An enlightened being sees their agony without diminishing its reality. In other words, it doesn’t just turn away from it—but, on the other hand, simultaneously sees everything, including that agony [and] including hell, actually, as bubbles of bliss in an ocean of bliss. That’s the kind of cognitive dissonance that the ordinary mind cannot get... See more
A recent study found that “Wisdom is the best predictor of life satisfaction in both men and women and can offset the influence of negative age on life satisfaction. Wisdom has a greater influence on life satisfaction in older adulthood than health, socioeconomic status, financial situation, environment, or social engagement.”
Like the Stoics and Daoists, I want to put my focus on wisdom so that a “wise agency” can emerge. This would mean people take the right action and get the right things done, in whatever domain they find themselves.
According to Igor Grossmann1, a Toronto-based psychologist and wisdom researcher, perspective-taking is necessary for wisdom. At the heart of wisdom is what he calls “perspectival meta-cognition,” which includes the ability to consider multiple viewpoints. This can be dangerous to agency maximizers, as it risks disrupting the clarity that a... See more
Don't forget to fertilize your environment. It's that simple. Spread kind words and respect to everyone you meet. Only then can the meadow around you flourish. This is needed more than ever.