The other day during yoga, we were invited by our teacher to meditate on the acts of both kindness and unfriendliness we had experienced during the last couple of weeks. ((This exercise in itself was quite interesting: Some participants barely could remember a negative encounter, while others had trouble to recall even a single little […]
All posts filed under ‘Beyond Rules’
Ideal Conditions
As promised, here’s a bad piece of good advice: ((Or, vice-versa!)) Create ideal conditions. Before you even start something, make it fail-proof. Waiting for ideal conditions can be either blazingly smart or sheepishly stupid, and it shows perfectly how good advice really is a mixed bag. Let’s take an example… say, writing a book. You […]
Good Advice
One thing I hate is good advice. Especially when it’s unsolicited. But even when it’s not. Good advice is a killer. And certainly not in the “excellent, outstanding, extreemely satisfying [sic!]” kind of way. Rather in the “Charles Manson is coming to your barbecue and he isn’t bringing booze” kind of way. Anyway, good advice. […]
Superheroes and Self-Reliance
“I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, that I will do strongly before the sun and moon whatever inly rejoices me, and the heart appoints.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance Let’s assume for a moment that you have a couple of funky superpowers: You can […]
Kind Beyond Rules
Here’s the Beyond Rules approach to life: You can do whatever you want, as long as it makes someone else’s life a little better. Kurt Vonnegut said it best: “There’s only one rule I know of: goddamn it, you’ve got to be kind.” One simple fact: The world is what we make it. One simple […]