no correlation between the price of a brand of batteries and how long they last.
80. Breaking new ground only takes a small amount more effort than you’re used to giving.
81. Life is a solo trip, but you’ll have lots of visitors. Some of them are long-term, most aren’t.
82. One of the best things you can do for your kids is take them on road trips. I’m not a parent, but I was a kid once.
83. The fewer possessions you have, the more they do for you.
84. Einstein was wiser than he was intelligent, and he was a genius.
85. When you’re sick of your own life, that’s a good time to pick up a book.
86. Wishing things were different is a great way to torture yourself.
87. The ability to be happy is nothing other than the ability to come to terms with how things change.
88. Killing time is an atrocity. It’s priceless, and it never grows back.
Photo by Philgarlic
Did you like this post? Get Raptitude articles via RSS feed. Or if you prefer, get them by Email. It’s easy, and free!
Related posts:
{ 22 trackbacks }
{ 100 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi David,
Fabulous list! There are waaay too many good ones here to list out all my favorites.
But I do like “66. Most of what children learn from their parents isn’t taught on purpose.” As I get older I learn that my folks actually do know what they’re talking about and are smarter than what I gave them credit for when I was a lot younger.
Just don’t tell them that. 
Oh and I’m a waaaay better driver than most people on the roads right now.
Sherri (Serene Journey)´s last blog ..Create Experiences: Gifts That Can Last A Lifetime
Wow! OK… now all I need is for you to write a post on EACH of these aphorisms, and we’ll be all set! Seriously, here are your next 88 topics; they’re fantastic! My top three:
2. It is 100 times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.
->> This is my daily mantra. ‘Nuff said.
11. Every problem you have is your responsibility, regardless of who caused it.
->> This is what I try to teach Hunter when his playdates go awry, “Sure this kid did something awful, but how YOU handle it makes all the difference in how this day is going to turn out.”
32. The greatest innovation in the history of humankind is language.
->> I’m going to have to go with the printing press. Language lets us communicate thoughts and discoveries, but the printing press allows The Great Conversation to continue throughout the ages… maybe the internet is the new printing press?
Lisis´s last blog ..Growing Up on the Road Less Traveled
Bravo, David, well said!
I enjoyed the image you used for this post. It sums up nicely how light, angle, and observation skews the image. It all depends on how you look at it. ; )
When I started to comment to your post, I hadn’t planned to commit to any specific “thing” on your list, but I couldn’t omit that #72 and #81 has particular resonance with me. Agreed!
I LOVE this post! You’ve shared so many great things here — both about the world and about yourself. I have to disagree with this one: “Everyone thinks they’re an above average driver” because I’m pretty sure I’m a bad driver. That, or everyone just TELLS me I’m a bad driver (which would be pretty weird, wouldn’t it?). Hahaha. GREAT post and list!
Positively Present´s last blog ..life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Sherri — I discovered that about my parents too; they were very smart about what they taught us and didn’t teach us. BTW I am a way better driver than most people too, there’s really no question about that
Lisis — Glad you liked it! You’re right, this list does represent a gold mine for post ideas. I’ve written about maybe five or six of them already.
I think the internet IS the new printing press. It’s never been easier to spread information. But both of them require language to be of any use.
Lori — Yes what a great image, I wish I took it myself. #72 is one of my favorites from this list, I think more female perspectives in business and politics would temper a lot of humanity’s bad habits (war, greed, partisan politics.)
Dani — Haha… ‘everybody’ is usually a bit of an exaggeration. I knew there would be readers who would declare that they are NOT above average drivers.
Howdy David,
I’ve forwarded this post to friends and family. It’s a real goldmine, and a brilliant example of how aphorisms rock.
Just keep swimming,
Rev. Monkey
Rev. T. Monkey´s last blog ..Two salient comments on the passing of Michael Jackson
This is a great list. Lots of valuable insights in them.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..5 simple ways to invest and succeed when you’re unemployed
How did you come up with this? This is truly enlightening! I read the Dao everyday, and many of these quotes can be directly related to its verses.. Great stuff!
Rev. T Monkey — Great, thanks Reverend. I definitely have a thing for aphorisms.
Srinivas — Thank you sir.
Shawn — I’ve been keeping a running list for a while now. I’ll probably do a sequel; I would hope I’ve learned more than 88 things by now
A person who is unafraid to present an unedited version of herself to the world is as rare as diamonds.
Is this true? I have no energy to be fake. LOL
Cheers!
