How to Live a Good Life Advice from Wise and Respected Persons

Ten Worthy Goals

1. Mellowness of mind
2. A healthy, balanced life
3. An unobstructed, undefeated spirit
4. Loving people and rendering service
5. Unifying the body and mind
6. The rich emotion of enjoying simple relationships and things
7. Frequent self-examination of one's personal and public life
8. Avoidance of obsession or extravagance
9. Humility
10. Constantly collecting the floating emotions that take you out of your center

- Hua-Ching Ni, The Gentle Path of Spiritual Progress, 1990.

The Ten American Indian Commandments

"Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well-being of mind and body.
Treat the Earth and all the dwell thereon with respect.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Work together for the benefit of all mankind."

- Poster of the Ten American Indian Commandments, 2000

Seven Keys to Health and Happiness

"Practice Silence - Wisdom is a state of emptiness, listening, and attentiveness.
Learn from Nature - Every tree, every animal, every stone has a lesson to teach.
Find and Honor Your Life Purpose - Your purpose is a gift from the Great Spirit.
Respect Your Ancestors and Ancestry - All people have indigenous roots, and no culture has a monopoly on wisdom.
Maintain Emotional Balance - Keep your emotions calm and cultivate humor
Eat According to Your Genes - Follow the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Get Plenty of Exercise - Stand and move with dignity, and breathe slowly."

- Ken Cohen, Native Wisdom: Seven Keys to Health and Happiness, 2003.

Spirit of Gardening

Ground Rules for Living

"1. Be Positive.
2. Accept Yourself.
3. Let Go.
4. Express Your Love.
5. Accept Full Responsibility for Your Life.
6. Forgive Yourself.
7. Handle What Does Not Work.
8. Let Go of Resentment.
9. Don't Overspend.
10. Find a Dream to Go For.
11. Serve. Have Your Life Be More Than You.
12. Experience Your Spirituality."

- Bill Ferguson, Mastery of Life, 2006

Maintaining Good Health After Age 50

1. Manage your blood sugar
2. Manage your blood pressure
3. Maintain a healthy weight
4. Eat a heart healthy diet
5. Reduce salt intake
6. Drink enough water
7. Limit alcohol
8. Don't smoke
9. Limit over-the-counter pain medication
10. Reduce stress
11. Exercise regularly

- Healthline, 2020

Discourse on Happiness

"Not to be associated with the foolish ones,
to live in the company of wise people,
honoring those who are worth honoring –
this is the greatest happiness.

"To live in a good environment,
to have planted good seeds,
and to realize that you are on the right path –
this is the greatest happiness.

To have a chance to learn and grow,
to be skillful in your profession or craft,
practicing the percepts and loving speech –
this is the greatest happiness.

To be able to serve and support your parents,
to cherish your own family,
to have a vocation that brings you joy –
this is the greatest happiness.

To live honestly, generous in giving,
to offer support to relatives and friends,
living a life of blameless conduct –
this is the greatest happiness.

To avoid unwholesome actions,
not caught by alcoholism or drugs,
and to be diligent in doing good things –
this is the greatest happiness.

To be humble and polite in manner,
to be grateful and content with a simple life,
not missing the occasion to learn the Dharma –
this is the greatest happiness.

To persevere and be open to change,
to have regular contact with monks and nuns,
and to fully participate in Dharma discussions –
this is the greatest happiness.

To live in the world
with your heart undisturbed by the world,
with all sorrows ended, dwelling in peace –
this is the greatest happiness.

For he or she who accomplishes this,
unvanquished wherever she goes,
always he is safe and happy –
happiness lives within oneself."

- The Buddha, Mahamangala Sutta, Sutta Nipata, 2.4
Found in Chanting from the Heart, by Thich Nhat Hahn, 2002, p. 270

Seven Core Values

"1.   The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
2.   Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
3.   Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
4.   A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
5.   The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
6.   The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
7.   Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."
- Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles

A Taoist Monk's Goals

"I work to bring harmony and balance to my community and the world.
I believe we must evolve rapidly to help all sentient beings survive and thrive.
Daoist teachings and practices offer a uniquely effective, powerful and effortless path through life.
Love, wisdom, charity, and insight arise in the individual and spread outward to the community, country, and world.
An enlightened mind requires a foundation in a strong, healthy body.
A plant based (vegan) diet is a gift to our own health as well as millions of tortured animals and a warming world.
Discrimination based on race, gender identity, religious beliefs, or sexual preference is a cancer best cut from society.
Always do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
The morally bankrupt destruction of the natural world doom sentences us all to a life of disconnection and suffering.
Acting with compassion, frugality, and humility benefits the world and gives us each an all-important sense of purpose.
A regard for all sentient beings, health, justice, and spiritually must replace speed-and-greed materialism.
In engaging virtual worlds over the real one, we become less human and loose the life we evolved to life.
- Arthur Rosenthal, Taoist Monk Yun Rou (Soft Cloud), 2022

The Ten Commitments to Live a Truly Accountable Life

"Commit to discover and realize your potential ... and help others reach theirs
Commit to the truth
Commit to the values
Commit to "It's All of Us"
Commit to embrace faults and failures as well as opportunities and successes
Commit to sound financial principles
Commit to a safe space
Commit to "my word is my bond"
Commit to stand strong when all hell breaks loose
Commit to a good reputation."
- Sam Silverstein, 2019, I am Accountable

The Ten Commandments of Health

"East Wisely
Drink Plentifully of Water
Eliminate Thoroughly
Bathe Cleanly
Exercise Rationally
Accept Inevitables (Don't Worry)
Play Enthusiastically
Relax Completely
Sleep Sufficiently
Check Up Occasionally

Give 5% of your time to keeping well.
You won't have to give 100% to getting over being sick."

- George W. Claver, M.D.
Physician to the U.S. Congress in 1928

Five Ways to Be Real
Through the Practice of Dzogchen

"1. Naturalness and Simplicity
Rely on the natural state. Be yourself, your true unaltered self. Everything we need is within
the natural mind - innately whole and complete. So relax.

2. Authenticity, Non-contrivance, Non-fabrication
There is nirvanic peace in things left just as they are. Striving and struggle is extra. Leave
it as it is and rest the weary heart and mind. See through everything, be through everything;
and remain free, luminous and complete.

3. Openness and Oneness
Stay open-minded and inclusive. Pure presence is a state of nonjudgmental, non-interfering
choiceless awareness or panoramic attention to the "is-ness" and "now-ness" of all things.
Be open to your experience. Let go and let things fall into place as they will. Perhaps
wherever they fall is the right place.

4. Awareness and Wisdom
Present awareness knows and sees what is, as it is. Innate wakefulness is wise and effective
in its own brand of insight and discernment combined with uncommon common sense.

5. Spontaneous Energy Flow
With freedom and decontraction, inexhaustible uninhibited energy is released, surging forth,
bubbling up from within. When we let go and loosen our tight-fisted grasping, or repetitive
holding patterns, we are buoyed up and become one with the flow. This is the natural flow,
the sacred zone masters describe. You can access it at will."

- Lama Surya Das, Awakening to the Sacred, 1999.

