Tuesday, July 3, 2012

There is a quote by the Dalai Lama that says: "It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefitting others, one needs to be engaged, involved." I would say that not only is that true, it also applies to other aspects of life as well. It's not enough to be _____ on the inside, it is also essential to act ______ on the outside, thereby letting people know through your behavior what you stand for and value, and also attracting like minded people toward you. It's something that I constantly struggle with and I hope that one day I wont feel so much that there are parts of me that no one else can see, that I can feel whole in my identity. I think this is easier for some than others. Maybe fear or conditioning is what holds people back. Another thing I must try harder to do is make less assumptions. There is that saying when you assume you make an ass out of u and me. Well, in general assumptions tend to lead to misunderstandings, and although I do not like misunderstandings I have been lazy in the past to try and double check or ask people for specifics when I should. I want to seem like I understood the first time, but instead I make assumptions about what they think or want when these are neither fair to me or them. I will work harder to be better about that in the future so I don't get myself into uncomfortable situations. I am currently listening to the audiobook "Living With Intention" by Lynne McTaggart which talks about how your intentions affect the world. I highly would recommend it.