Yes, I am learning this as well. He is in high school now and got a job in the summer.....he is beginning to understand the fiscal side of life.
These suggestions are not lessons. They are just things I think a person ought to do. Never kill any living creature for sport or because you are angry. Be extra kind to elderly people that you meet. Always go out of your way to help people, whether you know them or not and even if its a life or death situation. Be there.
+1 It's better to be alone than to be in a poor marriage. Many women will use their sexual attractiveness to pull you into a marriage. They're very, very good at that. But don't let it happen. Take your time to make the right decision, even if you have to risk a relationship. (I heard it said that a woman can be like a hurricane. She comes in with a good blow and leaves in a path of destruction.)
If you don't have your health you don't have much of anything. That saying was passed through the generations on my mom's side... I'm pushing 70yo and I'm glad I heeded that. Between herbs/supplements/nootropics the opportunities to have a great quality of life are more abundant in this age than any before. Become your own substance consumption expert. The Bible says "heal yourself daily"... For that matter, learn that the Bible is the top document for the world. Anything that does not agree with it has to be avoided... you have to become your own expert in understanding the Bible too, it's spiritually discerned and much of the world discerns it intellectually and misses out on a lot of the joie de vivre it can avail...
Approaching 32.. I would say 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. 99% of the everyday stuff in life isn't important. Don't be petty. 2. When you have a need to serve then serve and serve well. Life is full of pain. Everyone life will basically end as a tragedy. Service is both grief and the relief of grief. 3. Listen to your feelings, listen to your mind but don't always do what it says. Take a broad view of your mind and where it is leading you. Question it and redirect it if necessary. Take time to operate your mind from a birds eye view. Take time to redirect it and reprogram it when required. Be purposeful and use your consciousness wisely. 4. Take care of yourself. Feed yourself well and exercise. Good health is precious. 5. Be open and accepting of change. Change is difficult but always present. One of my best friends for over a decade turned into a miserable wretched liar. And, it isn't even that important. Recognize that people change. 6. Understand with full certainty the world is full of absurdity and injustice. The sound mind is one that knows that everyone and everything else is crazy. The crazed mind begins when it thinks the world to be sane. 7. Practice compassion and being compassionate. Everyone has the capacity to be mean. Practicing compassion will make that less and less likely. 8. Don't lose your mind to fear or anger. Listen to it but talk to yourself. Be your own best coach. 9. Enjoy rest. Enjoy play. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy what you have: it is enough. And now a risky one.. this is rather risky and uncertain if this is wisdom because but.. if 10. Dedicate yourself to performance and the pursuit of performance. Dedicate yourself to living a purpose driven life. I feel this is both sound and a bit risky advice. ------------ I will, also, add 2 more things of value When someone tells you that you can't do something. Listen to them and take note of their concerns then prove them wrong. Most people are easy to prove wrong. I've made thousands of dollars by proving people wrong. Giving out "good advice" can be very expensive to the recipient. Take advice carefully. Experience the ego death at least once. This doesn't require any drugs. It only requires a bit of knowledge. It can be done by using an isolation tank or by using techniques originally developed by Shamans. If anyone ask then I can tell you how to do this step-by-step with no drugs or technology required.
Accept people for what they are and respect them. Be a good listener. Be a good example for young people. Those fuckers are hopeless.
Your biggest enemy is your emotion. If you can control your own emotion, you can have a good life. If you can control other people's emotion, you can have a very easy life. PA
please clarify....humans by nature are judgmental creatures...it serves as a protective instinct....the key is to nurture judgment and keep it in check....i believe this can only be done by solidifying a value system which at its core does not view humanity cynically.