Rich-'vile' . . .

“The superior man loves his soul; the inferior man loves his property.” – Confucius (Analects)

Dignity comes first with the superior man. He gives more importance on how he lives his life, enjoys his life, and faces the vicissitudes in life in the best and most righteous way. Everything that he does is intended for the fortification of his values.

For the inferior man, it is the contrary. He is more concerned on hoarding material wealth. He thinks that once he has everything money can buy, he gains power and fame to rule over lesser fortunate people. With his money, he can manipulate them. But this attitude will only eat up his diminishing values.

We must not give full concern on worldly matters. These are but instruments that tempt us to embrace worldliness instead. Once we get off track in attaining a good soul, our actions, thoughts, and emotions suffer. We do not want that to happen. Truly, we should prioritize the things that will make us the most righteous person in the world.

“Aspire for goodness not for worldliness.”

Take Off Your Mask . . .

“You are only a coachman, yet you look so conceited and pleased with yourself.” – Wife (The Conceited Coachman)

Why do we need to pretend to be someone that we are not? More often than not, we do so to fit in to a clique, to cover up something in us so as not to be judged or ostracized or simply, to be an instant celebrity. It is hard to put up a face to people. We do not only fool others but worse we fool ourselves.

Yes, it is great to become what we really want to be but actually, there is no good in pretending. It only gives us a hard time proving our worth because what we do doesn’t conform to who we really are. It is hard to act with a personality that is not ours. It is like wanting to fly without wings attached. “To pretend is a lie; to lie is a sin.”

To gain a good identity with integrity and dignity intact is a hard work. We must do deeds that are of righteous intentions for us to earn people’s affirmation. It takes time really but once we have it, good reputation comes with our name. Indeed, the best honesty is the honesty we give to ourselves.

“Practice HUMILITY all the time regardless of your position or situation in life.”

Try - UMPH! . . .

“It’s only your mind that is not made up; when it is made up, nothing can stop it...” – Old Man (The Old Man Who Would Move Mountains)

We have heard from a TV commercial: “What your mind can conceive, your body can achieve.” This is true. Once we set up our goals and prepare for them, nothing will hinder us from pursuing to achieve them. Our mind usually gives us the urge to accomplish something that we cannot, even resist the call of effort. But we must have a determined heart to complement the creative mind.

Determination is paired with commitment. Commitment comes with great passion. Being committed means never giving up with our goals until they are all done with outstanding condition. Intensive work and great effort should be put into in order to attain excellence.

Nothing in this world is achieved, accomplished, or gained in an instant. Everything requires hard work. Once we stay focus on to our goal, there is no way we can miss hitting it.

“Only those who have determined hearts and committed minds will succeed.”

Always Metamorphosis . . .

“Does not the tongue last longer because it is soft? And is it not because the teeth are hard that they fall off earlier?” – Laotze (How the Tongue Survived the Teeth)

We must know how to respond to anything that life gives us, for instance, constant change. Such thing is uncontrollable, inevitable. We must conform to changes to survive or else we will be left behind.

We often say that change is the only constant thing in this world. With this principle comes the initiative to follow what is new. Every day, life asks us to move on, leaving the old and trying the new – for being new is being efficient, being better. 

But this does not mean that we disregard the traditional or the seasoned ideals. Let us remember that there would not be better things without those. Everything we have now is an innovation of those time-tested things we acknowledge.

Practically speaking, we must be willing and courageous enough to try and explore things. Being so will make us go beyond our limits. We will even discover new potentials in us waiting to be tapped. In one way or another, these things will surely help us in sustaining the life we enjoy living right now. 

“Flexibility is a key to survive in any adversity.”

Friend or Fiend?

“He is a friend who comes to your aid when you are in need. Everyone tries to be friendly when you are prospering.” – Woodpecker (The Elephant and the Sparrow)

It is but human nature that we seek for true friends as we journey through life. We do so for we find comfort with them when we are in pain, company when we are in solitude, and joy when we are in sorrow. At first, everyone seems to be the truest friend we’ll ever meet. But as time passes by, some of them shed off their masks and reveal their true identity. Thus, we have the concept of “fair-weathered friends.”

Apparently, we can discern who our true friends are. True friends always come in bad times to help while fair-weathered friends come only in good times to benefit. Inevitably, we encounter such friends every time. What we can do is to be modest with them. We should never treat them bad to show what a friend should be.

Ironically, it is easier to find fair-weathered friends than true ones. To be able to find someone true, it takes time and a lot of patience should be exerted. But once we find even just one, we are secured that he will be forever. To him, we can give our trust.