Don’t be annoyed that people are so bad, be amazed that they aren’t worse
People can annoy us in innumerable ways – they can be incompetent, insensitive, forgetful, lazy, dumb. If we let ourselves get annoyed by them, we [...]
Opening the mouth without opening the mind helps neither the mouth nor the mind
We all have had to sometimes bite our words. On seeing or hearing something, we made a snap judgment and spoke words that we later [...]
When we are attached to someone, we don’t care much for them; we care much more for what they think about us
Suppose a doctor needs to give an injection to a sick child. But the child starts crying and complaining about the doctor: “You are so [...]
We may have to fight against others, but we don’t have to be against others
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, those who feel that their interests are threatened by our principles will oppose us. If they attack [...]
Don’t try to be someone better, try to be an example of something better
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life by adopting spiritual practices, we start becoming more disciplined and self-controlled. As we become more virtuous than [...]
Don’t reduce people to their group identity – differences within groups often exceed differences across groups
We often have certain preconceptions about certain groups of people. Driven by such preconceptions, when we come to know a person’s group identity, we presume [...]
Between naiveté and cynicism is the courage to trust
When we are inexperienced, we may naïvely believe that everyone is entirely trustworthy. Exploiting our naiveté, self-interested people will sooner or later take us for [...]
Never make irreversible decisions based on reversible emotions
Our emotions can easily mislead us. When we become strongly emotional, we tend to make snap decisions. Such decisions can be detrimental, sometimes devastatingly detrimental. [...]
To resolve conflicts, begin with the 1% commonality, not the 99% differences
Whenever we have a conflict with someone, our attention naturally goes to the area of conflict: we want to do things in one way; they, [...]
Those who are not humble often help us to become humble
Dealing with arrogant people can be annoying and draining. To view such people positively, we can see interactions with them as opportunities to become humble. [...]
The desire that the dark be darker defines a dark mind
Suppose we know that someone is short-tempered. Suppose further we hear through the grapevine that they have assaulted someone. If we presume the rumor to [...]
Make judgments, but don’t be judgmental
When doing anything responsible, we need to make judgments: we need to evaluate who is suitable for doing what and who isn’t. If someone tends [...]
Comparing is unavoidable, but comparing mentality is undesirable
In our competitive world, comparing is almost universal. In schools with any kind of assessment, who gets higher grades and who lower will be inevitably [...]
Detachment is absence of emotional dependence, not absence of emotion
Some people fear, “If I become detached, will I become emotionless, uncaring, stone-hearted?” No, detachment empowers us to care truly for others, for it frees [...]
Focus on the cause that brings us together, not on the conditions and conditionings that push us apart
We all are irreducibly individual. Naturally, we all have varying opinions on various issues. When these opinions differ strongly, conflicts occur. How can we deal [...]
Be mindful of people’s perceptions, but don’t make your mind full of their perceptions
When we practice spiritual life, we go against the overall materialistic current of the world. The road less traveled is the road we choose to [...]
Thinking about worldly things is not attachment, being unable to stop thinking of them is
Attachment is a state of mental bondage wherein our thoughts compulsively gravitate towards the object of our attachment. The Bhagavad-gita (01.01) begins with the words [...]
Don’t pack what is back – the past – in your backpack
Suppose we are going trekking with just a backpack. We will carefully decide what all to pack in it. If we fill it with novels [...]
The essence of education is enlightenment, engagement and encouragement
If we wish to educate others about something – especially something that requires moral strength, discipline, and diligence – we need to provide them three [...]
Whose words we hear matters, but whose words we hold dear matters even more
Suppose we are lost while driving and ask for directions. If some people give us right directions and others give us wrong directions, where we [...]
To speak effectively, speak not just correctly, but also appropriately
When a doctor prescribes a medicine to a patient, they consider not just the patient’s malady, but also the patient’s case history. Sometimes, if a [...]