Aphorisms, Musings, Random Thoughts, etc.

• In a conversation, if you already are thinking of an answer or a reply while the other person is speaking, you are not truly listening...
  you just want to give an answer...
  and what is lacking on that kind of conversation is empathy...
  because active listening is also empathic listening.
  - Aug 26 2022
  
  
• It doesn't matter if you are appreciated or not.
  It doesn't matter if others fail to recognize your effort.
  An unrequited affection or attention can hurt, but it should not move you or stop you from doing what you ought to do.
  What matters is that you're doing the good thing, the right thing.
  For others.
  For yourself.
  What matters is that you are being you.
  That you never change the way how you treat others just because others seem to fail on what you expect of them.
  But the thing is, expecting anything from anyone will only lead to unnecessary disappointments.
  People are different. Thus, we differ in how we value one another.
  The only important thing is that you know who you are within and that you continue to strive to be a better person with every passing moment.
  Love deeply.
  Live honestly.
  Laugh genuinely.
  stay true.
  stay real.
  stay kind.
  - July 26 2022
  
  
• Never love another soul only for the rewards and conveniences that loving them can bring. Show love for the sake of love.
  
  
• Others may be dealing with situations that we are unaware of or fail to recognize. As a result, it's unfair for us to criticize others when we don't have the same situations that lead to something we think is worth condemning/criticizing. Before making conclusions about others, it is always best to put ourselves in their shoes first, though, more often than not, this is impossible to do so. And that is where we often fail.
  
  
• It is better to be alone and be free to be yourself than to be with someone else but slowly lose yourself.
  
  
• You might be in a cult if: you let another person or a select few others think and decide what is best for you because you are persuaded to believe that they are more enlightened, divinely guided, or inspired and that that person/s has/have the answer to everything.
  
  
• Not accepting other people's generosity and kindness is denying them the opportunity to be generous and kind. 
  
  
• We feel that people fail us only because we put too much trust and faith in them.
  
  
• If some expectations fail to happen, we never really lose anything.
  
  
• The reason we ought to do things or reach a certain decision should never be because we don't have a choice, but because we have better choices.
  
  
• Hope is a beacon for the soul.
  
  
• Focus on things that are within your reach. Don't lose yourself in things that are out of your sphere of control.
  
  
• Do not be disillusioned, the heart can either be an ally, a traitor, or both.
  
  
• Not all buckets are of the same size, but even the small ones have their own use.
  
  
• How close we are to reality, and yet we are so far away from the truth, and how foolish we are to always deny the facts.
  
  
• Love and hatred, when fused with delusion, are both dangerous.
  
  
• The universe has no responsibility to make sense for us, yet it continues to unfold itself. We are not that special, we just love the idea that we are.
  
  
• One thing important thing we learned in Mathematics that we find almost impossible to apply in our life is this: always simplify.
  
  
• Better to be crazy and alone than to be with someone that will make you stupid.
  
  
• Don’t waste time explaining to people. Just be honest with what you say. They are not going to believe anyway.
  
  
• Listen, not just to give an answer or reply, but listen to truly understand.
  
  
• Never let others cause a change in you. They are not in charge. You are.
  
  
• Speak of love only if it is honest and true. How can you know if it is true? It comes from the mind, not from the “heart” (or groins!)
  
  
• One of the most useless things that most of humankind is trying to accomplish is to bring heaven down on this world.
  
  
• You should never base your worth as a person on someone’s opinion.
  
  
• Regularly going to church is religiosity. Understanding why you regularly go to church is spirituality. 
  
  
• It is futile to bribe an eternal being and hope for some reward.
  
  
• Making a difference is not the same as being different.
  
  
• I was thinking about the stars, and how they do not rely on other stars to shine. Can we be like that? Then my thoughts corrected me, saying, you might be stardust, but still, you’re dust, a speck, dirt, a dot in the universe. Dust doesn’t shine like the stars.
  
  
• Doubt and fear of the unknown block progress. And the ones we need to confront are those who stop others from trying to brave the unknown.
  
  
• If you’re having problems with everyone around you, check yourself. You might be “the problem.” If everyone around you doesn’t seem to have any problem, but you think you always do, check your thoughts. You might have a problem with the way you think.
  
  
• Tolerance is different from acceptance, and acceptance from understanding.
  
  
• Kindness can win a soul.
  
  
• There is no such thing as a genuine, 100%, truly, wholehearted, selfless deed. We all expect some sort of reward, directly or indirectly.
  
  
• It is not “love” when you do it out of duty.
  
  
• There should never be an “us” and “them” in our world. Everything and everyone is connected.
  
  
• Not everyone who goes against someone is an enemy. Not everyone who shows favor is an ally.
  
  
• Our freedom to speak is hindered by our untoward actions.
  
  
• Never seek your happiness from anyone or anything that doesn’t last or on those that cannot sustain it.
  
