Things We Misunderstand as a Society
A short, random list of things I think we misunderstand as Americans today.
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Fear should be seen the same way as a pop-up box on your PC asking "are you sure?" before processing a non-reversible request. If you're not sure, okay, go back and check that you've done everything you know you need to do. Once you've done that, and you get back to that "are you sure" stage of fear again, you've done what you can. You're afraid of the unknown. But you've done your best. It is okay to be afraid. But if you're sure that you want to do whatever is on the other side of that fear, you must be willing to confront and overcome it. It can get easier as you learn to follow your gut.
The same applies to anger, an emotion well covered in "Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion," by the same author who wrote the 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman.
Self-Respect
You must command respect, not demand respect. Learn to respect yourself by self-reflecting, knowing when to walk away, and holding yourself, and others, accountable. That applies to dating, platonic relationships, etc.
Death is Inevitable
A near-death experience can force one to acknowledge that tomorrow isn't guaranteed and stop procrastinating. "Seize the day." A reminder of death or mortality, or human failures or errors, is sometimes known as "memento mori."
The stats are in on why people take their own lives, how, and when. But you must be willing to face some major issues in the world today to comprehend the two sides to suicide.
Tags: personal
