Quarrels

Have you ever noticed how sometimes a very small disagreement between two people can give origin to a huge quarrel, even a fight? You say something, the other answers in a way that you consider inappropriate. You feel the need to rebut. The other answers back... and so on and so forth. Each time the voices rise, the tone gets harsher, you both feel you must 'have the last word'. But neither can. In a heated argument there cannot be a winner. Each antagonist needs to prove their point to the extreme, no matter what the consequences might be. It's a kind of  temporary madness, which no-one seems to be aware of. Such situation can occur on any scale: between relatives, friends, community members, countries. Starting from a tiny, almost negligible spark, a huge fire is born, that can be enormously destructive, breaking relationships, friendships, community ties, even cause wars. How sad. If only people could realize the absurdity of allowing a simple difference of opinion, often a misunderstanding, cause so much damage!

For a Better World

IF I  AM  NOT  FOR  MYSELF,  
WHO  WILL  BE  FOR  ME?

IF  I  AM  ONLY  FOR  MYSELF,  
WHAT  GOOD  AM  I?

IF  NOT  NOW,  WHEN?

If pondered upon, understood and, most of all, if put into practice, these often-quoted words would change your and everybody else's life. And the world would finally start becoming a better world.

Excellence

I was wondering about the meaning of the word 'excellence' when a sudden thought came to me: if excellence means to be 'extraordinary', to be almost 'perfect', whoever is not such, is 'mediocre'. And mediocrity is something to be avoided at all costs because it means that you don't really have any 'weight' in the economy of creation. You may be a good person, an honest person, an acceptably productive person, a relatively creative person but...that's all. You live immersed in the homogeneous ocean like a tiny wave that has exactly the same importance, or lack of importance as any other tiny wave - compared the the huge waves that sometimes emerge from and tower over the mass. OK, you are no genius, no hero, no world champion. So what? Does this really mean that you can't be 'excellent'? Absolutely not. The comforting thought that uplifted my mood was that you (I, everybody) can be excellent whenever you do your best, whenever you endeavor to overcome your (imaginary) limits, whenever you give the best of yourself.

Reflections at Dawn

It's morning. Another day is starting. Will it be good? Will it be bad? In any case, it will be "Life". Whatever happens during your day, be ready to face its challenges willingly because they tell you that you are alive, that you are capable of choosing what to do with yourself and with the opportunities (or lack of them) that you encounter on your daily path. It's too simple to just sit and complain when things don't go according to your wishes while - on the other hand - taking for granted all the good that comes your way. People have a tendency to either do too much or too little, to exaggerate in a way or another. What the world needs, instead, is a state in which opposing forces cease to be in contrast. Only acceptance of what comes along can create such state of equilibrium, which is the only possibility for  every human being to live  more serenely.

Vienna Riding School

While watching a performance by the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna, I was prey of two different feelings. On one side, I couldn't help admiring the perfect movements of the beautiful white horses, who moved so gracefully, perfectly responding to their riders' invisible directions. They were perfectly trained and offered a magnificent spectacle. On the other hand, though, they made me think of how human beings also accept - seemingly willingly - to be "tamed" by society. Imagining the beautiful horses running freely in the prairie or along the seashore instead of being tethered and compelled to move in a certain way - I reflected on how many people follow guidelines of thought, belief and behavior dictated by 'others', namely the media, modern technology etc. But, unlike those horses, they have the choice of leading their minds and actions in an original, creative way. Unfortunately, it seems that they don'd realize it. How sad!

Totally Foolish!

All the human beings living right now in our world could be viewed as a huge meadow full of flowers: they are all different in shape, color, size, scent...Yet, they are all flowers, beautiful creations of the Universe. They all share the same 'nature', they are all made of the same 'ingredients', yet each one is an individualized living thing that breathes and thrives under the Sun. This reflection does not have any deeper meaning: it is a simple observation about how things are on Earth. But, while everybody accepts the diversity in flowers without criticizing or judging their differences, many are ready to discriminate between human beings according to their appearance, ethnicity, heritage, religion, social status etc. How sad! How unfair! How irrational! And, most of all, ... how foolish!

A Naive Question

It might have happened that, while you were just sitting - doing nothing - a sudden thought popped up in your mind: "What is my life about?" Rather naive, isn't it? You know perfectly well what your life is about: your family, your job, your savings, your friends, your hobbies. There are so many things that fill your existence with meaning, with purpose. But... what is the final destination of all this? Why do you do and care about these things? To what aim? As you find yourself here, rooted in this world, you believe that the above is what you must look and search for, what you have to try to achieve at all costs, just because... this is the way it has always been done. Thus, this is the way it should be. Fine. No objections here. The final question, though, is still lurking: "Why"?

Reversed Question

Like almost everybody else, you, too, might have wondered about the meaning of life. What is it? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? You might have pondered about it, and heard or read what answers other people came up with - if they even did. Now imagine that, instead of you asking Life what its meaning is, it's Life itself that asks you the same question. What is "your" meaning? Why are "you" here? At this point, instead of expecting an answer from outside, you may be willing to start a deeper introspection and try to find the answer from the inside. You have been given a life to live. What have you done with it? Do you feel fulfilled with what you have achieved? Could you have done something better, more beneficial to you and to others? There is still something that you can do? The questions are many and the answers are necessarily different for every human being. Do you care to find yours?

Coin

Consider the two sides of a coin. They are different, but they are both part of the coin. Neither is "wrong". The same should be said about anything when it is considered from two different perspectives: the front and the back, the right side and the left side. You can't certainly deny that they both correspond to what "is". What is important here is the point of view. This should include also situations, shouldn't it? If two people are involved in a confrontation, when they later try to explain their positions, justify their possibly negative behaviors, you realize that both, from their own personal perspective, are right. Their reasons make sense. But when "you" are personally concerned, seeing your opponent's point of view becomes almost impossible. You can only see "yours".

Mirages

Someone said that when you are young you consume your health to get wealth, and when you are old you consume your wealth to get back your health. Who said that is a 'normal' person, but a very smart one. Not many people, in fact, ever even reflect on such idea. When you are building your life, you may be led to not take enough care of yourself: stress, worry, lack of rest, extreme ambition, spirit of emulation, competitiveness etc. are all factors that in later years cause all sorts of illnesses. So, at a certain point in your life, you realize that your priorities have changed. Now at the top of them all, health has replaced wealth. Ironical, isn't it? If only young people could be made aware of such truth! Hopefully some are smart enough to perceive it, while many others keep busy chasing deceitful mirages.