By overemphasizing identity identity politics ends up obscuring identity
By overemphasizing identity identity politics ends up obscuring identity The word identity politics can have two distinct meanings. One is that it is a politics [...]
For protection amid pandemics seek not just a hand sanitizer but also a mind sanitizer
For protection amid pandemics seek not just a hand sanitizer but also a mind sanitizer During pandemics, we protect ourselves from germs using a hand [...]
The more we are emotional the less emotions we have and the more our emotions have us
Emotions bring life to our life — if we had to live like emotionless robots, there wouldn’t be much to look forward to in our [...]
We can’t always go outside but we can always go inside
The outer world is subject to uncontrollable change that can limit our physical freedom. If we can’t go outside, we might go stir-crazy, becoming bored, [...]
The mind demands that others leave us alone and then complains they don’t care for us
Suppose someone who we care for is going through difficulties. When we try to help them, they demand from us, “Leave me alone”, but then [...]
We need inner accounting before we can have inner accountability
Suppose a social welfare organization is short of money and asks us to become a regular patron. Naturally, we will want some accountability. But if [...]
Attachment makes us blind arrogance keeps us blind
Suppose someone allures an unsuspecting passerby into a dark alley and then attacks them so brutally as to blind them. That would be terrible. But [...]
The more our consciousness is crowded the more our conscience becomes clouded
Suppose we are walking through a crowded place where people are pushing each other. In that crush, if a pickpocket reaches into our purse and [...]
More important than staying in touch with the world is staying in touch with ourselves
More important than staying in touch with the world is staying in touch with ourselves We often want to stay in touch with the world, [...]
The more we become conscious of where our consciousness is, the more we can tap the power of our consciousness
We are always conscious, but we aren’t always conscious of where our consciousness is. Our consciousness is our most undervalued resource. Whatever we do, learn, [...]
Individuality breeds creativity and spirituality, individualism breeds self-obsession and self-destruction
We live in an individualistic culture. To understand its positives and negatives, let’s differentiate between two terms: individualism and individuality. Individualism refers to the mindset [...]
The stronger the hold of problems on our mind the weaker becomes our hold on ourselves
Suppose we see a friend getting rattled when facing problems. We may tell them, “Get a hold on yourself.” This common usage suggests that we [...]
Contemplation is the foundation of action; without contemplation, what we do is not action but reaction
Some people view contemplation and action as opposites: “If we are contemplative, we can’t be active.” To substantiate their view, they point to the classification [...]
To understand what is wrong in the world, look first in the mirror, not the newspaper
To understand what is wrong in the world look first in the mirror not the newspaper When we hear about the many things wrong in [...]
We have snakes inside us, but we are not one of them
We have snakes inside us but we are not one of them Suppose someone we thought we knew suddenly does something terrible and hurtful. We [...]
The causes of anger rarely hurt us as much as the consequences of anger
The causes of anger rarely hurt us as much as the consequences of anger Suppose someone insults us. Feeling angry, we lash out at them. [...]
Impurity needs to be feared before it can be found, found before it can be fought and fought before it can be finished
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 [...]
Even if we cover the tracks we make externally, the tracks we make internally still cover us
Even if we cover the tracks we make externally the tracks we make internally still cover us Suppose we wanted to hide what we are [...]
To be compassionate, be both caring and careful
To be compassionate be both caring and careful Suppose a doctor is asked to travel to an epidemic zone to treat patients. To take up [...]
Mind your mind to know when it is in order, when on the border and when out of order
Mind your mind to know when it is in order when on the border and when out of order Suppose we use a laptop for [...]
To be responsible means to stop blaming the outer trigger for the inner trouble
To be responsible means to stop blaming the outer trigger for the inner trouble Suppose we feel tempted by someone who wears revealing clothes. Or [...]