  
• Almost nobody will blame themselves for the misfortune/mistake they created that affects their own lives or others. People will find a way to put the blame on others even if they are the ones making wrong decisions that put them or other persons around them in a compromising situation.
  
  
• It is not yet a failure if one can still do something about it.
  
  
• Every day is another opportunity to be better, to be thankful, and to be compassionate.
  
  
• It is neither charity nor generosity if you are expecting something in return.
  
  
• Being dependent on something or someone can make one lonely when there are solitude and absence.
  
  
• Not every good thing is right, not everything right is good.
  
  
• Addiction is the peak of self-gratification.
  
  
• The misuse of technology will be one of the downfalls of humanity.
  
  
• Aiming toward the heavens is good, but always remember that it is on the ground your feet stand as you dream of it.
  
  
• If you are professing to be a worshiper of a “God”, never make the promise of heaven, salvation, paradise, reward, prosperity, and any other good things to motivate you in your devotion. The sole reason you should have is that that “God” is “the God”, “the perfect Law Giver”, the “creator of the Universe”. You’ll just be serving yourself, not that “God” if you're expecting something in return while dedicating yourself for worship.
  
  
• Just surviving the night is no easy feat for someone. Always show compassion, empathy, and kindness.
  
  
• In many situations, to be silent is wise.
  
  
• It is easy to get confused with your feeling if you are not true to yourself.
  
  
• Chance and opportunity are two different things.
  
  
• Learn to discern when is the appropriate time.
  
  
• Moderate expectations.
  
  
• Authority is a source of arrogance for us humans.
  
  
• No point in stressing ourselves about things outside our control.
  
  
• We cannot be good as we want to be, and we are not as evil as we think we are.
  
  
• We cannot force ourselves to be liked by everybody. People always have biases.
  
  
• We must not rely on others for self-affirmation.
  
  
• Inner peace comes from above, is cherished within, and spreads outward.
  
  
• Doubt gives way to fear.
  
  
• Humiliation of any sort diminishes esteem.
  
  
• It is better to be lied to than be told of half-truth.
  
  
• Death is necessary for us to appreciate life more.
  
  
• Experience is not the best teacher for one does not recognize when one commits mistakes and so does not learn from it.
  
  
• First impressions should never last for often we are misled by our own prejudices.
  
  
• One irony of life is that life itself is highly complicated yet we need to live life simply.
  
  
• Our birth in the universe is coincidental and our brief existence is merely a dent in the space-time curve. It is only in our imagination that we are born special.
  
  
• Workers and employees are nothing but modern and corporate slaves used and abused by wealthy capitalists or by government elites for their own advances.
  
  
• The universe was created in a way that equality does not exist, for there will be always a hierarchy of things even among the same kind or class. One thing will have superiority over others, one will receive more favor than others. Few have more and the rest have nothing to have.
  
  
• Be aware of the silence and the message it conveys.
  
  
• How one lives determines the manner how one will die.
  
  
• Change is always certain and imminent.
  
  
• Live with a sense of purpose to die a meaningful death.
  
  
• Death is an inevitable part of life.
  
  
• Every decision we make contains a certain amount of risk.
  
  
• “Why” is the most important of all questions.
  
  
• The moral authority of a person over others is nulled by their own corrupt deeds.
  
  
• There is no equality in friendship. A friend is either a suppliant or a benefactor.
  
  
• Principles are greater than laws.
  
  
• Change starts from within.
  
  
• One step towards a solution is to accept that a problem exists.
  
  
• Tolerance is necessary to reach understanding.
  
  
• We are responsible for our own happiness.
  
  
• We cannot escape the consequences of our actions.
  
  
• Success does not define a person, for behind every success are many failures.
  
  
• Exploiting another person to gain profit, advantage, or gratification is a form of objectification.
  
  
• Pointing out the fault of others is a way to compensate for our own failures and mask our own iniquities.
  
  
• We need to unlearn certain things to change ourselves for the better.
  
  
• One's faith should always be within the boundaries of reason.
  
  
• A person’s sense of religious superiority is hypocrisy. Humility is a child of faith.
  
  
• Being just means we perform our duties and responsibilities as humans within our limits and capabilities. Being fair means we remove any prejudice in making decisions.
  
  
• Righteousness: being able to strictly perform actions obligated by a moral code and being accountable in the face of failure to do so. Goodness: being able to perform beyond the dictates of a moral code and acting towards what is beneficial to everyone involved.
  
  
• Fear is coupled with resentment. Kindness is reciprocated with respect.
  
  
• Justice disappears when we seek more than what is due to us. Corruption is the source of inequality.
  
  
• A physical person is only a projection of his mind.
  
  
• There is no learning when there is fear. Intimidation limits growth.
  
  
• One’s religion does not make one a good person.

Photo by Manuela Adler from Pexels

Aphorisms, Musings, etc. by Leandro Angelo Castro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.