Characteristics of the More Fully-Functioning Individual

"Nonconformity and Individuality
Self-Awareness
Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty
Tolerance
Acceptance of Human Animality
Commitment and Intrinsic Enjoyment
Creativity and Originality
Social Interest and Ethical Trust
Enlightened Self-Interest
Self-Direction
Flexibility and Scientific Outlook
Unconditional Self-Acceptance
Risk-Taking and Experimenting
Long-Range Hedonism
Work and Practice"

- Albert Ellis, The Albert Ellis Reader, 1998.

Noble Eightfold Path of the Buddha

"I will attempt to live my life moving toward:
1. A balanced wholeness of perspective that centers around the idea of achieving a complete experience of life.   [Right Views]
2. A balanced wholeness of resolve in which I deliberately move away from what is toxic and move toward that which is nourishing.   [Right Intentions]
3. A balanced wholeness of the manner, content, and intent of my speech.   [Right Speech]
4. A balanced wholeness of life-affirming moral conduct.   [Right Action]
5. A balanced wholeness of a profession that affirms life and does not obstruct or negate it.   [Right Livelihood]
6. A balanced wholeness of life-affirming spiritual activity.   [Right Efforts]
7. A balanced wholeness of mindful awareness and alertness as tools for profound living.   [Right Mindfulness]
8. A balanced wholeness of concentrated bodymind skills as tools for fully awakening my Buddha Nature.   [Right Concentration]"

- The "balanced wholeness" version is from the Venerable Reverend John Bright-Fey, The Whole Heart of Zen: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Ta-Mo, p. 254.
The [short version] is a rather standard formulation of Siddhartha Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path

Four Principles for a Successful Life

"1. The practice of giving love without expectations.
2. To seeking true knowledge of ourselves and of the meaning of existence.
3. Practicing reflection to understand the mistakes we made in life and to release ourselves from attachment that causes suffering.
4. To develop ourselves so that we can help guide others and to become useful in the world - to, ultimately, evolve spiritually."

- Ryuho Okawa, The Laws of Happiness, 2004

Persistence and Determination

Nine Heart Paths to Healing and Abundance

Joy
Self-Control
Generosity
Peace
Faithfulness
Patience
Kindness
Gentleness
Love

- Karen Speerstra, Sophia: The Feminine Face of God: Nine Heart Paths to Healing and Abundance, 2011

Tips for Living a Good Life

"Approve of yourself
Your limitations may just be in your mind
Lighten up and have some fun
Let go of anger
Release yourself from entitlement
If you are taking a different path, prepare for reactions
Keep your focus steadily on what you want
Don’t focus so much on making yourself feel good
Do what you want to do"

- From Mark Twain, summarized by Henrick Edberg, The Positivity Blog

Nine Essential Skills that Make You Resilient

Composure
Patience
Optimism
Gratitude
Acceptance
Kindness
Sense of Purpose
Forgiveness
Connection

- Amit Sood, MD, 7/11/2022

Rationality

"Rationality is not just a matter of having some reasons for what one does, but of aligning one's beliefs, actions, and evaluations effectively with the best or strongest available reasons. It pivots on doing that which, everything considered, one is "well advised" to do. The matter of giving or following the course of intelligent and responsible advice is the crux of rationality. There is nothing complex or arcane about the sorts of considerations that determine good and cogent reasons in this regard. It is a matter of the sort of things that conduce to one's real advantage, to one's best interests. This is a matter of furthering the full and rewarding life, preeminently involving the sort of things that make us happier and/or better persons in what relates to our benefit and the benefit of those who do and should matter for us (our family, community, and fellows at large, and the advancement of our individual and communal values.) Practical rationality thus calls for appropriate resolutions intelligently arrived at and sensibly implemented. It is geared to the sensible pursuit of appropriate ends. The idea of optimization, of seeking for the best among visibly available alternatives, lies at the very core of rationality."
- Nicholas Rescher, A System of Pragmatic Idealism, Volume I 1992, p.9

Thirteen Necessary or Desirable Virtues

"1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Use not hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed by trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."

- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography 1771-1784
From The Portable Enlightenment Reader, edited by Isaac Kramnick, 1995, p.484

Impediments to Changing Your Behavior

"1.  "Relying on willpower for long-term change
2.  Attempting big leaps instead of baby steps
3.  Ignoring how environment shapes behavior
4.  Trying to stop old behaviors instead of creating new ones
5.  Blaming failures on lack of motivation
6.  Underestimating the power of triggers
7.  Believing that information leads to action
8.  Focusing on abstract goals instead of concrete behaviors
9.  Seeking to change a behavior forever, not for a short time
10. Assuming that behavior change is difficult.”
-  Stanford University, Persuasive Tech Lab, 2019

Changing Yourself

“1) Psych: Getting Ready
2) Prep: Planning Before Leaping
3) Perspire: Taking Action;
4) Persevere: Managing Slips;
5) Persist: Maintaining Change.”

- John Norcross, Changelology, 2012

Virtue Ethics

Aging - Bibliography, Links, Resources

Ten Basic Epicurean Values

1) Prudence
2) Self-management
3) Self-sufficiency
4) Serenity
5) Simplicity
6) Friendliness
7) Honesty
8) Generosity
9) Cheerfulness
10) Gentleness

- Epicurus, 341-270 BCE, Epicureanism

Lessons from the Alchemist

1. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself
2. What is "true" will always endure
3. Break the monotony
4. Embrace the present
5. Your success has a ripple-effect
6. Make the decision
7. Be unrealistic
8. Keep getting back up
9. Focus on your own journey
10. Always take action

- Paulo Coehlo, The Alchemist, 2015

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw - Continuous Improvement, Renewal, Readiness

- Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989

Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

1. Living Consciously: The practice of being aware of what one is doing while one is doing it; or, mindfulness.
2. Accept Yourself: The practice of owning truths regarding one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; of being kind toward oneself with respect to them;
and of being "for" oneself in a basic sense.
3. Take Responsibility for Your Experiences: The practice of owning one's authorship of one's actions and of owning one's capacity to be the cause of
the effects one desires.
4. Assert Who You Are: the practice of treating one's needs and interests with respect and of expressing them in appropriate ways.
5. Live Purposely: The practice of formulating goals and of formulating and implementing action plans to achieve them.
6. Maintain Your Integrity: The practice of maintaining alignment between one’s behaviors and convictions.

- Nathaniel Branden, Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, 1995

Ten Rules for the Good Life

"1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. Never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred."

- Thomas Jefferson, Ten Rules for the Good Life, 1790.

"A Reason for Living": Ikigai

1. Stay active and don't retire
2. Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life.
3. Only eat until you are 80 per cent full.
4. Surround yourself with good friends.
5. Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise.
6. Smile and acknowledge people around you.
7. Reconnect with nature
8. Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive.
9. Live in the moment.
10. Follow your Ikigai.
Ikigai "entails actions of devoting oneself to pursuits one enjoys and is associated with feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment." - Michiko Kumano

- Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, 2017.

Nine Rules for Living the Good Life

Be Grateful.
Be Smart.
Be Involved.
Be Clean.
Be True.
Be Positive.
Be Humble.
Be Still.
Be Prayerful.

- Gordon B. Hinkley, Way to Be! Nine Ways to Be Happy, 2002.

