My Boy

You exist, right now, in nature. You are a creature who is designed to be both competetive and cooperative, to fight as well as to love. All too often, to love your clan the better to fight others. Be aware of what you are. Try to minimize your urge to fight, and try to maximize your urge to love. And try to make your clan grow more inclusive.

Crazy and upredictable things do happen. Nature is just uncaring and goes about its business, sometimes to your detriment. That's ok, it's just the way the universe is. Harder to understand or accept is the danger posed by other people. Sometimes they behave out of ignorant tribalism, and this is at least understandable. Try to enlighten them as best you can. Other times they will behave in ways that are both irrational and harmful, worse than what any other animal is capable of. It's inexplicable and monsterous. I wish I could explain it, but nobody can.

Everybody suffers. Whatever you go through at times, remember that you are not the only one. We are all brothers and sisters in suffering. None of this woes me stuff, we are all in the same boat. So it's ok to grieve and cry, but don't put yourself on a pedatal and don't lash out. We all suffer, so you must approach your fellow creature with compassion. Each person is afraid, insecure, acting on instinct, bewildered. Or even sick and crazy. Because each one suffers, you can feel compassion and connection.

Human creatures are like any other animals, but their brains are larger. They don't like thinking of themselves as animals. They are just smart enough to complicate things, but not smart enough to figure everything out and feel at peace. This is the peculiar human dilemma.

On the other hand, we make art and poetry, contemplate meaning, are curious about how everything works. These are wonderful traits, our special creature features. The more you can dwell on these positive and beautiful parts of yourself, and encourage them in others, the better human you will be.

You are alive right now. The past does not exist. The future does not exist. Only now is.

(Pleasure, flow, and meaning. As much as you can, include these things in your everyday actions. Do things that are pleasurable. Do work in which you can achieve a flow, a state in which time seems irrelevant. And do what is meaningful.) This is easier said than done. I find meaning in behaving morally towards others, and in sharing with my family.

Recognize distractions for what they are. They are unimportant. They take your energy away from meaningful actions. Every moment is full of opportunity for joy. But you have only a finite number of moments at your disposal, not an endless supply. Get things done, as best you can, with integrity and love, right now.