Choosing Starvation?

If a person like Helen Keller (who achieved great goals and was an inspiration to many in spite of having been blind and deaf all her life) could say, “Life is so beautiful!” and “Although the world is full of suffering, it also provides the abilty to overcome it”, how should you feel? It is easy to give in to desperation when things go wrong, but it is the capacity of reacting that determines the quality of your life. When you are hungry but do not like the food you are given, it is up to you to decide to either refuse it and remain hungry or gratefully accept what will help you survive. If you oppose the problem, it will get worse. If you accept it, it will become more bearable because your spirit will be allowed to rest. And, in most cases, the newly-found peace will allow you to see a possible solution.

Success or Value?

It is interesting to notice how, nowadays, many strive to achieve “success”, considering it life’s most desirable outcome, while someone like Einstein believed “value” to be much more worthwhile. What is the difference? The former is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”, the latter as “principles or standards of behavior”. Big difference, isn't it? These days more than ever, many are beguiled by the mirage of fame, money, admiration, physical beauty, eternal youth, power, and are ready to overlook any ethical or moral value in order to achieve their petty ideals. As a result we are witnessing the extremely fast proliferation of plastic surgery, TV millionaire quizzes, questionable reality shows, promiscuity, bullying and abuse, to name a few. Thus society is led to forget the stars and brought down deeper and deeper into the mud.

Heroism

If you think of the lives of great artists, heroes, geniuses – those human beings who left a durable legacy – you can’t help feeling small, almost insignificant. But the fact that you are neither a genius nor a hero does not prevent you from having high ideals. An individual’s greatness is not measured by how much one has done, but by the quality of one’s actions. What really counts is having a goal to achieve, beyond the daily living. You should aim at the “perfection” of what you do, not accepting to remain a mediocre, anonymous member of the flock. The idea of perfection should encourage you to work to improve what you are and push you towards what you can be. And this, believe me, is “heroic” enough!

Failed Projects

Inconsistency is the easiest shortcut to failure. You have an idea, you get enthusiastic, you talk about it, you already see its successful outcome. After the first, necessary stage of “knowing” what you want to do, you go on to the next step, the actual “organization” of the work to be carried out. You start drawing plans for your new project, you contact the travel agent for your dream trip to the South Pacific Islands, you fill in the registration form for the course you want to attend, you go on a diet… You do all you have to do, tell your friends about your bookings, boast about the interesting things you are doing or learning. Then, who knows why, your enthusiasm starts to diminish, procrastination steps in, excuses are found for not continuing the diet or going to the gym… The action so enthusiastically started gets blocked. It’s the demise of your project. Too bad!

Life: Good or Bad?

Allow me today some considerations about life. We are used to hearing that Life is a gift and that it is up to us to do what we want with it. I have often wondered how true this is and, if it "is" true, to what extent. Seeing all the unhappiness that surrounds us, and all the problems that we, ourselves, are facing most of the time, it may come natural to deny the goodness of such "gift". The fact that we "can do whatever we want" may be another debatable topic. Can we really? Don't you ever so often find yourself challenged by situations you are totally powerless towards? Don't you every now and then wish to just give in, surrender and give up on all hope? Well, although this is the reality of the human condition (at least for the majority), I still believe that there must be something "good" behind all this turmoil. What is it? It may be the creativity with which we are endowed, that allows us to do something different, to help others, to express our feelings in an artistic way, to provide an example of courage and dignity, to... (add your own).

Walking the Path

When a new baby is born, its life is a mystery. You feel tenderness towards it, you want to protect it against the difficulties it will necessarily have to face. But this is not possible because each human being, simply for being born, has a specific path to walk upon. If you wonder about why a specific path is set out for you, also ask yourself: who decides how to tread on such path? “Fate” is the planner who assigns the mission each human being must carry out in life. Basically, it is the reason why we find ourselves here on Earth. But the way we travel is our own responsibility. The destination is set, but the way to reach it is in our hands. This is “Destiny”.

Check Your List!

No-one can afford to move forwards blindfolded because, in so doing, they will never reach their destination. Nevertheless, this is exactly what many people do when they face life without a goal or a clear objective. What about you? The world is wide open in front of your eyes, everything is at your disposal, ready to give you according to your requests. But you need to “ask” first in order to obtain. And in order to ask properly, you must have clear ideas so that you don’t wish for the wrong thing. When you go to a restaurant, you check the menu first and then you order; when you go to the supermarket you check your list so you know what to buy. Do the same with your life: think carefully, make a plan and then… send the order! If you do it right, you will know how to proceed from there.

Endure or Win?

