Act Acting » Acting Lessons » Chimera's Unsolicited Philosophy of Life, Part I

Chimera's Unsolicited Philosophy of Life, Part I

Question:

Actually, I think I just figured out how to forward it.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stuff I learned to cope with with depression and misfortune: Life isn’t fair or just.  If anyone told you it was, they lied.  If you expect it to be fair or just, you’ll always be disappointed.  Life is a random series of events, unpredictable and uncontrollable. Flexibility, boundaries and knowledge of self are the best ways to deal with life. You deserve to be alive as much as anyone else.  You deserve comfort and peace of mind.  You deserve happiness and opportunity as much as anyone else.  Ignore those who tell you otherwise (this may take practice).  Say it over and over, no matter what.  One day you’ll believe it. Fake it ’till you make it.  Often, success comes from imagining success is possible.  Believe in your goals and they’re more likely to happen.  Be careful to make your goals attainable and progressive. Small steps are easier to climb than mountains.  There are no guarantees.  If you don’t reach your goal, take a deep breath and make another one immediately.  Chances are you’ll succeed at most of them. Other people are just as afraid of being misunderstood, rejected and lonely as you are.  Everyone has vulnerabilities and personal qualities they despise.  Everyone hides fear differently.  Some are better at eliminating the sources of fear.  Others use cruelty to hide fear.  Most people are in the middle.  Remember this next time you feel intimidated by another person. Behavior is learned.  Emotion is reaction to stimuli.  Intellect is the sum total of what we have learned, seen and experienced.  None of these things are static. Today, right now, right where you are, is the only thing you can do anything about.  Do the best you can.  You won’t be totally perfect, totally despondent, totally successful or totally incompetent forever. You’ll be whatever you are at points in time. You don’t have to take anyone else’s crap.  Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.  Learn assertiveness.  It’s the best way I’ve found to deal with other people’s crap.  Assertiveness is preserving self with minimum harm to self or others.  Trust me, you’ll earn respect and you’ll respect yourself. Learn to say No.  It’s not an obscenity. Things usually work out as they should.  Problem is we don’t always like it.  Humans are restless creatures.  We’d like to control our environment.  Forget it.  Adaptability is everything. If you believe you "should" do something, ask yourself why first. Most "should’s" are inspired by guilt, habit or fear.  Avoid "shoulds". Sometimes there is no choice but to fight.  Fight strategically and wisely.  Fight with your mind and keep your fists at your sides until you absolutely need them.  Learn and emulate fighting strategies of the wise, not the cruel.  Try to avoid impulse or extremes.  Minimize harm.  Stand your ground, even if you’re scared out of your mind. Violence causes violence; avoid it whenever possible.  If violence is unavoidable, you have every right to defend yourself as best you can. Often, the best way to fight a battle is to walk away from it. Love is the most powerful force in life.  It’s also the most confusing.  That’s why it causes as much pain as bliss.  Don’t try and understand it. What goes around comes around.  Sometimes it takes a while.  Count on it. Treat yourself as you’d want others to treat you.  Treat others as you’d like to be treated.  Do your best, anyway… we all have bad days and no one is perfect.  Keep this in mind when other people screw up. Caveat emptor.  People will sell you anything.  Only buy it if it’s useful, well-made, necessary and priced within reason.  Research large purchases, be an informed consumer.  Impulse buying isn’t horrible if it’s kept to small things within your means.  Sometimes it’s just the thing to beat the blues.   Become a bargain-hunter.  It’s great fun, you’ll save a ton and find things of surprising quality with practice. He who dies with the most toys is dead, plain and simple. Our parents are human just like us.  That’s why they screw up, injure us for life, love us more deeply than anyone else can, or act in ways we do not understand.  Right or wrong, they’ll always be the most significant people in our lives.  If they taught us screwed-up lessons, someone else taught them that same lesson.  If they hurt us, someone hurt them.  The day we are experienced enough to see our parents as equals, human and real, is the day we have found true maturity.  That’s also when we can begin to forgive them, if necessary.  Forgiveness is the break in the chain of abuse. Depression is a bona fide illness.  Living with it is complicated and frustrating.  Meds will never do it all.  Therapy is great, but there are infinite ways to cope.  Explore.  Discover and practice what works on your own.  A good therapist will encourage you to do just that.  If they don’t, find a new therapist ASAP.  They’re not acting in your best interests, they’re controlling your behavior for their own purposes.  Therapists are human just like you. What you see is what you get. Human beings are inherently selfish.  Be aware of the context of the word "selfish" in this statement.  Selfish does not always mean destructive.  Human beings are interested in survival, comfort and acceptance by other humans.   As with all else, extremes of selfishness are unhealthy.  _It is OK to be selfish within reason_. Thinking for one’s self is an affront to organized society.  Get used to it. Women are equal to men.  Men are equal to women.  The sexes _are_ different.  The differences do not mean one is superior to the other; rather, they complement one another perfectly.  Life is much easier when the essential differences are accepted and seen as equal in measure. The only human color that matters is the one we all share; blood red. People do what they know, say what they know, act as they know, believe what they are told to believe and see what they want to see. All of these things can be adapted or changed.  Change is uncomfortable, frightening and difficult, that’s why most people resist it.  Dare to be different, dare to embrace change.  It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. <$1.00 in royalties to Denise Take what you can use and leave the rest. Above all, to thine own self be true. More stuff later, when I think of it.  I have a bunch of these ideas. They were formed by experience, most of it lousy, all of it worth every minute of hell.   Owner assumes no liability.  No guarantees are stated or implied.  Try ‘em and see if they work for you.  If not, forget ‘em.  Have a nice day. — chimera                  failure is not an option

Response:

Stuff I learned to cope with with depression and misfortune:

