Posted on 03/20/2018 4:48:44 PM PDT by Rummyfan
"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." Orson Welles
Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. The Princess Bride
Life is full of possibility and opportunity, but its also harsh and unforgiving. Yes, you can make a great life for yourself, but life is not a fairy tale; its not user-friendly and if youre not careful, it will remorselessly roll over you like a 10-ton steamroller.
Many of us, myself included, preach optimism, positive thinking and looking at the glass as half full. However, theres a difference between that and being a Pollyanna who looks at the world through rose-colored glasses. Too many people smash their heads against the wall over and over because they refuse to acknowledge reality and then, sadly, they finally just give up. Once you accept the uglier parts of life for what they are instead of sugar-coating them, youll go farther than you ever could have otherwise.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
A direct message to LIBERALS.
One part is establishing and maintaining a peaceful home, family, and way of life.
The other part is recognizing that you have to be unceasingly vigilant against all the bad elements that would imperil your peaceful home, family, and way of life if allowed to.
Nothing worse than trying to change spark plugs in a modern engine. Gotta remove half the engine to get to them anymore. I feel your pain there.
My #1 rule in life is “Never turn down a free meal.” I’m going to adopt the rest of your list though. It all rings true.
I think his answer involves towels as well.
Two certainties: death and taxes (only one of which you can get an extension).
Ars longa
Vita herring
See, I find #4 to be the south end of a north bound mule.
“4. The more comfortable you get, the worse your life is going to be”
Abraham Maslow was right when he said, If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.
You want to be happy? Let me give you the short and sweet formula for happiness. Happiness is improvement, growth and forward movement. You can be on top of the world, but if you try to stay there youre going to the bottom. You can be in the pits, but if youre consistently climbing upward, youre going to feel better. There is no staying the same. You are either growing or getting rotten, settling into a rut or becoming a better person.
The problem with this is that we live in a if it feels good, do it, were here to cater to you capitalistic society. The bread and circuses that helped rot Roman culture was amateur hour compared to what we have going on in America. If you have a halfway decent job, after work its very easy to sit in a comfy chair, watch your favorite TV shows, play your favorite video games, chat with your online friends from your house, utilize some pornography if you get lonely and have food and just about anything else you want delivered right to your home as you sit in a little comfort cocoon.
This is the dilemma of life. The more you achieve, the easier it is to rest on your laurels. But, if you rest on your laurels, you wont be happy. That means you need to grow and improve, but the more you grow and improve, the tougher it is to make progress as a human being. The moment you start to get comfortable where you are is the moment you start to go backward. So, the moment you realize youve gotten comfortable is the moment you need a new challenge.
I find that to be utter horse hockey.
I don’t want, nor need, the latest greatest anything. I don’t need to constantly “improve”. Am I functioning to the best of my ability in helping others? Then, I’m happy. I’ve achieved a lot in my life, and I’ve failed a lot in my life. Maybe I just don’t understand all that psychology, but frankly, if I can help my fellow man out, then I do it. I was at my happiest when I AM comfortable. Being uncomfortable makes me very UNhappy.
Ive achieved a lot in my life, and Ive failed a lot in my life.
Our society has become so insular with failure. Failure is no longer seen as an implement to effect change but something to be avoided. Our youth avoid anything that might have even the remotest chance of failure. If we don't fail once in a while, we forget how truly good it is to succeed, which makes us aspire to want more of that success. It's a great feedback loop.
And, FWIW, Abraham Maslow was a very outspoken socialist. He's hardly the paragon of modern thinking the left makes him out to be.
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