Secrets of Mind and Reality - MindReality.com

Freedom and intelligence to do what you desire is important in living life. The warrior must learn to resist, and ultimately become immune, to the disapproval of his fellows. You should be able to say that if the only weapon an opponent has against you is disapproval, then he is very poorly armed. As you do this, the confidence which you will gain by each successful engagement with the forces who would try to control you will enable you to face life with a much greater sense of personal power and workability.

Remember that life itself is conflict, the conflict between the strong and the weak and the smart and the stupid, the human and the sports fan. Sports fans are the ultimate losers, spending their lives attempting to identify with the winners that they can never be. Do not make the mistake of idolizing someone to the point where you are not working on becoming the best yourself. Your own life and achievements are all that matters. Let others inspire you, but focus all your power on creating your own realities.
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Take those actions which are obviously to your benefit without suffering pangs of conscience if and when something unpleasant happens to other people as the result of your actions. Every man has a right to fulfill his own will without being afraid that it may interfere with that of others, for if he is in his proper place, it is the fault of others if they interfere with him. The intelligent have the freedom to do as they please, and if others are intelligent, they would harmonize with you because great minds harmonize.

You must learn that the problem is not that people suffer, but that their suffering bothers you. When you see the news about accidents, natural disasters and unfortunate what-nots, ask yourself if you know the people personally and if their welfare directly affects yours. If the answer is no, then quit all pointless distressing and mopping about those issues. Do not be influenced by the media into wasting emotional energy for nothing. Do what you can to help those that you care for and waste no emotions.

You must learn that no one can fight all the battles of humanity and often people must be left to their own devices, to solve their own difficulties. For example, every year there is a cyclone in Bangladesh and tens of thousands of people drown. This usually causes all manner of upset in the news media, ignoring the fact that the damn fools choose to live in a floodplain. The quality of life one creates is in accordance to the level of intelligence he possesses. It only matters for you to raise your own intelligence.

The problem with compassion is that it requires you to in some way identify with the difficulty of the victim. This is disastrous, because by so identifying you place yourself in the mental position of being weak rather than strong. When this happens, your capacity to act is diminished because you become blind to your own strength. Therefore, while it is permissible to feel some sympathy for a victim, one must never feel empathy. Do not identify with the victim and the weakness which caused him to be a victim.

Train your mind so that you are not manipulated into someone else’s point of view. If you truly feel sorry for someone and desire to help that person, or feel that you must stand for a principle, it must be because you have decided that such a course is worth following, not because someone else has told you. Make everything you do an act of conscious choice. Make sure that you follow the will of the divine as your own will. Examine your faith and religion and make sure you are being true to yourself all time.

You must learn to use three small words which can immunize you from the most unction of pleadings. These words are “I don’t care.” And you must be able to say that you do not care about some things in order that you may have the energy left to deal with those things which you do care about. Loving select individuals is very natural, but to love all people is not only a philosophical mistake but is in fact impossible and even damaging to the ability to truly love those few individuals who deserve your love.

Who, possessing an ounce of courage or intelligence, would allow his actions to be determined by the opinions of his fellows? In the view of those who take such matters seriously, a person facing a given course of action should go through a series of judgments to reach a conclusion concerning the rightness or wrongness of the action, according to their definition of right and wrong, and then behave accordingly. Independence of thought is most important, and it’s the hallmark of the intelligent and the free.

Your attitude in all matters must become that of the strict pragmatist. If it works, it is right. If it does not work it is wrong and there are no other considerations. Also, the decision as to whether or not it does work is to be yours alone. You decide the criterion for judgment. Never forget that if it is your end and your means, the end will justify the means. Experiment with and experience all means in attaining what you desire, and you will discover the truth you are meant to live by according to your own callings.

Become wise and look out for yourself first. You must not worry about the effects that your actions have upon the rest of humanity as long as you benefit by those actions and there are no unpleasant consequences to yourself. If every part takes care of itself, then the whole will function at optimal levels. Those who do not take care of their own needs, or take care of the needs of others at the expense of their own end up destroying the function of the whole. Let the productive live and the waste be eliminated.[/hidepost]