Wisdom
Wisdom appears to be a long lost art in the world today, but it is needed more than ever. Below is a collection of the wisdom I have gathered in my years. It is by no means conclusive and may need refining as I gain all the more wisdom.
Our fears create our realities.
It is sufficient to disagree without hating our opponents.
We are not so perfect that we can feasibly assume that all who oppose us are evil.
A mark of maturity is recognizing that not everyone has taken the same path to come to the same conclusions on what is important at this very moment.
It is far better to decide one's goals based on the enjoyment of the path over one's perception of the destination.
One must distinguish between mere inexperience and lack of aptitude in determining the fit of a role.
Perpetual consumption leaves little time to reflect on wisdom.
Fill the world with straw men and there will be no room for the crops.
It is the habit of humanity to construct armies for opponents in which to slay whilst fuming over the arrows penetrating an army which they did not create.
To discuss the oppressed in a way that is satisfying to one's emotion while neglecting best practices and risking efficacy is itself nothing more than a self-indulgence grounded in privilege.
Assuming motive is the very bedrock of prejudice and the fuel of hate.
The most unflappable oft fly the highest.
By respecting authority and questioning peers, one makes peers of authority who may then be questioned.
The assumption of evil for those who oppose will blind us to reason, hinder knowledge, and divide us into factions of war.
Our experience yields difference in what we find obvious.
A stressful situation can often be overcome with a change in belief about it.
Sometimes the best help is to avoid providing it.
Lack of knowledge is no knowledge of lack.
As a matter of fact, we are made from that which our minds and bodies consume.
Do not mistake failure to do for failure to be.
The average person assumes they are not and those who are not know that they are.
A body that controls the mind is a waste of a mind.
It is most often right to let others be wrong.
The weight of the world will crush anyone trying to hold it.
Persistent rumination of an unchangeable unknown will only change composure to turmoil.
Perception is like a persistent trickle of water etching new evidence into the rock of reality
If it's not worth being told directly, it's not worth assuming indirectly.
There is peace in not imagining that everyone ought do as you believe.
Hate hatred and combat haters by employing compassion and understanding.
The inarticulate reach for labels and names when clarity fails.
Focus not on what not to do but rather on what you ought to do
Pronouncing offense often pronounces foolishness.
It is foolish to seek praise by announcing one's deeds, yet it is wise to share and prove what one values.
Fail with pride as it means you've tried.
Fear-induced morality will cause the brain to correlate morality with fear and undermine one's desire to actually be moral.
Every day we vote for something so at least do so consciously. Election Day Is Too Late To Vote.
Insults make for a closed opposition, a fiercer opposition, and a greatly divided culture bent on devolving the world into chimps flinging poo with no greater resolve for improvement. Wise The Fudge Up
Unsolicited advice is a double-edged dagger with no hilt—be careful how you wield it lest you cut both yourself and the one whom you wish to help.
Question all that you know and seek to disprove yourself—especially such things you hold most dear.
A belief formed without examining its faults is not one's own belief but that of the culture.
It is better to know one believes than to believe one knows for the latter causes blindness.
Expectation is the mother of disappointment yet also the breeder of joy so don't kill the mother, but indeed train the child.
Refraining from acts of anger makes one patient, yet knowing when to act upon anger makes one wise.
Confidence does not make a person right, but it often makes one more convincing.
Winning an argument is like winning a race down the garbage chute.
The benefits of noble character outweigh any perceived costs.
Patience is all the more necessary when seeking one's own personal growth.
A restless pursuit, even of wisdom, will leave one tired.
A calm sea never produced a good sailor.
To be a leader, one must cultivate the desire to follow and forego the foolishness of believing others foolish if they choose not to follow.
The wise man enjoys peace from the sowing of patience while the fool demands justice for a harvest wrought from his anger--further enraged, he doubles his seed yet expects a different crop.
Happiness comes not from doing what you enjoy nor obtaining what you desire but by enjoying what you do and being grateful for what you have.
If you wish to be heard, speak softly.
The mind is a sponge—submerged in negative thoughts it shall ooze suffering, yet soaking in that which is wholesome, even when pressed it shall pour forth that which is good.
Like trees of stunted growth, the immature find themselves surrounded by shit.
To improve upon one with whom you live, you most often need only improve yourself.
Wisdom is only the product of years when spent deliberately digging and meticulously excavating.
Proving you’re right often proves you’re foolish.
Rash words never produce a convert.
Our thoughts direct our paths moreso than do our feet.
Devote yourself to knowing others and before you know it the world will know you.
Seek after wisdom and what you’ll find is your life.
Don’t waste time reliving the past lest you find your future reliving the present.
That which consumes our mind is that which defines us, for we are naught but the thoughts that compose us.
Love is concern for others that transcends written laws by diligently seeking what is best in all situations without blind adherence to rules.
Wisdom is 1 part knowledge and 3 parts implementation—shaken, not stirred.
Emphatic questions ought not be mistaken as answers—and yet, how else are we supposed to get our point across?!?!