You know what? My line theory is stupid. It doesn't even make sense. I just thought of a few clever ways to use the word 'line.' The world is so much bigger than that theory. What the crap? I need a new theory.
I'm putting together a list of all the major life lessons I'm learning, both from my personal experience and from the experiences of others. I'm finding that several of these principles begin to overlap after you reach a certain point in your journey. They hit you in waves and seem isolated at the time, but there are some definite overarching themes to be acknowledged here.
LIFE:
Life is a series of moments. Make an effort to remember the ones that count.
There are two meanings for the word "good:" Good/Evil, and Good/Bad.
- In the case of Good vs. Bad, it is simply a measurement of where something lies on the curve of worst to best. In this context, "good" can be replaced with "better" and "bad" with "worse."
- In the case of Good vs. Evil, each is the description of a specific moral or ethical inclination. There is no spectrum; it is black and white.
Justice is not the same as fairness: Fairness deals with "evenness" and equality, whereas justice deals with right and wrong.
PEOPLE:
You can't change a person, you can only change the way you relate to that person, and what you expect from them.
A person's actions are always driven by his/her desires; there are two types of desire: positive (I want this to happen) and negative (I want that to not happen).
By nature, a person's pride is one of the most important things to them. Because of this, we also hold dear a set of particular aspects of our identity, such as our name, reputation and appearance.
Consider the people who give you these four things: Identity, Protection, Accountability and Unconditional Love. These people are your true family, regardless of blood lines.
GROWTH / LEARNING:
True growth hurts: physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, sociologically, and every other '-ally' word you can think of.
Almost all true learning requires un-learning first.
To learn, one must first be teachable; true teachability is found among the humble and the broken.
This is what I have so far. If any of you have something else to add, I'd love to hear it, study it, and add it.
-R.