Reaching a New Level of Well-Being and Delight

"Move your awareness from Form to Energy
Explore realms of being outside your everyday experience
Break the grip of the ego
Honor the holy Self within
Accept a new life, free of worry and filled with joy
Keys: Love. Hope. Fulfillment. Security. Harmony. Freedom."

- John Randolf Price, Living a Life of Joy

The Thinker's Way to Solve Problems

Have I accepted the problem?
What do I know about the problem?
How can I define the problem?
What are the alternatives?
What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of each alternative?
What is the solution?
How well is the solution working?

- John Chaffee, The Thinker's Way: 8 Steps to a Richer Life, 1998

Principles for Purposeful Living

1. Unity
2. Self-Determination
3. Collective Work and Responsibility
4. Cooperative Economics
5. Purpose
6. Creativity
7. Faith

- Barbara Dixon, Seven Principles for Purposeful Living

Seven Pleasures

Dancing
Reading
Walking
Looking
Listening
Swimming
Writing

- Willard Spiegelman, Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness

Advice for Young People

"Young people need compassion and guidance, not obscure mysticism.
Here are some guidelines for young people:

Remember that you are always your own person. Do not surrender your
mind, heart, or body to any person. Never compromise your dignity for
any reason.

Maintain your health with sound diet, hygiene, exercise, and clean
living. Don't engage in drugs or drinking.

Money is never more important that your body and mind, but you must
work and support yourself. Never depend on others for your livelihood.

Choose your friends and living situation carefully, for they will
influence you. Find a mentor you can trust, one who can answer your
every question, but never give up responsibility for your own life. No
one lives your life for you.

A good education is always an asset.

Emotions are transitory and are not a good way to make decisions.

Every day, you must make decisions. Everything you do will have
irrevocable effects upon your life. Before you go down any path,
consider carefully. Rivers very rarely reverse course.

Know evil, but do not do evil yourself. Remember, there is a way
out of the delusions of life. When you weary of the world, find someone
who will show you Tao."

- Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, 1992

Five Keys to Mindful Loving

"Fear can be a warning to be more cautious.
Desire allows you to open and reach out to others.
Judgment fosters viewing a situation with intelligence.
Control is needed to maintain some stability in your everyday life.
Fantasy stimulates the imagination and fosters creativity."

- David Richo, How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

12 Rules for Life

Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient
Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't
Be precise in your speech
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

- Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos, 2018

"Nine Ways of Cultivating the Tao

Cultivating Harmony
Cultivating the Spirit
Cultivating the Energy
Cultivating Right Action
Cultivating Contentment
Cultivating Simplicity
Cultivating Clarity
Cultivating Humility
Cultivating Softness"
- Eva Wong, Being Taoist: Wisdom for Living a Balanced Life, 2015, pp.105-115

Boy Scout Goals

Trustworthy: Tell the truth and keep promises. People can depend on you.
Loyal: Show that you care about your family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and country.
Helpful: Volunteer to help others without expecting a reward.
Friendly: Be a friend to everyone, even people who are very different from you.
Courteous: Be polite to everyone and always use good manners.
Kind: Treat others as you want to be treated. Never harm or kill any living thing without good reason.
Obedient: Follow the rules of your family, school, and pack. Obey the laws of your community and country.
Cheerful: Look for the bright side of life. Cheerfully do tasks that come your way. Try to help others be happy.
Thrifty: Work to pay your own way. Try not to be wasteful. Use time, food, supplies, and natural resources wisely.
Brave: Face difficult situations even when you feel afraid. Do what you think is right despite what others might be doing or saying.
Clean: Keep your body and mind fit. Help keep your home and community clean.
Reverent. Be reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the beliefs of others.

- Boy Scouts of America

Spartan Core Values

Self-Awareness, Know Yourself, Identify Your North Star
Make a Commitment, Be Decicated
Enthusiasm, Passion, Energized
Discipline, Practice Diligence, Delay Gratification
Prioritization, Put Your House in Order, Maximize Your Time
Grit, Push to Your Limits, Not Yielding
Cougage, Face you Fears and Your Failures, Embrace Adversity
Optimism, Look for the Positives, Adjust Your Frame of Reference
Integrity, Act Homestly, Be Honorable
Wholeness, Live as a Spartan, Achievement of Goals

- Joe De Sena, The Spartan Way: East Better, Train Better, Think Better, Be Better; 2018

The Calculus of Felicity

Intensity: How powerful is the pleasure?
Duration: How long lasting is the pleasure?
Certainty: How guaranteed is the pleasure?
Proximity: How close is the pleasure?
Fecundity: Will this pleasurable activity generate additional pleasures?
Purity: How pain-free is this particular pleasure?
Extent: How many other persons will experience this pleasure?

- Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832

Ways to Lift Your Spirits, Boost Your Mood
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues

Be grateful for the good in your life.
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day.
Learn something new.
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean.
Go for a walk.
Enjoy sex and discover romance.
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.
Smile and put on a happy face.
Indulge your senses.
Seek and cultivate beauty.
Take time to breathe deeply.
Look at some old photos.
Focus on the positive.
Forgive yourself.
Get some fresh air.
Eat often and eat light.
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor.
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal.
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit.
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way.
Have confidence.
Talk with your spouse.
Fake it till you make it.
Sign a song out loud.
Tap into your creative side.
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga.
Inhale a calming scent.
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep.
Brainstorm a problem for solutions.
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends.
Watch a good non-violent movie.
Work in the garden.
Cool down strong emotions.
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat.
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps.
Avoid watching the news for a week.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Focus on past successes, not failures.
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem.
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body.
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events.
Spend less, avoid shopping.
Punch a bag or bang on a drum.
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing.
Go easy on yourself and yield.
Count your blessings.
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath.
Get relevant and accurate information.
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals.
Adapt, adapt, adapt.
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument.
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood.
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems.
Read something inspiring.
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Seek spiritual support or pray.
Evaluate and revise your goals.
Pet your dog or cat and care for them.
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport.
Try fasting or staying up all night.
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time.
Forgive and forget.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Dance till you are tired.
Stop using any recreational drugs.
Spend some time with children.
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims.
Enjoy a refreshing drink.
Make someone laugh.
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea.
Less talk and more doing.
Get up, dress up, and show up.
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books.
Be less self-centered and selfish.
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness.
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize an inspirational saying, prayer, poem, or quote.
Call or visit a sick person.

- Michael P. Garofalo, Ways to Lift Your Spirits, 9/15/2011, 3 pages PDF format

Some Principles of Whitehead's Thinking

1. Question the assumptions of your community, your society, your religion, your science, your educational institutions, especially those that are rarely mentioned.
2. Question the dominant media, asking who controls it and what they want you to think.
3. Recognize that a serious answer to any important question brings into view lots of other questions.
4. When people appeal to mystery, consider that it may be mystification. Push critical thought as far as you can.
5. Recognize that the wider range of influences on an event or person that you consider, the better you understand that event or person.
6. Recognize that the broader you consideration of the context and of the likely consequences of your action, the better chance that you will make the right choice.
7. Realize that all your ideas and values are influenced by your particular situation, but refuse to conclude that for this reason they can be dismissed as merely "relative."
8. Recognize that there may be no actions that are completely harmless, but do not let that prevent you for acting decisively.
9. Understand that compassion is the most basic aspect of our experience, and seek to liberate and extend your compassion to all with which you come in contact.
10. Deepen you commitments to your own immediate communities, but always remember that other communities make similar demands on their members. Let you ultimate commitment be all-inclusive."
- By John B. Cobb, Jr., What would Whitehead Think?