A favorite author of mine, William Faulkner (1897-1962) wrote: “Let us not believe that man can only endure: he can also win”. Resignation, in fact, is not exactly a virtue when it makes you feel a victim. This belief programs you for failure because – by assuming you have been unfairly treated by fate – you justify your inaction, your immobility towards any possible progress, either material or spiritual. What you really need is, instead, the active acceptance that provides you with the serenity necessary to get ready for action. You were born to win, not to passively suffer without reacting. Modern society, while on one hand pushes people towards competition in order to prove that they are “better”, on the other hand it pushes them towards a total mistrust in themselves (so that they conform in order to fit in). The two sad sides of the same coin!

Life Management

Do you sometimes try to direct and manage the lives of others? Especially of those who are near you, you live with you? Please, don't. Don't take advantage of your position to impose your opinions, your ideas, your will. Each human being has the right to their own choices, even if they are in contrast with yours. Don't forget that it is "their" life that is involved. Will they make a mistake? It is possible. But it will be a mistake caused by their choice, not by your imposition. I know, it is not easy to keep quiet when you see a dear one heading for trouble, making a decision that is clearly doomed. You can see it and they cannot. Yet, it is not up to you do "decide" on their behalf (unless they ask for your advice. But they usually don't, do they?)

Supremacy

Modern society seems to be based on competition. Everybody is encouraged to always try to be “better” than others: prettier, fitter, richer, smarter… But this creates problems because it is simply impossible to “always” be better than others. Ask yourself: Why is it so important to be “more” than another? Why this need to live in a perpetual confrontation? Why aren’t people happy with what they are, with what they can be “for their own sake”? Far too many are the solicitations you receive from the outside world which try to convince you to think, say and do what fashion, the papers, advertisements etc. instigate you to accept and, worse of all, believe in. And so you endeavor to reach a whatsoever supremacy not following your own ideals but simply to show that you can excel over the mass! But… can you really? And… what for?

Experience

An old story talks of a cat that, having got burnt by sitting on a hot stove, refused to ever sit again.  Past experiences are useful for the things they teach you, but they can become negative if you use them as a reference point for your present actions. When you do so, in fact, you give up the opportunity to try something new, to live creatively. The cat of the story should have learned that a hot stove can be dangerous if you sit on it. But not every stove is dangerous (it may not be hot), and the act of sitting can make you comfortable. Every experience should be therefore considered for its deep meaning and not judged from its superficial appearance. 

Questions Without Answers

Our mind is very clever in asking questions, but not always is it able to find the answers. How come? If - according to scientists - ours is a mathematical world, it should also be a logical world. Consequently each question, formulated by the logical mind, should also have a logical answer. Many times it does, but many others it doesn't. So, what can we do? Keep on asking the nagging question and never give up the hope to get an answer? Or just forget about it and... live "happily" (ignorant) ever after?

Fears

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the belief that something else is more important than fear. Try to remember this when you accept to be deterred by harmful doubts and so you give up on your dream. Imagine to see someone you love in grave danger: what would your behavior be? You would certainly forget about fear and defy fire, water, a wild animal, a bullet etc. in order to save your loved one. Can you apply the same idea to win over other kinds of fears? Actually, you don’t even need to talk about “win over” or defeat such negative feeling. You can simply replace it with the strength of your desire, with the thought of the fulfillment you will experience once you reach your goal. It should be enough to make you braver than you think you are.

A Loaf of Bread

If a miraculous substance such as penicillin was obtained from mold, something good can come out of you even if you keep behaving in the wrong way. For example, when you say hurtful words, when you act without thinking, when you ignore responsibilities, when you try to avoid the consequences of your actions. And also when you are jealous, touchy, aggressive, gossipy, lazy… Several are the factors that make bread go moldy. Many are the attitudes that make you behave negatively. What can you do? Simply endeavor to discover the “penicillin” (the good stuff) that is hidden in your deep self which, after all, is the nature of your true, beautiful person. Next time you are about to do or say something “wrong”, think of an old, long forgotten loaf of bread. Then compare it to a fragrant, freshly baked one!

The Singing Bird

A Chinese proverb says, “If I keep a green branch in my heart, a singing bird will sit on it”, that is: life can be beautiful if we only decided to make it so. The branch represents different things. If you interpret it as good will and perseverance, those words mean that you must cultivate such traits in order to allow the bird to sit - maybe even build its nest – on it. It will also gift you with a song. Here, the bird symbolizes success, the realization of your wishes. If, on the other hand, you interpret the branch as a romantic relationship, in order to keep it green and avoid it to wither, you must provide all it needs to survive: understanding, dedication, sharing. Without these elements the singing bird, i.e. love, will neither stop long enough nor sing for you. It will fly away, looking for another tree, for another branch.