Being

Don't be sad that you're sad, thinking that it will never go away.  

Don't be happy that you're happy, thinking that it will last forever.

Three steps

1. Tolerate others as you'd tolerate yourself
2. Be true to others as you'd be true to yourself
3. Love yourself

Let it go? Hold on?

People,

Stop telling people to let go.

'Letting go' is a non-action.

When people attempt to let go,

People just try to push it away.

But that's like

Pushing a dog away

While holding a bone in your hand.

__________________________________________________________________

Love

Life without Love = Nothing

Thinking about "Positive Thinking"

I just heard someone refers the concept of positive thinking as an irrational optimism. And then I realized how much the term has been abused (or not). I don't know how the masses understand "positive thinking" nowadays. But after a bit of contemplating, I think this is what the term really means (maybe it has been said, I don't know). Anyways, in my understanding, being positive is not equivalent to being optimistic. Being positive is to love. On the flip side, being negative is to fear. Some examples below:

Two Videos on Mirror Neurons

Just watch them; will ya?






The RSA Animate speaker talks about how we are able to associate ourselves as one family by bloodlines, to religions, to nation states, to nations; he seems to suggest that our sense of empathy has been expanding and progressing through time. I don't know if that is an accurate description. The sense of belonging is often caused by the discoveries of other bloodlines, religions, etc. We associate with our own bloodline, religion, race as one family only in the face of a common enemy. Therefore, I think our sense of empathy in the current stage largely sprung from the notion of otherization, the "us VS them" ideology. When do students in the same class see themselves as one? When they are competing with other class. I had this thought when I was watching the last Olympics. During the regular ATP tour (men's tennis), players represent themselves and there are no flags next to their names; win or lose, it's just another day in the office. However during the Olympics, all of a sudden it's Spain VS Swiss; and they're competing for the pride of their respective countries. We identify ourselves as different groups in different times. Sometimes, especially during the time of solitude, we do not even empathize with ourselves. I remember there were times where I would have conflicts within myself and it felt as if there were multiple selves inside me, fighting to become the authority.

Another circumstance that leads us see ourselves as one is in a time of extreme crisis.  But it's relatively harder to bring about unity comparing to the "common enemy" circumstance because the threat of such crisis may not be as apparent and immediate.

The last thing I want to hear is the word "patriotic" being thrown around because that to me indicates a time of war or crisis. 

It's certainly possible to see ourselves as one biosphere, but do we need an "other" or a catastrophic crisis as a precondition?  I sincerely hope not.  As the speaker of the RSA Animate puts it, we are softwired to be empathic.  That to me suggests that we have a choice to be empathic or not.  During a time of war or crisis, it's easier to choose the former.  But to be empathic with everything there is during a time of peace almost seems impossible.  The Buddha did it; Jesus did it as well; but can we?

Did I Really Hear This During The Oscar? (Video)

Best actress, Sandra Bullock's acceptance speech towards the end:

Not enough time, so I would like to thank what this film is about for me which are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from. Those moms and parents never get thanked. I, in particular, failed to thank one. So… if I can take this moment to thank Helga B. for not letting me ride in cars with boys until I was 18 because she was right. I would’ve done what she said I was gonna do. For making me practice every day when I got home. Piano, ballet, whatever it is I wanted to be. She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day, and for reminding her daughters that there’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love. So, to that trailblazer, who allowed me to have that... and this.

Video after the jump; the quote starts at 3:12.