Teia Hassey´s last blog ..Finding Your True Self
I’ll have to go back to read this list in more detail… but the first thing that grabbed me was the number 88, which will always remind me of the song “88 Lines About 44 Women.” : )
Yes, yes, yes! 88 posts and 88 t-shirts! I’d buy numbers 9 and 15, for a start!
Barb´s last blog ..A Short Story to Keep You Entertained
Thanks, David. I needed to be reminded of some of your points. I must say that I cracked up at number 67:) Take care!
I’m speechless. This is what blogging should be about.
I’m sending you a DM now man.
Kudos to you for this amazing list.
Carlos Miceli´s last blog ..Goal Shifting
Teia — Then you are a rare creature
Alison — Listening to that song right now on Youtube. I hadn’t heard it before, it’s hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWWpUmRlkRc
Barb — Haha! 88 t-shirts, great idea. Collect them all!
Tina — Thanks Tina. It’s butter if you’re at a good restaurant, margarine if you’re not.
Carlos — Hey thanks Carlos, glad you liked it. I’d love it if you’d pass the list along to someone else who’d appreciate it.
#78. There is no point finishing a book you aren’t enjoying. Life is too short for that. Swallow your pride and put it down for good, unfinished.
Amen to this, man. Same with finishing that double cheeseburger. You already lost the money, no reason to lose the time as well.
Nate St. Pierre´s last blog ..People Who Rock
Wow, so much wisdom in here, I love lists like this. I always struggle with #78, I feel guilty when I don’t finish a book because I feel like a quitter, but I guess if I’m not really interested, it’s not worth it, right?
Thanks, this is awesome!
Rosa´s last blog ..Yo me río! – I laugh!
What an awesome collection of wisdom, better than that Baz Lurman song…
Stuart´s last blog ..How to Be Creative
Nate and Rosa — These days I put down most of the books I start, and I’m proud of it. There’s always another great book waiting for me, if the author can’t keep me interested, then I fire him on the spot. I used to feel like a quitter, but now I just feel like I’m protecting my precious time from my pride.
Nate, you are so right about the cheeseburger. I was raised not to ‘waste’ food, but if you don’t want it it’s wasted anyway, might as well not consume that waste.
Stuart — Ha! Thanks Stuart. “Wear Sunscreen” is a classic, I love it. And thanks for linking me.
I really enjoyed reading this and I think I did also learn something. Great blog, David.
Mark Hanselich´s last blog ..The Fitness Equation
Great list David. I hung on to every word. It’s as if I didn’t want this blog post to end. I can tell you invested an immense amount of time on this list.
Kudos to you. I loved it.
Thanks guys!
I will do a sequel once I learn a few more things about life
You’d better hurry on your sequel. Don’t forget that as we age, we know less and less about life. If you want all the answers, you’ll have to ask someone who hasn’t reached 25… they’ve got the world all figured out (as far as they know).
Lisis´s last blog ..Fellowship Fridays: Dealing with Special Needs
@Lisis Well, that`s great news for me
Excuse me as I go prepare an anti-aging potion or something 
(See? I have it all figured out)
Rosa´s last blog ..Yo me río! – I laugh!
I like 34. Everyone has a forte and a main talent, and we can learn something from everyone we meet!
I also believe 47. You have to be happy as a single to be happy in a relationship. Otherwise you are just putting a bandage on your emotional wound.
And finally 67 made me me laugh. Obscene amounts of butter? lol, it sounds like you’ve been watching Paula Deen!
Trey – Swollen Thumb Entertainment´s last blog ..Your Comment Is Awaiting Moderation
Hi David,
Finally after a week of not getting access to your site, it finally worked with another browser. Yay!
Great list and there are so many that I loved. The one that sticks out at this moment is the one about how the casual swearing makes people look dumb. That is so true. I have often heard guys at work engage in conversation that had more curses than insight and I always have found it strange. I am glad I am not alone!
Nadia – Happy Lotus´s last blog ..The Detachment Myth
Lisis — Uh oh, if the clock is ticking I better get writing before senility starts kicking in. I think sometimes less knowledge means more wisdom, but I may just be going batty in my old age.
Trey — I do a pretty bad job at remembering 34 sometimes, but when I do it really helps me become less judgmental. As the old Buddhist precept goes: “meet everyone on equal ground.”
Nadia — Hooray! It’s Nadia, having escaped from Microsoft’s online prison.