<snipped a lot of great stuff Wow.  (I don’t have any other words for all you’ve written.) Sasha Do the thing that you believe in. Do the best you can in the place where you are and be kind. (Scott Nearing)

Response:

I totally loved what you have written; it was very inspiring to me; if you

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stuff I learned to cope with with depression and misfortune: Life isn’t fair or just.  If anyone told you it was, they lied.  If you expect it to be fair or just, you’ll always be disappointed.  Life is a random series of events, unpredictable and uncontrollable. Flexibility, boundaries and knowledge of self are the best ways to deal with life. You deserve to be alive as much as anyone else.  You deserve comfort and peace of mind.  You deserve happiness and opportunity as much as anyone else.  Ignore those who tell you otherwise (this may take practice).  Say it over and over, no matter what.  One day you’ll believe it. Fake it ’till you make it.  Often, success comes from imagining success is possible.  Believe in your goals and they’re more likely to happen.  Be careful to make your goals attainable and progressive. Small steps are easier to climb than mountains.  There are no guarantees.  If you don’t reach your goal, take a deep breath and make another one immediately.  Chances are you’ll succeed at most of them. Other people are just as afraid of being misunderstood, rejected and lonely as you are.  Everyone has vulnerabilities and personal qualities they despise.  Everyone hides fear differently.  Some are better at eliminating the sources of fear.  Others use cruelty to hide fear.  Most people are in the middle.  Remember this next time you feel intimidated by another person. Behavior is learned.  Emotion is reaction to stimuli.  Intellect is the sum total of what we have learned, seen and experienced.  None of these things are static. Today, right now, right where you are, is the only thing you can do anything about.  Do the best you can.  You won’t be totally perfect, totally despondent, totally successful or totally incompetent forever. You’ll be whatever you are at points in time. You don’t have to take anyone else’s crap.  Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.  Learn assertiveness.  It’s the best way I’ve found to deal with other people’s crap.  Assertiveness is preserving self with minimum harm to self or others.  Trust me, you’ll earn respect and you’ll respect yourself. Learn to say No.  It’s not an obscenity. Things usually work out as they should.  Problem is we don’t always like it.  Humans are restless creatures.  We’d like to control our environment.  Forget it.  Adaptability is everything. If you believe you "should" do something, ask yourself why first. Most "should’s" are inspired by guilt, habit or fear.  Avoid "shoulds". Sometimes there is no choice but to fight.  Fight strategically and wisely.  Fight with your mind and keep your fists at your sides until you absolutely need them.  Learn and emulate fighting strategies of the wise, not the cruel.  Try to avoid impulse or extremes.  Minimize harm.  Stand your ground, even if you’re scared out of your mind. Violence causes violence; avoid it whenever possible.  If violence is unavoidable, you have every right to defend yourself as best you can. Often, the best way to fight a battle is to walk away from it. Love is the most powerful force in life.  It’s also the most confusing.  That’s why it causes as much pain as bliss.  Don’t try and understand it. What goes around comes around.  Sometimes it takes a while.  Count on it. Treat yourself as you’d want others to treat you.  Treat others as you’d like to be treated.  Do your best, anyway… we all have bad days and no one is perfect.  Keep this in mind when other people screw up. Caveat emptor.  People will sell you anything.  Only buy it if it’s useful, well-made, necessary and priced within reason.  Research large purchases, be an informed consumer.  Impulse buying isn’t horrible if it’s kept to small things within your means.  Sometimes it’s just the thing to beat the blues.   Become a bargain-hunter.  It’s great fun, you’ll save a ton and find things of surprising quality with practice. He who dies with the most toys is dead, plain and simple. Our parents are human just like us.  That’s why they screw up, injure us for life, love us more deeply than anyone else can, or act in ways we do not understand.  Right or wrong, they’ll always be the most significant people in our lives.  If they taught us screwed-up lessons, someone else taught them that same lesson.  If they hurt us, someone hurt them.  The day we are experienced enough to see our parents as equals, human and real, is the day we have found true maturity.  That’s also when we can begin to forgive them, if necessary.  Forgiveness is the break in the chain of abuse. Depression is a bona fide illness.  Living with it is complicated and frustrating.  Meds will never do it all.  Therapy is great, but there are infinite ways to cope.  Explore.  Discover and practice what works on your own.  A good therapist will encourage you to do just that.  If they don’t, find a new therapist ASAP.  They’re not acting in your best interests, they’re controlling your behavior for their own purposes.  Therapists are human just like you. What you see is what you get. Human beings are inherently selfish.  Be aware of the context of the word "selfish" in this statement.  Selfish does not always mean destructive.  Human beings are interested in survival, comfort and acceptance by other humans.   As with all else, extremes of selfishness are unhealthy.  _It is OK to be selfish within reason_. Thinking for one’s self is an affront to organized society.  Get used to it. Women are equal to men.  Men are equal to women.  The sexes _are_ different.  The differences do not mean one is superior to the other; rather, they complement one another perfectly.  Life is much easier when the essential differences are accepted and seen as equal in measure. The only human color that matters is the one we all share; blood red. People do what they know, say what they know, act as they know, believe what they are told to believe and see what they want to see. All of these things can be adapted or changed.  Change is uncomfortable, frightening and difficult, that’s why most people resist it.  Dare to be different, dare to embrace change.  It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. <$1.00 in royalties to Denise Take what you can use and leave the rest. Above all, to thine own self be true. More stuff later, when I think of it.  I have a bunch of these ideas. They were formed by experience, most of it lousy, all of it worth every minute of hell.   Owner assumes no liability.  No guarantees are stated or implied.  Try ‘em and see if they work for you.  If not, forget ‘em.  Have a nice day. — chimera                  failure is not an option

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