Ignore Others (from Sept 9th)

 "School, politics, sports, and games train us to compete against others. True rewards — wealth, knowledge, love, fitness, and equanimity — come from ignoring others and improving ourselves.”

Naval Ravikant

My thoughts: I know that there are lots of people who may not agree with the above quote, but the hate and anger that seem to be spreading globally are fueled by people blaming something outside themselves for any real or perceived injustice. Blame is a reaction to fear and it is not constructive. These are not the activities of someone who has a strong sense of self worth. If we think there are conspiracies that are out to destroy what we value then the answer is not to give it traction by making it a competition to who yells loudest, does the most damage or starts the biggest war. Who are the war heroes? They are the everyday people who know their values and live them. They are the Ghandis, Mandela's and MLK's who inspire people through their strength of belief, mind and purpose. They are not the people spewing vitriol and throwing stones. They are not the witch hunters. They are not the people pouring energy into their fears. They are the people who are living the best they can, trying to be the best they can in everyday life. They are the ones who open up hope and light for a better humanity. Imagine what this world would be like if all of us were focusing on improving ourselves and living our own values rather than needing to prove ourselves right and others wrong.

But how can we tell if we are improving ourselves if comparing ourselves to others doesn't give us the answer?? If we live in a competitive mindset we will always  be competing, and it is hard to be generous (even with ourselves) if we always need to do better than someone else. Hmmm, I have lots of thoughts lol but instead of another essay there are more quotes below

I had not heard of Naval Ravikant until I happened upon a reference to him last night, following some links after watching  Tim Ferriss: Smash fear, learn anything | TED Talk. Naval shares his wisdom for free, you can find access to at Almanack of Naval Ravikant (navalmanack.com)

More quotes by Naval Ravikant:
"Don't do things that you know are morally wrong. Not because someone is watching but because you are. Self esteem is just the reputation that you have with yourself."
"Cynicism is easy. Mimicry is easy. Optimistic contrarians are the rarest breed."
"Watch every thought. Always ask why am I having this thought?"
"Morality and ethics automatically emerge when we realize the long term consequences of our actions.”

More quotes by NR that I couldn't not share:
"If you see a get rich quick scheme, that’s someone else trying to get rich off of you."
"People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can't appreciate."

Cheers
Jeanne