Casual swearing seems to be contagious almost. In my profession, sometimes office-dwelling engineers have to be out at constructions sites talking to hardened contractors, and it’s funny to see them suddenly throwing around casual f-bombs in regular sentences, like it’s a flu or something. I am not entirely immune either
I love these little tips. So often when I am going through my routine, I can forget to be happy, or to think of other, it is nice to have a reminder of what is important!
David, WOW! 88? OK, they are great but there are too many for me to comprehend.
“You can’t change other people, and it’s rude to try.”
I’ve got to say that first one is so important. Can people change? Yes, but they’ve got to do it themselves and only if THEY decide they need to change. The number of relationships that are ruined because people try to change others is innumerable.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Contentment
#78. There is no point finishing a book you aren’t enjoying. Life is too short for that. Swallow your pride and put it down for good, unfinished.
Or movies or plays.
And I don’t know about swearing. I was a fundamentalist Christian for 17 years, didn’t swear once, then I got out and ’splurged’ a bit. Now I drop the f-bomb for a variety of effects—humor, shock value, irony, to get someone’s attention, etc.—and it feels like my speech is the richer for it.
But, wtf do I know.
cheers,
Angus
You put a lot of thought into this list. Great job.
prayerthegate´s last blog ..Today I Am Grateful
david this was amazing,
every point, made me want to rush into the other room and show someone. truly great insights
i could see this as a fantastic book, with one point per page accompanied by brilliant full colour photos that captured the essence. the kind of thing you would leave on your coffee table and open to a random page when you need a little dose of wisdom.
regards,
Tom
Thanks Tom. You know, that’s not such a bad idea. *strokes non-existent beard*
This list is awesome. I can’t wait to share this with some important people in my life. So many of these are perfect daily reminders and ones that I plan to keep in mind everyday. Thanks again!
Michael´s last blog ..10 days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 5
I really liked 58-60 (on labeling people worthless, being hypocrites, and ruining lives in the pursuit of justice). Out of curiosity, is this list presented in the order that you thought of each item? I’d be interested to know how your mind wandered from one to another. Then again, I think too much XD
What an excellent list! I particularly enjoyed (and agreed with) #74.
Thanks Northwest guy, #74 is one of my favorites too.
Good compilation. I liked “Children are remarkably honest creatures until we teach them not to be.”
zencontrol.net´s last blog ..Enjoy Happy Relationships – Avoid These 10 Things
Thanks. They always say exactly what they’re thinking, until adults tell them that that isn’t appropriate.
David,
Was having a just another ordinary day when I stumbled upon your site. I can’t seem to find the right words to describe so I will just say this is awesome and worth the time to send to family and friends. I especially liked reading everyone’s comments and discovering their blogs. But what most impressed me is that you took the time to REPLY to their comments!!! That says alot. I am a subscriber now, Thanks.
Hey thanks Steve, it means a lot to me to hear that you want to share this with people.
I value my readers very much and love to chat with them. Many of them do run great blogs! If you’re on Twitter you should hit me up.
great points u have there.
but i don’t think this one “Sometimes you have to remove certain people from your life, even if they’re family.” really shapes a personality imho.
robb´s last blog ..Basic photography: understanding Shutter
Yes, that is a controversial one. Many hold blood relations as sacred. But I’ve heard too many stories of people compromising their dreams and lives to appease unpleasable parents, or people who put up with abuse just because they think it is wrong to cut ties with a family member. We don’t choose our family members; some individuals may very well be not good for us, related or not.
This post is great! Thank you for your insight and wisdom
XiaoMa´s last blog ..xiaoma•miami
They are all good; but there is a difference between knowing them, and using them. Rationally, we know they; but can we use them?
That’s a great question. Each person is going to have to decide if it’s true in their own world first of all, and then figure out what that means to them in terms of how they’re going to live or conduct themselves. If you agree that killing time is an atrocity, then how do you feel when you watch reruns on TV, for example.
Gotta tell you, #78 is patently absurd, especially if you KNOW the book is reputedly good. It’s completely in disagreement with the rest of this list that you ENCOURAGE quitting an endeavor simply because you’re finding it difficult or not enjoyable. Sometimes the wisdom in what you’re reading isn’t immediately available. I’ve almost quit on books a bunch of times, but found that the end of it made the rest well worth it. Following that advice, I may have stopped reading this list 25% of the way through because one or two of the “truths” sucked. You know? Then I would have missed the rest of the good ones. I actually enjoyed your list, I just think that one is dead wrong.