Metta (Loving-Kindness) Sutra

"This is what should be done
By one who is killed in goodness,
And who knows the paths of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be born,
May all beings be at ease.

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill will
Wish harm on another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Free from hatred and ill will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding,
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world."

- This traditional Buddhist Scripture was found in "Awakening to the Sacred" by Lama Surya Das, 1999, p. 301

       Alternate translations: Ñanamoli | Amaravati | Piyadassi | Thanissaro
         This scripture is part of the Pāli Canon, Written in 29 BCE at the Fourth Buddhist Council.
         The Buddhist communities Oral traditions of recitations, stories, poems, memorization of
         aphorisms, sermons, lectures, admonitions, and rules began around 470 BCE.

Here is a one page PDF printable copy of the Metta Sutra, 1999 English Version.

Tenets of Zen

1.   The realities of the life are most truly seen in everyday things and actions.
2.   Everything exists according to its own nature. One individual perceptions of worth, correctness,
      beauty, size, and value exist inside our heads, not outside them.
3.   Everything exists in relation to other things.
4.   The self and the rest of the universe are not separate entities but one functioning whole.
5.   Man arises from nature and gets along most effectively by collaborating with nature,
      rather than by trying to master it.
6.   There is no ego in the sense of an endlessly enduring, unchanging private soul or personality that
      temporarily inhabits the body.
7.   True insight does not issue from specialized knowledge, from membership in coteries, from doctrines
      or dogmas. It comes from the preconscious intuitions of one's whole being, from one's own code.
8.   In emptiness, forms are born. When one becomes empty of the assumptions, inferences, and
      judgments he has acquired over the years, he comes close to his original nature and is capable
      of conceiving original ideas and reacting freshly.
9.   Being a spectator while one is also a participant spoils one's performance.
10. Security and changelessness are fabricated by the ego-dominated mind and do not exist in nature.
      To accept insecurity and commit oneself to the unknown creates a relaxing faith in the universe.
11. One can live only in the present moment.
12. Living process and words about it are not the same and should not be treated equal in worth.
13. When we perceive the incongruity between theories about life and what we feel intuitively to
       be true on the nonverbal, nonjudging plane, there is nothing to do but laugh.
14. Zen art has this characteristic quality, that it can fuse delight in a work of visual art, knowledge of life,
      and personal experiences and intuitions into one creative event.
15. Each of us develops into a unique individual who enters into unique transactions with the world as it
      exists for him.

- Stewart W. Holmes and Chimyo Horioka, Zen Art for Meditation, 1973

Spirit of Gardening

- The Six Principles for Enlightened Living Dharma Talk (Mayahana Buddhism)

Disputing Irrational Beliefs:
Questions to Ask Yourself

"1. What self-defeating irrational belief do I want to dispute and surrender?
2. Can I rationally support this belief?
3. What evidence exists of the falseness of this belief?
4. Does any evidence exist for the truth of this belief?
5. What are the worst things that could actually happen to me if I don't get
what I think I must (or do get what I think I must not get)?
6. What good things could I make happen if I don't get what I think I must
(or do get what I think I must not get)?"

- Albert Ellis, The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998.

Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu

For each of the 81 Chapters:
25 English Translations
5 Spanish Translations
Chinese Characters
Pinyin & Wade-Giles
Concordance
Bibliography & Links
Directory
Commentary
Chapter Indexes

Daodejing 81 Website

Tao Te Ching Chapter Number Index Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE Compilation and Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo Concordance
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50
51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70
71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80
81

The Four Tattvas

Integrity
Authenticity
Responsibility
Enriching

- Swami Nithyanandaji

The Work: Identifying, Questioning, and Turning Around a Stressful Thought or Belief

Is the thought or belief true?
How can I absolutely know that the thought or belief is true? What evidence or facts can justify saying the thought or belief is true?
How do I react and what happens when I have that thought or belief?
Who would I be without the thought? How would my life be better or improve without the belief or thought.
How can I turn-around, reverse the thought, change the thought, modify the thought or belief, use different language to describe the thought, reverse its truth value, not take it personally, reject the thought or belief, trick myself into thinking otherwise, or go beyond the thought or belief.

- Refer to "The Work" by Byron Kathleen Mitchell.

Daily Resolutions

"I am a seeker of truth on a spiritual journey. I believe life has sacred meaning and purpose.
May my behavior today express my deepest beliefs.
May I approach each and every task today with quiet impeccability.
May I be a simple, humble, and kind presence on the earth today.
May I see the Divine Nature in all beings today.
May I be grateful today to those who came before me, and may I make the roads smoother
for those who will travel them after me.
May I leave each place at least a little better than I found it today.
May I truly cherish this day, knowing that it may be my last.
May I remember, remember, remember, not to forget, forget, forget."

- Bo Lozoff, It's a Meaningful Life: It Just Takes Practice

The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism

Right Understanding
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

- Noble Eightfold Path, Wikipedia

Chen Tai Chi Chuan Training Code of Ethics
Chen Family Taijiquan Ancestral Law (Men Gui)

Virtues: Decorous, Respectful, Just, Upright, Kind, Noble, Magnanimous, Courageous, Honest, Trustworthy, Sincere, Virtuous
Vices: Evil, Undependability, Cunning, Recklessness, Deviance, Duplicity, Exaggeration, Immorality, Deceit, Dishonesty, Arrogance, Cruelty

- Davidine Siaw-Voon Sim, Chen Style Taijiquan, 2002, p. 214

How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

"There are three levels of change: outcome change, process change, and identity change.
The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.
Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.
The real reason habits matter is not because the can get you better results (although they can do that),
but because they can change your beliefs about yourself.
The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.
Decide on the person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.
Your habits are how you embody your identity."
- James Clear, Atomic Habits, 2018, Chapter 2 Willpower: Actions, Doing, Becoming

Qualities of Self-Actualizing Persons

Truth: honest, reality, beauty, pure, clean and unadulterated completeness
Goodness: rightness, desirability, uprightness, benevolence, honesty
Beauty: rightness, form, aliveness, simplicity, richness, wholeness, perfection, completion,
Wholeness: unity, integration, tendency to oneness, interconnectedness, simplicity, organization, structure, order, not dissociated, synergy
Dichotomy-transcendence: acceptance, resolution, integration, polarities, opposites, contradictions
Aliveness: process, not-deadness, spontaneity, self-regulation, full-functioning
Unique: idiosyncrasy, individuality, non comparability, novelty
Perfection: nothing superfluous, nothing lacking, everything in its right place, just-rightness, suitability, justice
Necessity: inevitability: it must be just that way, not changed in any slightest way
Completion: ending, justice, fulfillment
Justice: fairness, suitability, disinterestedness, non partiality,
Order: lawfulness, rightness, perfectly arranged
Simplicity: nakedness, abstract, essential skeletal, bluntness
Richness: differentiation, complexity, intricacy, totality
Effortlessness: ease; lack of strain, striving, or difficulty
Playfulness: fun, joy, amusement
Self-sufficiency: autonomy, independence, self-determining.
- Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), Toward a Psychology of Being, 1968
Abraham Maslow by Dr. George Boeree, Meta-Needs
Abraham Maslow - Wikipedia

Principles of Enlightened Living - The Six Buddhist Paramitas (Perfections)

1.   Dana Paramita: the perfection of generosity. Unattached generosity, boundless openness, unconditional love.
       Open heart, open mind, open hand.
2.   Sila Paramita: virtue, morality.
3.   Shanti Paramita: patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance.
4.   Virya Paramita: energy, diligence, courage, enthusiasm, effort.
5.   Dhyana Paramita: meditation, absorption, concentration, contemplation.
6.   Prajna Paramita: transcendental wisdom."

