Cheating & Cheated

Cheating comes in two ways:
We can either cheat others
Or we can cheat ourselves;
Cheating others destroys trust
But cheating ourselves destroys us.
09.01.14

Ignorance & Consequences

To change human nature
From primitive to enlightened
Requires efforts throughout childhood
And reinforcements throughout adulthood;
Without such efforts, we tend to choose
The easier ways with little concern
For the consequences
Of ignorance.
08.31.14

Emotions & Reason

Emotions, not reason
Are the prime movers of life;
Frequently, emotions influence reason
Whereas rarely, reason influences emotion.
08.30.14

Days & Ways

There are so many ways to love
And only one way to hate;
So many ways to like and desire
And only one way to dislike;
So may ways and days to live
But only one moment to die.
08.29.14

Trust & Mistrust

The price of trust is high
But the price of mistrust is higher;
Trust everyone and you will be betrayed
Trust the trustworthy and you will be betrayed
Don’t trust anyone and you will live in paranoid fear.
08.28.14

Hind Sight & Vision

Watching history unfold
Before our eyes
Has less lessons for us
Because vision is microscopic;
Studying the history of humanity
Before our times has more lessons
Because hind sight is vast.
08.27.14

Reality & Freedom

No mind is free;
Freedom and reality
Dwell on opposite sides
Of the human spectrum.
08.26.14

Decision & Disorganization

Disorganized mental states
To which none of us is immune
Are highly dangerous whenever
We fail to recognize their fallacies;
Making decisions and taking actions  
When our minds suffer disorganization
Is how we make our worst mistakes.
08.25.14

Emotions & Mortality

Love dies
When it cannot forgive;
Hurt lingers
When it cannot snuff anger;
Beauty dies
When desire and love abdicate;
And youth dies
When we forget our childhoods.
08.24.14

Beliefs & Clashes

Beliefs can be dangerous;
Most wars and conflicts are clashes
Between deeply held beliefs.
08.23.14

Expectations & Outcomes

Loving without expectation
Leaves the heart free;
Giving without expectation
Leaves the mind free;
Living without expectation
Leaves the soul content.
08.22.14

Feelings & Personalities

Those who notice beauty
Everywhere they look
Are joyful;
Those who see imperfection
Everywhere they go
Are angry;
Those possessed by feelings
Are artful;
Those who empathize
Are forgiving;
And those who love
Indiscriminately
Are humanity’s friends.
08.21.14

Rest & Productivity

Good rest
Which we should guard
Leads to good productivity;
When tired, we achieve so little
And when fresh, we achieve so much.
08.20.14

Prediction & Extrapolation

Predictions are extrapolations
Which do not make allowance
For coincidence and surprise;
Hardly anything happens as expected
Without surprise and coincidence
Altering the final outcome.
08.19.14

Scholar & Death

A scholar is one
That continues to pursue knowledge
Even when it is clear that death is near
And dedicates all attention to life
And none to death.
08.18.14

Preparing & Occurrence

Preparing for something means
That we believe it might happen
And not willing to prepare for something
Means we believe that it would not happen;
Hence, youth does not prepare for age
And age does not prepare for death
Yet both always prepare for life.
08.17.14

Biases & Minds

To jettison our biases
We would listen to those
Who disagree with us;
To reinforce our biases
We would listen to those
Who agree with us;
An open mind heeds everyone.
08.16.14

Opinions & Study

Most opinions are gut feelings
That are not evidence-based;
Opinions change with study
And the deeper we study
The more they change
And the less we study
The more opinionated we become.
08.15.14

Justification & Ethics

When the conscience aches
The mind justifies;
To justify is to suppress
Ethics and reason
In exchange for peace.
08.14.14

Life & Works

Some of us remain alive when they die
And some of us are dead when alive;
It’s our good works that define life
Works that go on living beyond
Works far more important
Than the worker.
08.13.14

Adults & Children

Adults are children
With older faces;
The child in us
Does not die.
08.12.14

Behavior & Need

We put on our best behavior
When we need something from someone
But we do not reciprocate and behave as well
When someone needs something from us.
08.11.14

Well & Too Well

When things go well
We tend to feel well
But when things go too well
We should become cautious.
08.10.14

Love & Bad

Whenever love is bad
It’s just mad desire
Mistaken for love.
08.07.14

Opinions & Biases

Opinions, un-researched
And un-rehearsed
Are biases.
08.06.14

Age & Surprise

When we were young
The old were a different species
Now that we’re old, the young are us;
Nothing and no one prepares us for age
And when it comes, it’s always a surprise;
Moi?  I can't believe it.
08.05.14

Officious & Thoughts

Officious thoughts
Which intrude on our mind
Are instinctive, primitive thoughts
Originating from the unenlightened animal
Living inside of us, barking like a dog
And disturbing our inner quietude;
The only thing we can do
Is to shoo the dog
When it barks.
08.04.14

Good & Bad Emotions

Clinging to good emotions
Shedding bad emotions
Keeps the soul joyful
And the heart fond;
Dampening good emotions
Nurturing bad emotions
Dis-enlightens life.
08.02.14

Reality & Perception

Reality
Is perception;
Different individuals
Look at the same thing
But each sees it differently;
What we don’t see with our minds
Isn’t real to us, even if it’s real to others;
We live in our minds, and our minds
Constitute our individual realities.
08.01.14