Wow, quite a strong reaction you had.
I wasn’t suggesting you should put a book down just because you get to a part you don’t like. But we’ve all forced ourselves to finish books simply because we started them, even if we’re halfway through and we don’t feel like they are doing anything for us. Not everyone gets the same value out of something as everyone else did.
Have you read the Bible cover to cover, in light of its strong reputation? Surely it is worth the time.
If you’re forcing yourself to finish War and Peace just because everyone says it’s so great, you are ensuring that you will not have the time to read another classic that may resonate more with you. Spending irreplaceable hours grinding through a stuffy text just because it’s supposed to be meaningful to you is something I would describe as patently absurd.
Keep in mind these are not 88 suggestions for how others should live their lives. This is just a sample of what I’ve found to be true in mine. What is true in your world may not be true for me, that was the tongue-in-cheek joke behind this whole list. Most people find they resonate with most of them; it sounds like you did too.
Great list – some real truths in there… Hopefully i’ll be able to learn from them! The only one i struggled with was point 5 :-
“5. Everyone likes somebody who gets to the point quickly. The opposite is also true.”
When you say the opposite is also true, do you mean
a) nobody likes somebody who gets to the point quickly
b) everyone likes somebody who gets to the point slowly
or
c) nobody likes somebody who gets to the point slowly
Yeah I noticed that ‘opposite’ is not the right word. I should edit that. I meant, “Everybody dislikes somebody who doesn’t get to the point quickly.”
bless you—may we heed these sentiments with grace and have compassion for each other…
Thanks Jeri!
Hey David, this is an awesome post! I especially liked
“47. If you aren’t happy single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.”
It’s so true. A lot of people think that they will be happy once they find a boyfriend or girlfriend. But that’s just not true. They need to be happy first before they can attract a wonderful relationship.
Yee Shun Jian | RichGrad.com´s last blog ..How To Make Every Day Saturday!
Thanks Yee. It’s always been true for me, I can’t imagine anyone suddenly becoming truly happy by meeting someone.
#9 should have been read before the blue lake trip!
Hi Dust. No doubt! Yeah nothing is accomplished by raised voices. Nobody listens to yelling.
As a continual self improver, I really loved this list from you…I’ve learnt many of these things along the way in my life – and wish I knew half of them when I was really young! That’s the trials and errors of life I suppose…
Vicki´s last blog ..Oooh ! Ark at Me!
ty. these will change my life. I know it.
You sir, are an idiot.
2. It is 100 times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.
>I burn calories everyday by being alive. So does everyone else.
7. Children are remarkably honest creatures until we teach them not to be.
>Children learn to lie on their own to avoid getting in trouble, they figure out if the blame is not on them they won’t be punished.
8. If everyone in the show you’re watching is good-looking, it’s not worth watching.
>So no shows are worth watching right?
10. Whenever you’re worried about what others will think of you, you’re really just worried about what you’ll think of you.
>Or maybe I care about what others think of me, like say on a job interview.
13. If you never doubt your beliefs, then you’re wrong a lot.
>I like this one, I wish more religious people heard of it.
18. Whenever you hate something, it hates you back: people, situations and inanimate objects alike.
>So inanimate objects and situations have emotions? And people I hate can read my thoughts and hate me back? Whatever you say…
22. Humans cannot destroy the planet, but we can destroy its capacity to keep us alive. And we are.
>I’m sure one day humans will have the technology to actually destroy the planet
29. A person who is unafraid to present an unedited version of herself to the world is as rare as diamonds.
>Diamonds are not rare, the diamond mining companies are controlling supply to keep prices up. Also go look on youtube and you will see plenty of “unedited” people.
31. If what you’re doing feels perfectly safe, there is probably a better course of action.
>Skydiving with a parachute feels too safe… better course of action, jump with an umbrella instead!
35. Proof is nothing but a collection of opinions that match one’s own.
>Real proof is when evidence for one idea continuously disproves opposing ideas. An opinion is an idea made from personal experience. Proof is experience made into an idea.
36. Knowledge is belief, nothing more.
>From dictionary.com Knowledge is “acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation;” So why is knowledge just a belief, when most other beliefs are unfounded, untestable, or have been disproved?
38. What makes human beings different from animals is that animals can be themselves with ease.
>Culture separates us from animals right? Wait don’t Gorillas, wolves, ants, bees, and other animals live in groups with their own social norms?
39. Self-examination is the only path out of misery.
>Or It can lead to OCD, anorexia, bulimia, etc.
