Moderate your intellectual capacity. Philosophy in absolutes and holding to comprehension without ever taking into consideration the viewpoints and perspective of others is a sure way to live a life without peace. This type of activist thinking usually leads to reactive, hasty, and driven behavior that lacks the benefit of reflection and deliberative thinking. Whereas this may be convenient because it allows you to act with the confidence of absolute conviction, it blocks out other realities in the world and can easily lead you into conflict when other people fail to agree with your convictions. It is harder work to remain open-minded and ready to review your understandings, yet it is more rewarding because you will grow as a person and live in greater harmony with those around you. Moderate your absolute convictions by always being ready to question and to reflect. Accept that your belief(s), faith, passion(s), or opinion(s) are but some among many other belief(s), faith, passion(s), and opinion(s) in the world. Go after an ethic of self-control that values human dignity and worth; go behind the one true absolute, which is to treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. Locate a variety of things to do in your life if you are finding yourself slipping into excessive stance about other people. It is hard to be effusive when you are busy doing a range of things and seeing a wide range of people from all walks of life. Promote your sense of humor. Humor is a peace-lovers beguiling charm; few fanatics are ever humorous because they are too busy taking themselves and their cause too seriously. Humor allows you to release tension and to show up the repressive tendencies of extremist thinking. Tolerance in all that you think and do will make a difference in your life and in the lives of others around you. Tolerance for other(s) is about appreciating diversity, the plurality of modern society, and being willing to live and let others live too. When we fail to tolerate other(s) belief(s), ways of being, and opinion(s), the end result can be inequity, repression, dehumanization, and ultimately violence. Enthusiastic tolerance is at the heart of living peacefully. Rather than jumping to negative conclusions about other people, change your own perspective and nourish the good in others. In changing your perspective of others, you can initiate change in their own self-perception and instead of seeing someone as stupid or incompetent, start calling them intelligent, effective, and clever. This will nourish them and encourage them to live up to the good you perceive in them. Seeing others as interesting, special, and caring beings underneath their boasting, anger, and ordeal, can bring about a great alteration for the better.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 03:59:08 +0000