Every individual is complicated. There are many different aspects of our self, depending on our genes, our environment, our relationships, our health, our education, our job, our beliefs, our emotions, and our past experiences. All of these factors come together and influence each other to create “you” as you perceive yourself. But even that isn’t...
There’s only one corner of the universe that we have any significant control over, and that is our own thoughts, feelings, speech, and behavior. So often we fall into the trap of trying to control things that aren’t very much in our power – such as our environment and other people. We exert a lot (more…)
There are problems in my life that I have been conscious of for a very long time, but haven’t yet found the capacity to fix. I reflect on these old ways and old patterns, and I can clearly see the unnecessary pain and suffering they have caused me. Yet I remain stuck in them. Even...
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits recently wrote an interesting piece called, “The Illusion of Control.” In it he describes how our efforts to control our lives and our surroundings are fundamentally flawed and worthless. We cannot control things, Leo argues, because our world is too complex, and the future is ultimately unknown. I partially agree, (more…)