47. If you aren’t happy single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.
>Being unhappy alone means you cannot be happy with a person who is your best friend and lover?
50. Addiction is a much greater problem in society than it’s made out to be. It’s present in every person in various forms, but usually we call it something else.
>I bet everyone is addicted to oxygen, you couldn’t stop if you tried!
62. Stuff that’s on sale usually has an annoying downside.
>Besides clearance stuff I don’t see where you’re coming from.
79. There is no correlation between the price of a brand of batteries and how long they last.
>I’d like to see the study for this, in my personal experience more expensive batteries do last longer.
80. Breaking new ground only takes a tiny amount more effort than you’re used to giving.
> Tell this to all the scientists working on cancer and fusion research.
I have procrastinated enough now, your article just annoyed me by trying to sound profound when it really isn’t. But overall I liked some things.
I get two types of comments on this post: people who spend their time talking about the ones they agree with, and people who spend time talking about the ones they don’t.
Thank you for your time.
Great list. #1 is definitely a biggie… stop trying to change other people.
Nea ´s last blog ..Snapping Out of the Bad Mood Blues
I was with you just fine until #29: “A person who is unafraid to present an unedited version of herself to the world is as rare as diamonds.” Do you always refer to yourself with a feminine pronoun, or are you just trying to prove that you’re Oh, soooo PC that you use the feminine pronoun as the universal? I find PC speech so banal and pseudo-intellectual. Yawn!
Why is it PC just because it’s the female pronoun? “He” is just as inaccurate as “she.” There are two possibilities, so I just picked one. So sorry to upset you.
haha, i like the last one cause i read this article to kill time.. haha
Haha!
So glad you directed me to this page, I love the way the list uplifts and am inspired to create my own~ thank you.
1. You can’t change other people, and it’s rude to try.
I have a Japanese housemate who makes up words and meanings when I ask how to say something in Japanese, sometimes he will make up an event happening in the city~ so basically our conversations are not real. I’ve realised that he prefers to “chew”, he is concerned with being “strong”.
I am accepting this~ and block with the Japanese I’ve looked up on the internet~ peace, joy and cheekiness. He gets more defensive.
I accept he does not want to connect, I accept this is who he wants to be and how he wants to see me as a person (as a “child”)~ I don’t have much to say to him anymore, besides, peace, joy and cheekiness
This was a great read.
Just before leaving the office, I thought it would be fun to print it out. I highlighted what I think I could do better.
The pages are so very shiny and yellow. I think I was lenient. And I’m still in the office typing this.
Ruxandra´s last blog ..Borrowed Congeniality
Hi, I am glad i stumbled on to this article. Many of these are very universal and really, very true. The more I see people, the more I understand that. And yes, comments are going to be on specific points.
I do have a question though. What do you call the feeling you get when you see injustice or something really bad happening? Is that anger or something else? I always felt that that anger (or whatever it is called), if understood, can be channeled to do good things. That it is a manifestation of some imbalance that needs to be corrected, either within ourselves or the circumstances we are in. It is when the anger is expressed wrong, uncontrollable or hurts someone, then it becomes a problem. It is a not a weakness if used as a tool for good or change. (I do agree about violence being a sign of weakness though)
Yes, if we lived in an ideal and enlightened world, where all these truths and other truths were understood, accepted and practiced, that feeling would be non existent. Until then, we can’t sit back and watch and expect things to change on their own.
I am just expressing a thought process, please feel free to agree, disagree or correct me, I am always open to change if it’s for good.
You have a great blog, I am happy I found it today, looking forward to more wonderful posts.
Hi Jean,
When I see something unfair or cruel happening, anger is usually my internal reaction, yes. But I don’t trust it to tell me the smart thing to do.
I no longer believe anger is very useful, the great majority of the time. To my mind, anger’s purpose is to get the body ready for a physical confrontation, and that’s it. For most people in civilized societies, physical confrontation is rarely a helpful course of action, and therefore anger only makes a person more likely to create trouble for themselves. It triggers anger in other people and gives them a reason to get violent.
Anger makes us emotional and biased, and unable to empathize or think rationally. It is easy to manipulate angry people, and this human weakness has been abused by dictators, terrorist leaders, lynch mobs, unscrupulous politicians and all other manners of destructive people. It forfeits our higher mental abilities in favor of physical readiness. As far as I’m concerned, the only time anger might not be a weakness is when you are actually in a fight.
