Showing others how they are wrong is not compassion, seeing how they can help themselves become more right is
If we see someone in trouble, we may naturally want to help them. And if they are in trouble because of something that they are [...]
More dangerous than the enemies that threaten are the enemies that tempt
Suppose we are fighting a war. We will be on guard against those who threaten to destroy us. But suppose someone allures us with pleasure. [...]
Impurity needs to be feared before it can be found, found before it can be fought and fought before it can be finished
Suppose a person has a treasure kept in a high-security area. But if a thief sneaks in and if the owner is not vigilant, the [...]
Gita 03.17 explained
So after this let us go to next section on BG 1-10: KY is better than JY 10-16: If you are not qualified even for [...]
Don’t use others to feel better about yourself, learn from others how to become better
When we are distressed, we often need someone to unburden ourselves to. While that is an understandable and even essential human need, it can become [...]
Seeking to understand our nature won’t box us in, it will reveal the box we are already in
Some people resist any system of categorization of human nature. They feel, “This will box me in.” While their concern is understandable, it is based [...]
The mind is like ice to truth and fire to lies
The mind is meant to serve as a tool for us souls to perceive the world, but it is often the greatest obstacle for us [...]
If we justify our weaknesses by comparing ourselves with those who are weaker, we weaken our motivation to rectify ourselves
Suppose we have a weakness, say, a short temper. Driven by anger, we may speak and do things that we know we shouldn’t. Indeed, anger [...]
Life becomes meaningless not when we tire of life’s problems, but when we tire of life’s pleasures Gita 03.16
When we face many problems repeatedly, we may become disheartened. And such discouragement becomes aggravated when problems thwart us in something extremely important. We may [...]
If we are robbed repeatedly by the same suspect, it is our intelligence that is suspect
Suppose we are robbed and the prime suspect is a shady neighbor. We would confront them to recover what had been stolen. Or at least, [...]
More damaging than the lies we tell others are the lies we tell ourselves
Suppose someone has diabetes and they secretly eat desserts. If they lie to their caregivers about what they are doing, that’s bad; they will worsen [...]
If an ideal inspires more regret than reform, an intermediate ideal is required
Suppose a hospital gym has weights so heavy that they can’t even be budged by those patients who need to exercise. Such weights will make [...]
Covering our tracks thoroughly is not intelligence, choosing our tracks thoughtfully is
Our impure desires sometimes impel us to do something wrong. After such wrongdoings, we often cover our tracks thoroughly so that we don’t get caught. [...]
The love that leads us to evil is evil masquerading as love
Suppose in a war, an enemy soldier dresses like a defending soldier and enters into the defending army. If the defenders aren’t alert enough to [...]
Addiction is an abductor who extorts ever-increasing ransom but never releases
Suppose an abductor abducts a child and demands a huge ransom from the parents. Even after receiving the ransom, however, they don’t release the child, [...]
Use cleverness to counter corruptness, not cover corruptness
We all have a certain amount of cleverness and a certain amount of corruptness. Our cleverness enables us to go beyond the appearance of things [...]
Know when to give others space and when to give them pace
If someone intrudes into our personal physical space by coming too close to us, we feel uncomfortable. We similarly feel uncomfortable when someone intrudes into [...]
The capacity to trade the present for the future is the defining human characteristic
All living beings live at the fleeting junction of the past and the future. That junction is the present, which is there at one moment [...]
We are not masters in our own house, but we don’t have to be slaves
Suppose we are living in a house where the doors suddenly creak open and bang shut, and lights randomly turn on and off. Suppose we [...]
See the addicted not as demented or degraded but as tormented
Suppose someone becomes addicted to drinking. Despite being urged to give up drinking and despite even promising to give up, they keep drinking. We may [...]
No barrier is foolproof, that is not proof no barrier is useful
Suppose a particular coastal area is prone to get flooded because of high tides or sea-storms or tsunamis. Suppose the government constructs a barricade, but [...]