The Ten Paramitas of Buddhism

Dāna pāramī : generosity, giving of oneself, charity, altruism
Sīla pāramī : virtue, morality, proper conduct, ethics
Nekkhamma pāramī : renunciation, simplicity, letting go, not-doing (wu-wei)
Paññā pāramī : transcendental wisdom, insight, enlightenment
Viriya pāramī : energy, diligence, vigor, effort
Khanti pāramī : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
Sacca pāramī : truthfulness, honesty, fidelity, correctness
Adhitthāna pāramī : determination, resolution, intention, willpower
Mettā pāramī : loving-kindness, love, compassion, not harming
Upekkhā pāramī : equanimity, calmness, peace, serenity

- Pāramitā (Sanskrit) or Pāramī (Pāli) is "perfection, completedness, virtue."

The Ten Paramitas: Transformational Practices for Realizing an Enlightened Heart-Mind

The Seven Holy Virtues

"1. Humility: modesty, selflessness, respectful, not prideful or vain.
2. Kindness: compassion, friendliness, gentleness, harming none, sympathy without prejudice.
3. Patience: forbearance, endurance, composure, forgiveness, not angry.
4. Diligence: energetic, decisive, careful, attentive, enthusiasm, working, zeal, not lazy.
5. Liberality: generosity, giving, charity, Sermon on the Mount, vigilance, not covetous or envious.
6. Abstinence: restraint, moderation, temperance, self-control, mindful, abstinence, not lacking sensual self-control.
7. Chastity: sexual self-control, purity, cleanliness, not lustful."

- Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. 410 CE), Psychomachia and Dante Aligihieri's (c 1315 CE), Divine Comedy

How to Sleep Better Each Day

Follow a schedule and routine for sleep
Wake up at the same time each day
Don't toss and turn in bed, get up
Create positive thoughts about your bed
Don’t use stimulants: drugs, ideas, worry
Get enough sunlight during the day
Get enough exercise during the day
Avoid foods that prevent sleep
Dispell negative thoughts about your sleep quality
Alcohol or drugs might reduce your sleep
Don’t drink liquids a few hours before sleeping
Take only 1 nap each day before sunset
Turn off the television or radio or pod-cast
Bathe if dirty, and change into clean pajamas
Listen only to soft, gentle, relaxing instrumental music
Do any gentle stretching or yoga well before sleeping
Sleep in a cooler room
Reduce, avoid, dim, or turn off any lights in bedroom
Don’t look at clocks if you awaken
Use pillows or bolsters to relieve bodily discomfort
Use clean sheets, covers, pillows and mattress
Don’t work in bed
Reduce reading books or eReader in bed
Sexual activity may or may not help you sleep
Excessive sex will keep you awake
Use techniques to turn off your thinking
Go to bed when you are becoming sleepy
Might help to go to bed at the same time
Don’t talk a lot or write in bed
You do not need 8 hours of sleep each day
Try changing the smell of your bedroom
Use cognitive behavior therapy to improve your sleep
Don’t over-sleep beyond your normal wake up time
Keep bugs out of your sleeping area
Don't pressure yourself about not sleeping deeply
Other people need to be quiet from 9 pm to 5 am
Some people favor a cup of warm soporific tea
Use a smart watch (e.g., Fitbit 5) to track your sleep
There are many soporific medicines available, but avoid
Sleep apnea sometimes can be helped with equipment
Some people elevate the upper torso and sleep better
Don't get into arguments before bedtime

- Michael P. Garofalo, 2022 Cloud Hands Blog

Key Themes for American Pragmatist Philosophers

Subjects or themes or causes that many pragmatists have considered,
deemed of some good value in their lives, committed to,
were concerned or cared about, and supported or defended or championed include:
democracy, diligent practice, education, experiential learning, evolutionary theory, fallibilism,
freedom, free thought, hope, humanism, instrumentalism, logic, logical empiricism, meliorism,
naturalism, pluralism, progressivism, relativism, secularism, scientific method, spirituality,
verification, and ordinary language philosophical investigations and enquiries.

Subjects or themes or causes that many pragmatists have criticized,
found of little or poor value in their lives, uncommitted from,
were uncomfortable with, cautioned against, denied, campaigned against, or rejected include:
absolutism, authoritarianism, certainty, Christian or Islamic State, communism,
creationism, divine revelation, dualism, fascism, foundationalism, fundamentalism,
innate ideas, idealism, intuitionalism, scholasticism, solipsism.

- Michael P. Garofalo, American Pragmatist Philosophy

Blessings for All

"May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart ...something good is going to happen to you.
May you find harmony between your soul and your life.
May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.
May you know the eternal longing that lies at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you be set free from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you,
mind you, and embrace you in belonging.
- John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us, 2008

Aging - Bibliography, Links, Resources

The Path Towards Spiritual Transformation

1. We admit the fact that our ordinary human condition, based on the dualistic perception of life, is a stubborn habit that we normally conceal from ourselves through denial.

2. We begin to look and ask for guidance in our effort to cultivate a new outlook that embraces the spiritual vision of the interconnectedness of all existence. The means of doing so are varied from supportive spiritual environments to uplifting books.

3. We initiate positive changes in our behavior, which affirm that new outlook. It is not enough to read and talk about spiritual principles. Spirituality is intrinsically a practical affair.

4. We practice self-understanding: that is, we accept conscious responsibility for noticing our automatic programs and where the fall short of our new understanding of life.

5. We make a commitment to undergoing the catharsis, or purification, necessary to change our old cognitive and emotional patterns and stabilize the new outlook and disposition, replacing the old egoic habit of splitting everything into irreconcilable opposites with and integrative attitude.

6. We learn to be flexible and open to life so that we can continue to learn and grow on the basis of our new outlook.

7. We practice humility in the midst of our endeavors to mature spirituality. In this way we avoid the danger of psychic inflation.

8. We assume responsibility for what we have understood about life and the principles of spiritual recovery, applying our understanding to all our relationships so that we can be a benign influence in the world.

9. Guided by our new outlook, we work on the integration of our multiply divided psyche.

10. We cultivate real self-discipline in all matters, great and small.

11. We increasingly practice spiritual communion, which opens us to that dimension of existence where we are all connected. Through such communion and through continued growth in self-understanding, we become transparent to ourselves.

12. We open ourselves to the possibility of bliss, the breakthrough of the transcendental reality into our consciousness, whereby th ego principles is unhinged and we fully recover our spiritual identity. Through this awakening the world becomes transparent to us and we are made whole.

