The Meaning of Words

We believe that, since prehistoric times, language was invented for the need to communicate, that is to express ideas and describe real objects by means of sounds. Human beings wished therefore to represent the world of thought and of matter that surrounded them. A long road has been walked upon since then in the way people use to communicate with each other. But…has all this brought them to a greater “understanding”? Do words always mean something? Here is a particularly explanatory anecdote: A soldier was kept prisoner in the enemy camp. One day they told him that he would be taken to the border so that he could see his homeland that was lying beyond the barrier. When the soldier reached the spot, he was greatly moved and thought, “How wonderful is my homeland. Those are the villages, the fields and trees that I love!” A little later, one of the guards approached him and said, “Sorry, friend, we made a mistake. Your homeland is a few kilometers away.” 

Obligatory Conformism

Nowadays technology reigns supreme. Can you even imagine your life without your mobile? If you are young, you can't. If you are not too young you can, because you remember a time when cellphones did not exist. But, today, even the older people would never go back to landlines. They, too, feel that having a mobile is a 'must' because, if they don't, they can't have a social life. Here a puzzling doubt might arise: As the use of technology has given you better means of communication, for instance, how free are you to choose if you want to use it or not? You may answer that anyone is free not to have a mobile. You would be right but, at the same time, you can't deny that, if one chooses not to conform, they lose the freedom that "all" people previously had. 

Fear vs Love

Moods founded on negative feelings bring dissatisfaction, sadness, unhappiness. It is a distorted vision and a wrong perception of the way life should be led that make you proceed in a state of incertitude, anxiety, fear. You may disagree on the word “fear” because you, as almost everybody else, believe that you are not afraid. If you believe this, you are living an illusion. All negative feelings have their roots in the fear of either not getting what you want or losing what you possess. “Love” has been defined as “letting go of fear”. Whenever anyone experiences negative sensations, love – in the general meaning of “positive disposition” – cannot exist because mind and spirit are wrapped up in the selfish cloak of self-centeredness. 

Commitment & Patience

By now you should be convinced that negative feelings and consequent behaviors are harmful to both body and spirit because they produce significant alterations inside yourself. If you don't surrender to any of them, and don't keep believing to be incapable of making changes, the quality of the life will improve. How you are going to live from now on depends on such decision, as it has happened in the past up to now. Any choice you make creates your next experience. What is indispensable for a change, though, is total dedication to such endeavor. You may be lured into the trap of discouragement when you fail to see immediate results. You won't see them right away because it takes some time (as it does for every task. But both commitment and patience will make it worth it.

New Garment

In case you believe it is impossible to change a situation, the good news, on the contrary is that it is definitely possible. But there is a crucial condition: you must be willing to do it, in spite of the pre-conceived belief that you are the way you are, and there is nothing you can do about it. In fact, you can do something about it. Imagine you don't like a garment any more, so you look for a new one, find it, and wear it with satisfaction. You may know that the etymological meaning of the word personality (from the Greek 'persona') is 'mask'. So, the way you present yourself to others (your personality) is nothing but a sort of metaphorical wrap that you can discard  and replace with a better one. When, in full awareness, you decide to make a transformation in a specific facet of  your polyhedric identity, go ahead. You can do it.