One-liners – Part 1

I’ve come across many interesting ideas that I’ve felt compelled to write about, but which lacked sufficient detail to be fully fleshed out in an article. Some of these may be developed into their own articles in the future, but I figure it’s still worth penning them down.

Here goes nothing:

• What kind of environments do you spend most of your time in? Do they expose you to a high standard of work? Do they challenge you to put out your best? If not, what can you do about it?

• Care is the ultimate profession, for where would any of us be without the care of those around us? Too often, we take others’ care for granted, as if they had little impact on our lives. On the other hand, some of the most oppressive and cruel figures are rooted in a lack of care.

• We forsake leisure and give up our time for money and material wealth. And yet, those who have amassed a lifetime of wealth are everywhere looking for opportunities to trade it for leisure and time.

• Work, or any other kind of life pursuit, is much like the process of breathing. We are only capable of putting out what we receive.

• The term ‘selfish’ is a misleading one. It suggests that there are things that we do that are not for our own benefit. But that’s not true. If we truly acknowledge that we are all a part of a shared community, then whatever we do for others is also a benefit to ourselves. But if we cause harm to the community, we are hurting ourselves as well.

• You aren’t doing the world any good by being timid.

• Think of life as an experiment that you are only allowed to run once. Why would you let anyone other than yourself be in charge of what happens?

• There are no inherently bad people. The truth is that most people are trying to navigate this crazy and complex world, just like you.

• There is nothing that is truly unnatural. Anything that is borne of this world is natural. On some level, we must accept the things we find “unnatural” for what they are, and understand that they, too have a vital role to play.

• Simplicity is never simple. People are only able to simplify when they have gone through all the permutations of their craft. Study the simple things fervently enough, and you will often uncover deeper truths.

• “Normal” is just something that was made up a long time ago.