- Georg Feuerstein, The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga: Theory and Practice, 2003.

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

1. Mindfulness
2. Effort and Energy
3. Investigation
4. Rapture
5. Concentration
6. Tranquility
7. Equanimity

- Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation, 1987, pp.61-77. Buddhism

Pragmatism Epicureanism Stoicism Buddhism Taoism Yoga Hedonism

Advice Aging Balance Beauty Bibliography Body-Mind Broad Minded

Cheerfulness Contemplation Conservation Dharmapada Sutra Enlightenment

Equanimity Fitness Five Senses Friendship Gardening Generosity

Gratitude Habits Happiness Hospitality Learning Links Manliness

Memory Mindfulness Moderation Movement Open Minded Paramitas

Pragmatism Patience Persistence Philosophy Play Pleasures

Reason Reciprocity Self-Reliance Sensory Pleasures Simplicity

Solitude Soma-Aesthetics Thinking Tolerance Tranquility Transformation

Vigor Vision Willpower Wonder Work Zen Precepts Virtue Ethics

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise and Respected Persons

A Process for Changing Your Life

1. Stepladders
2. Community
3. Important
4. Easy
5. Neurohacks
6. Captivating
7. Engrained

- Sean Young, PhD. Stick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life - For Good, 2017. Note.

Four Agreements

"1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best."
- Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, 1997

The Industrious Life by Benjamin Franklin

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man heathy, wealthy and wise.
Diligence is the mother of good luck.
God helps them that help themselves.
At the working man’s house hunger looks in, but dares not enter.
For industry pays debts, while despair increaseth them.
By diligence and patience the mouse ate in two the cable.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.
Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease.
Many, without labor, would live by their wits only, but they break for want of stock.
Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all things easy.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used key is always bright.
There will be sleeping enough in the grave.
Lost time is never found again.
Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes him.
Industry need not wish, and he that lives upon hopes will die fasting.
Ploughing deep, while sluggards sleep.
Handle your tools without mittens; the cat in gloves catches no mice.
Constant dropping wears away stones.
A ploughing on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees."

- Benjamin Franklin's (1706-1790) Maxims from Poor Richard's Almanac
Regarding Work, Effort, Diligence and Industry

Lakota Code of Ethics

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul.
3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone.
Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.
5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth – whether it be people or plant.
7. Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.
8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.
9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.
10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.
11. Nature is not for us, it is a part of us. They are part of your worldly family.
12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.
13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.
15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need to be strong, pure and healthy.
Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.
17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others – especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.
18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.
19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.
20. Share your good fortune with others.

- Native American Wisdom from the Lakota People

Prime Your Mind with Guiding Rhymes:

Find some beauty, it’s your duty.
Try your best to avoid excess.
Handle tools with respectful rules.
Get your ass moving or you’ll be losing.
Take the halo off your heroes.
Consider others as your brothers.
Your purpose in life should guide you right.
Walk your talk.
Be at ease often, please.
A smile walks woes away for miles.
Stand tall and embrace all.
Just sit and you won’t be fit.
Smoker’s breath―coughing death.
Booze your body, bamboozle your mind.
Goodness has a portion of badness.
The seasons give us many reasons.
Insight is often hindsight.
Just one word can unravel what we heard.
We cannot resist believing fictions exist.
We relish and repeat, we link with what we like.
Rigidity is stupidity.
Jumping to conclusions―pleasing your illusions.
Resist translating the implicit into the explicit.
Slow down before you hit the ground.
Hate locks Love’s Gate.
Norms are not Eternal Forms.
Ambiguity decreases perspicuity.
Unbelieving is a source of relieving or grieving.
Right brain, left brain: tracks below our Living Trains.
You can’t hide from the Big Surprise.
Rather than cut and dried, favor the whole alive.
For growth, balance either/or with and/both.
Get work done and have some fun.
Find our common ground―look down.
Alienation begs for imaginative mediation.
Make history in some new way each day.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Pulling Onions

Ways to Make Others Feel Important

1. Use their name.
2. Express sincere gratitude.
3. Do more listening than talking.
4. Talk more about them than about you.
5. Be authentically interested.
6. Be sincere in your praise.
7. Show you care.
- Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart, 2016

Characteristics of a Wise Practical Person

"They educate themselves
They are disciplined
They admit their mistakes and learn from them
They are patient
They take instruction humbly
They can handle rejection and failure
They know that they can only control themselves
They are guided by wisdom
They know their priorities
They are trustworthy and steadfast
They take calculated risks
They make the most of their relationships
They don't live beyond their means
They don't pay full price
They don't squander money"
- By Casey Slide

Yamas and Niyamas of Hinduism

Yamas: Moral Observances and Restraints

1. Nonviolence, Not Harming, Not Killing   Ahimsa
2. Truthfulness, Not Lying, Not Gossiping, Good Speech   Satya
3. Not Stealing, Paying Debts, Not Gambling, Keeping Promises, Not Wasting   Asteya
4. Divine Conduct, Immersed in Divinity, Celibacy, Following Marriage Vows   Brahmacharya
5. Patience, Restraining Intolerance, Don't Argue, Slow Down   Kahama
6. Steadfastness, Persistence, Perseverance, Industriousness   Dhriti
7. Compassion, Kindness, Helpfulness   Daya
8. Honest, Law Abiding, Not Cheating, Fair   Arjava
9. Moderation, Proper Eating, Simplicity, Not Greedy Mithara and Aparigraha
10. Purity, Cleanliness, Proper Language, Keep Good Company   Saucha

Niyamas: Spiritual Practices, Religious Observances, Values

1. Remorse, Humility, Apologize, Acknowledge Wrongdoing, Correct Your Faults   Hri
2. Contentment, Serenity, Gratitude, Simplicity, Following Spiritual Values   Santosha
3. Giving, Charity, Liberality, Volunteer, Support Worthwhile and Spiritual Causes   Dana
4. Faith   Astikya
5. Worship, Surrender to God, Love of God Ishvara Pujana
6. Scriptural Listening   Sidhanta Shravana
7. Cognition, Self-Study, Meditation, Seek Knowledge, Follow Guru   Mati and Svadhyaya
8. Sacred Vows   Vrata
9. Recitation   Japa
10. Austerity, Fervor, Effort, Work, Energy   Tapas

- Yamas and Niyamas
    From the Indian scriptures, The Upanishads: Shandilya and the Varuha.
    From 600-100 BCE
    Hinduism's Code of Conduct

See also Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, Circa 2^nd Century CE
(Yoga Sutra, Verses 2:30 – 2:34.)

Humanist Manifesto 2000

I. Preamble. Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook that has changed the world. Its heritage traces back to the philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in classical India. Humanist artists, writers, scientists, and thinkers have been shaping the modern era for over half a millennium. Indeed, humanism and modernism have often seemed synonymous for humanist ideas and values express a renewed confidence in the power of human beings to solve their own problems and conquer uncharted frontiers.

II. Prospects for a Better Future. For the first time in human history we possess the means provided by science and technology to ameliorate the human condition, advance happiness and freedom, and enhance human life for all people on this planet.

