BY SOFO ARCHON
Here are some essential life lessons that people aren’t taught in school—but should. May they help you find peace and contentment.
1. We are all connected. When you help someone, you help yourself; when you hurt someone, you hurt yourself.
2. Don’t hide from your pain. Pain itself is neither good nor bad, but how we respond to it can be.
3. When you let go of all expectations about how people should be, you won’t be easily deceived or hurt by them.
4. All fear ultimately stems from the fear of death. Until you become familiar with the idea of dying, you cannot live fully and carefree.
5. You cannot know another person better than you know yourself. The more you understand yourself, the better you will understand others.
6. Don’t focus on what people do. Instead, try to understand the motives behind their actions.
7. By treating the symptom, you won’t cure the disease. Instead, focus on eliminating the root cause.
8. Pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin; you can’t have one without the other.
9. There is no God higher than love. Seek love, and you may discover the divine.
10. Speak your mind, even if it displeases some people. Honesty is the key to finding peace with yourself and others.
11. Don’t fear failure. Every time you fall, be sure to pick yourself up and try again.
12. Possessions can possess you. Don’t let material things drain your mind or steal your time.
13. True love cannot be hurt, for it gives without expecting anything in return. Even if it goes unseen or is rejected, it remains unchanged.
14. Never submit to an abusive partner. True love can flourish only under the sun of mutual respect.
15. Solitude is medicine for the soul. Spend regular time alone, for only in this way can you truly make friends with yourself.
16. When you lose a friend, don’t rush to replace them. Instead, give yourself the time and space you need to process your heartache.
17. Don’t mistake passion for love: passion is a blazing fire, love a calm breeze.
18. Sometimes your enemies can help you more than your friends, because they are often more willing to point out your flaws.
19. Never let anyone dictate how you should live. Think for yourself and take responsibility for your life.
20. Gratification is not the same as contentment. Gratification comes and goes, but contentment can stay with you forever.
21. Try to embody the change you wish to see in the world. Otherwise, any effort to change it will be in vain.
22. Don’t judge those you’re in conflict with. See conflict as an opportunity to understand others better, rather than projecting your assumptions onto them.
23. Love builds bridges between people. Only through love can genuine, heart-to-heart communication take place.
24. Your beliefs shape your perception, just as sunglasses tint what you see. Always question and scrutinize them.
25. Don’t imitate others—create your own path, and walk it.
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