As you might gather from reading some of my other articles, I do not trust anger to make things fair or correct injustices, nor do I believe that justice is always possible. Anger makes people feel like their point of view is right, and forget that they may be wrong.
I’m glad you’re liking the blog, thanks so much for your comment.
David´s last blog ..David Goes Kiwi is Officially Online
I was going to make a cynical remark about this all being cod psychology and fishy philosophy but I saw item #16 and changed my mind. Good work!
Hehe thanks… this post isn’t any kind of -ology. I should put a “for entertainment only” disclaimer, it seems to upset some people.
Didn’t upset me in the slightest…just made me think. Time to turn down the cynical dial from 11 to maybe 8.5…
David Bradley´s last blog ..Food Chemistry News
Haha, 11…. very Spinal Tap
David,
You will never know how happy I am to have found this list. You’re insights show you are well beyond your years, David. Good for you.
Good for us.
Well thank you David, I’m glad it was meaningful to you. Feel free to share it with people whom you think will enjoy it.
David´s last blog ..The Easiest Way to Suffer
Awesome insight. Definitely printed this out and busted out the highlighter!
Mike aka Find Inspiration´s last blog ..Inspirational Thoughts & Quotes #14
Hi David,
im a designer in Los Angeles and stumbled upon this forum. i love these quotes and was wondering if you’re interested in chatting with me to produce these quotes on a tshirt. email me sakbounphotography @ gmail.com
These are incredibly true and insightful. Good job with this list. It really made me think about things. I’ll be saving and sharing this with others. Thanks!
Amanda´s last blog ..How To Engage Consumers This Holiday Season
FANTASTIC REALIZATIONS
even though you dont know me I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you. I find your thoughts really valuable.
Those are some awesome truths. I say that because I agreed with everyone and have learned some of those truths many times over.
Truth # 89: If you lie to yourself again and again, you will begin to believe it. (This can work out for you or against you.)
Gerlaine´s last blog ..Gerlaine Talk Refocus…
Can’t disagree with that one!
David´s last blog ..Nature’s Dominant Creature
I couldn’t help but think of this after reading #53.
Hah! Just as I suspected
The killing time one got to me… time to get back to work!
Sorry about that
David´s last blog ..Nature’s Dominant Creature
This is wonderful.
David,
Great list and I admire your deep experience with life.
I like the points: 9, 11, 18, 22, 47 and 85.
If you combine the first two, it becomes 9/11. And what you wrote in 11 is applicable to 9/11 incident.
I didn’t create this sequence. I just wrote the point numbers that I liked. But later when I pondered, I noticed that what you said in 11th point needs to be conveyed to the Bush administration for 9/11.
Rohit Prakash´s last blog ..What, when and how to read.
I’ve always wanted to write a “100 things I’ve learned” post but can never find 100 things that I’ve learned. Maybe that’s why you did 88?
However I did find 100 things I did in college. That articles was VERY easy to write haha.
Jay Willingham´s last blog ..Best Semester Ever
Hi Jay. I just like the number 88. It’s more memorable than 100, that’s for sure.
David´s last blog ..What Were Your Highlights in 2009?
88 eh? pity you couldn’t have kept going, on and on, discovering and re-discovering yourself, ploughing and re-ploughing the depths of your psyche, forgetting to eat, drink or go to the bathroom, like a filthy oracle, drunk on flattering posts..
so what happens after we’ve applied all of these truths to our day to day lives and we discover that it hasn’t really helped, that we’re still unhappy, that we’re destined to be unhappy, and that no amount of gurgling baby-talk-idioms will help change this? is that when we drink the punch? Is it? cause i’m definitely not thirsty.
Nobody can help you.
This list is great. Thank you so much for writing it
Thanks Jodi.
wow. This is amazing. I could not stop reading your list. I love your blog and will definitely be back here over and over not to mention digging in the archive.
clarity´s last blog ..All Natural Girl
Hi clarity. Yes I always encourage a wander through the archives. Some of those dusty articles haven’t seen the light of day in a long time. This one gets most of the attention. Hope to hear from you again.
Superb. I love these lists. They can turn your day around.
Thanks Bo. Hope the day was good all the way through.
Great list and I’m totally with you on #26! I have always avoided credit cards. Something just never felt right about them to me hahaha
“No one has it all figured out”.
Apparently, you figured that out.
I totally agree with #67. I do a lot of baking and real butter or even whipping cream always makes things taste better. That is why restaurant soups, sauces and desserts taste so good.