III. Scientific Naturalism. The unique message of humanism on the current world scene is its commitment to scientific naturalism. Most world views accepted today are spiritual, mystical, or theological in character. They have their origins in ancient pre-urban, nomadic, and agricultural societies of the past, not in the modern industrial or postindustrial global information culture that is emerging. Scientific naturalism enables human beings to construct a coherent world view disentangled from metaphysics or theology and based on the sciences.

IV. The Benefits of Technology. Humanists have consistently defended the beneficent values of scientific technology for human welfare. Philosophers from Francis Bacon to John Dewey have emphasized the increased power over nature that scientific knowledge affords and how it can contribute immeasurably to human advancement and happiness.

V. Ethics and Reason. The realization of the highest ethical values is essential to the humanist outlook. We believe that growth of scientific knowledge will enable humans to make wiser choices. In this way there is no impenetrable wall between fact and value, is and ought. Using reason and cognition will better enable us to appraise our values in the light of evidence and by their consequences.

VI. A Universal Commitment to Humanity as a Whole. The overriding need of the world community today is to develop a new Planetary Humanism—one that seeks to preserve human rights and enhance human freedom and dignity, but also emphasizes our commitment to humanity as a whole. The underlying ethical principle of Planetary Humanism is the need to respect the dignity and worth of all persons in the world community.

VII. A Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. To fulfill our commitment to Planetary Humanism, we offer a Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, which embodies our planetary commitment to the well-being of humanity as a whole. It incorporates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but goes beyond it by offering some new provisions. Many independent countries have sought to implement these provisions within their own national borders. But there is a growing need for an explicit Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities that applies to all members of the human species.

VIII. A New Global Agenda. Many of the high ideals that emerged following the Second World War, and that found expression in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have waned through the world. If we are to influence the future of humankind, we will need to work increasingly with and through the new centers of power and influence to improve equity and stability, alleviate poverty, reduce conflict, and safeguard the environment.

IX. The Need for New Planetary Institutions. The urgent question in the twenty-first century is whether humankind can develop global institutions to address these problems. Many of the best remedies are those adopted on the local, national, and regional level by voluntary, private, and public efforts. One strategy is to seek solutions through free-market initiatives; another is to use international voluntary foundations and organizations for educational and social development. We believe, however, that there remains a need to develop new global institutions that will deal with the problems directly and will focus on the needs of humanity as a whole. These include the call for a bicameral legislature in the United Nations, with a World Parliament elected by the people, an income tax to help the underdeveloped countries, the end of the veto in the Security Council, an environmental agency, and a world court with powers of enforcement.

X. Optimism about the Human Prospect. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as members of the human community on this planet we need to nurture a sense of optimism about the human prospect. Although many problems may seem intractable, we have good reasons to believe that we can marshal our talent to solve them, and that by goodwill and dedication a better life will be attainable by more and more members of the human community. Planetary humanism holds forth great promises for humankind. We wish to cultivate a sense of wonder and excitement about the potential opportunities for realizing enriched lives for ourselves and for generations yet to be born.

- Humanist Manifesto 2000, A Call for a New Planetary Humanism

Drafted by Professor Paul Kurtz, International Academy of Humanism, USA

Who is a Good Critical Thinker?

"Today, especially, we all need to become philosophers, to develop a philosophical framework. Critical thinking is a modern reworking of a philosophical perspective. Who would you identify as expert critical thinkers? To qualify, the people you identify should have lively, energetic minds that generally display the following qualities:

Open-minded: In discussions they listen carefully to every viewpoint, evaluating each perspective carefully and fairly.

Knowledgeable: When they offer an opinion, it's always based on facts or evidence. On the other hand, if they lack knowledge of the subject, they acknowledge this.

Mentally Active: The take initiative and actively use their intelligence to confront problems and meet challenges, instead of simply responding to events.

Curious: They explore situations with probing questions that penetrate beneath the surface of issues, instead of being satisfied with superficial explanations.

Independent Thinkers: They are not afraid to disagree with the group opinion. The develop well-supported beliefs through thoughtful analysis, instead of uncritically "borrowing" the beliefs of others or simply going along with the crowd.

Skilled Discussants: They are able to discuss ideas in and organized and intelligent way. Even when the issues are controversial, they listen carefully to opposing viewpoints and respond thoughtfully.

Insightful: They are able to get to the heart of the issue or problem. While others may be distracted by details they are able to zero in on the essence, seeing the "forest" as well as the "trees."

Self-aware: They are aware of their own biases and are quick to point them out and take them into consideration when analyzing a situation.

Creative: They can break out of established patterns of thinking and approach situations from innovative directions.

Passionate: They have a passion for understanding and are always striving to see issues and problems with more clarity."

- John Chaffee, The Thinker's Way: 8 Steps to a Richer Life, 1998, p.36

Traits and Behaviors of Mental Heath

"Although no group of authorities fully agree on a definition of the term mental health, it seems seems to include several traits and behaviors that are frequently endorsed by leading theorists and therapists (e.g., Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Rudolf Dreikurs, Fritz Perls, Abraham Maslow, Marie Jahoda, Carl Rodgers, Rollo May, Albert Ellis, etc.). These include such traits as self-interest, self-direction, social interest, tolerance, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, flexibility, acceptance of social reality, commitment, risk taking, self-acceptance, rationality and scientific thinking. Not all mentally healthy individuals possess the highest degree of these traits at all times, but when people seriously lack them or when they have extreme opposing behaviors, we often consider them to be at least somewhat emotionally disturbed.

Self Interest: Emotionally healthy people are primarily true to themselves and do not subjugate themselves or unduly sacrifice themselves for others. Realizing that if they do not primarily take care of themselves no one else will, they tend to put themselves first, a few selected others a close second, and the rest of the world not too far behind.

Self-Direction: Mentally healthy people largely assume responsibility for their own lives, enjoy the independence of mainly working out their own problems, and, while at times wanting or preferring the help of others, do not think that they absolutely must have such support for their effectiveness and well-being.

Social Interest: Emotionally and mentally healthy people are normally gregarious and decide to try to live happily in a social group. Because they want to live successfully with others, and usually to relate intimately to a few of these selected others, they work at feeling and displaying a considerable degree of social interest and interpersonal competence.

Tolerance: Emotionally healthy people tend to give other humans the right to be wrong. While disliking or abhorring other's behavior, they refuse to condemn them as total persons for performing poor behavior. They fully accept the fact that all humans seem to be remarkably fallible; they refrain from unrealistically demanding and commanding that any of them be perfect; and they desist from damning people in toto when they err.

Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty: Emotionally mature individuals accept the fact that, as far as has yet been discovered, we live in a world of probability and chance, where there are not, and probably ever will be, absolute necessities or complete certainties. Living in such a world is not only tolerable but, in terms of adventure, learning and striving, can even be very exciting and pleasurable.

Flexibility: Emotionally sound people are intellectually flexible, tend to be open to change at all times, and are prone to take an unbigoted (or at least less bigoted) view of the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things in the world around them. They can be firm and passionate in their thoughts and feelings, and they comfortably look at new evidence and often revise their notions of "reality" to conform with this evidence.

