Tag: virtue-goodness (3)

  • Be the Presence to People’s Loneliness

    A lot of people feel lonely inside. Even if they don’t look like it. They might even be surrounded by many people and still feel it.

    Make sure that you’re alleviating a person’s loneliness through loving attention when you’re meeting them. It’s compassion. It’s what Love does.

    Assume that a person feels lonely until proven otherwise. Seriously. Loneliness is not an exception, it’s usually the norm.

    The best way to teach yourself being Love is through being there for yourself first. You will then be Love for others too. (I think the skill transfers less the other way around. Loving yourself is usually less intuitive.)

  • Being a Bro to Yourself Across Time

    It’s nice to be a homie for yourself across time. It’s when you e.g. do something now that future you will benefit from, and then you appreciate yourself for that in the future. You’re like: “thanks for that man, good to have you around”.

    Or when you arrive at some situation repeatedly in your life and you recognize the comradery with yourself in that. It’s like: “here again, huh? Come join the club!”. This can be most easily established if you have a ritual (daily, weekly, etc.) at a set place and time. You sense that you’re joined by past versions of you at that same spot again and again. The more you do it, the larger the community of you grows. ;)

    You can literally feel companionship with yourself. Isn’t that crazy?

    I call it being intertemporal. It’s being aware of yourself across time and treating this “whole you” with respect. In contrast, having the attitude of “that’s future me’s problem” is being not intertemporal and a jerk to yourself. Don’t be that.

    Do things that future you(s) will thank you for. Appreciate the past you(s) for what they led you to. And if you don’t like what you were led to, break the chain now. Start making choices that future you(s) will appreciate. It’s current you on whom the responsibility always rests to change.

    In truth, there’s only ever now so this whole concept is a bit wacky, but 1) there’s still truth to it in terms of right conduct in life and 2) it’s fun. Be a little playful with yourself, cuz what else is there to do?

  • Strive to Recognize People’s Strengths More

    The golden rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated.

    Set an example of being attentive, caring and recognizing people’s strengths. Be more of what you’d like to see in the world. It can start with you.

    It’s actually fun to look for people’s strengths. There’s beauty in everyone and when you dig long enough (through listening to them and observation), you are sure to find a gem. A trait that you can genuinely appreciate and learn from. It’s a cool game to play: striving to see at least one beautiful thing in every person you know.

    Everyone is God and it’s a blessing.