Acceptance of Social Reality: Emotionally healthy people, it almost goes without saying, accept was is going on in the world. This means several important things: (1) they have a reasonably good perception of social reality and do not see things that do not exist and do not refuse to see things that do; (2) they find various aspects of life, in accordance with their own goals and inclination, "good" and certain aspects "bad" ─ but they accept both these aspects, without exaggerating the "good" ones and without denying or whining about the "bad" ones; (3) they do their best to work at changing those aspects of life they view as "bad," to accept those they cannot change, and to acknowledge the difference between the two.

Commitment: Emotionally healthy and happy people are usually absorbed in something outside of themselves, whether this be people, things, or ideas. They seem to live better lives when they have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which they make very important to themselves and around which the structure a good part of their lives.

Risk Taking: Emotionally sound people are able to take risks. They ask themselves what they would really like to do in life, and then try to do it, even though they have to risk defeat or failure. They are reasonably adventurous (though not foolhardy); are will to try almost anything once, if only to see how they like it; and look forward to different or unusual breaks in their usual routines.

Self-Acceptance: People who are emotionally healthy are usually glad to be alive and to accept themselves as "deserving" of continued life and happiness just because they exist and because they have some present or future potential to enjoy themselves. They fully or unconditionally accept themselves. They try to perform competently in their affairs and win the approval and love of others; but they do so for enjoyment and not for ego gratification or self-deification.

Rationality and Scientific Thinking: Emotionally stable people are reasonably objective, rational, and scientific. They not only construct reasonable and empirically substantiated theories relating to what goes on in the surrounding world (and with their fellow creatures who inhabit this world), but they are also able to supply the rules of logic and of the scientific method to their own lives and their interpersonal relationships. "

- Albert Ellis, Ph.D. The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998, pp. 235-252. Based on the 1962 essay titled "The Case Against Religion: A Psychotherapist's View."

"The philosopher should be a man willing to listen to every suggestion, but determined to judge for himself. He should not be biased by appearances, have no favorite hypothesis, be of no school, and in doctrine have no master. He should not be a respecter of persons, but of things. Truth should be his primary object. If to these qualities be added industry, he may indeed hope to walk within the veil of the temple of Nature."
- Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

“To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”
- Henry David Thoreau

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I, who make no other profession, find in myself such infinite depth and variety, that what I have learned bears no other fruit than to make me realize how much I still have to learn. To my weakness, so often perceived, I owe my inclination to coolness in my opinions and any hatred for that aggressiveness and quarrelsome arrogance that believes and trusts wholly in itself, a mortal enemy of discipline and truth."
- Michel de Montaigne, "Of Experience," 1588

“That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.”
- Robert Louis Stevenson

“Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationships, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Core of the Teachings

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people ... re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss what insults your very soul, and your very flesh will become a great poem."
- Walt Whitman

"Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living."
- Albert Einstein

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"John Dewey's program for philosophers is that they directly confront the major problems and beliefs of our society, make explicit use of our value assumptions, project alternatives of social choice, investigate methods of investigation, formulate a theory of inquiry that may aid in overcoming intellectual confusions, and furnish, if possible, intelligent grounds of action in meeting the times and its troubles."
- John Dewey: An Intellectual Portrait by Sidney Hook, 1939

“The characteristics of healthy boundaries include self-respect; non-tolerance of abuse or disrespect; responsibility for exploring and nurturing personal potential; two-way communication of wants, needs, and feelings; expectations of reciprocity; and sharing responsibility and power.”
- Laurie Buchanan, PhD

"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be "happy." I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate.
It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all."
- Leo Rosten

"For all these reasons I say the philosopher remains quiet and minds his own affairs. Like someone who takes refuge under a little wall from a storm of dust or hail driven by the wind, seeing others filled with lawlessness. He is satisfied if he can somehow lead his present life free from injustice and impious acts, and depart from it with good hope, blameless and content."
- Plato, Republic 6, 496 BC

"The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones and friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure environment that fosters love, learning, laughter and mutual success. I will protect and value integrity. I will admit and quickly correct my mistakes. I will be a self-starter. I will be a caring person. I will be a good listener with an open mind. I will continue to grow and learn. I will facilitate and celebrate the success of others."
- Merlin Olsen

"The mind or the intellect, as seen in the exercise of the love of learning, shows its capacity for knowledge and understanding, for chipping away obstacles to the truth, for contemplating what is beautiful or admirable, even for being aware of the bare fact of our own mortality and fragility. ... Perhaps we ought to think of intellectual life as having not so much and object as a direction: toward the general past the specific, the universal beyond the particular, the reality behind the illusion, the beauty beneath the ugliness, the peace underneath violence─we seek the pattern in instances, the instance hidden by the pattern."
- Zena Hitz, Lost in Thought

"Common sense and a good nature will do a lot to make the pilgrimage of life not too difficult."
- William Somerset Maugham

Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo
I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care
- Epicurus, a tombstone epitaph, 4 Feb 341 - 270 BCE

Politeness, Fidelity, Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Justice, Generosity, Compassion, Mercy, Gratitude, Humility, Simplicity, Tolerance, Purity, Gentleness, Good Faith, Humor, and Love.
- André Comte-Sponville, A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life, 1996

"The 'Wise Old Man' (also called senex, sage or sophos) is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character. The wise old man can be a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment. This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor. He may occasionally appear as an absent-minded professor, appearing absent-minded due to a predilection for contemplative pursuits. The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, from those he advises. In extreme cases, he may be a liminal being, such as Merlin, who was only half human. In medieval chivalric romance and modern fantasy literature, he is often presented as a wizard. He can also or instead be featured as a hermit. This character type often explained to the knights or heroes—particularly those searching for the Holy Grail—the significance of their encounters. In storytelling, the character of the wise old man is commonly killed or in some other way removed for a time, in order to allow the hero to develop on his/her own.

In Jungian analytical psychology, senex is the specific term used in association with this archetype. In Ancient Rome, the title of Senex (Latin for old man) was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village. E xamples of the senex archetype in a positive form include the wise old man or wizard. The senex may also appear in a negative form as a devouring father (e.g. Uranus, Cronus) or a doddering fool. In the individuation process, the archetype of the Wise old man was late to emerge, and seen as an indication of the Self. 'If an individual has wrestled seriously enough and long enough with the anima (or animus) problem...the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form...as a masculine initiator and guardian (an Indian guru), a wise old man, a spirit of nature, and so forth.' The antithetical archetype, or enantiodromic opposite, of the senex is the Puer Aeternus. Example: The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove."
- Wise Old Man

This webpage emphasizes humanistic, philosophical, non-religious, non-authoritarian, pragmatic, progressive, scientific and secular viewpoints on how to live a good life. All non-religious and non-spiritual persons can develop praiseworthy, viable, constructive, tolerant, open-minded, practical, serious, and valuable ethical and moral principles; and live a good life.

Spirit of Gardening

Compiled by Mike Garofalo

Mike Garofalo at the Klickitat River in Washington, 2019

Green Way Research
Red Bluff, California, 1998-2017
Vancouver, Washington, 2017-2023

This webpage was last modified, edited, improved, expanded, reformatted, or updated on October 29, 2022.

This webpage was first published on the Internet in March of 2004.

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Compiled by Michael Garofalo, Green Way Research, Vancouver, Washington © 2004-2022 CCA 4.0

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