IMMUTABLE LIFE LESSONS: FROM A WISE OLD SAGE
You require a quiet moment of contemplation not only to read these wise sayings but to contemplate them. Do not reject them if you disagree. Hold them close to your heart and you shall realize their usefulness when you get to my age.
I have taken much time to find the right words. I have carefully noted them down over the past half-century of active life. My sole objective is to impart Wisdom to those younger than me. “Older than you by a day, is wiser than you by a year” is an old Levantine saying passed down over the generations. Hold on to it.
I assumed responsibilities at the tender age of 7. My world fell apart at 11 at the threshold of puberty. It was a double trauma for starters. I anxiously waited until 17 to take full responsibility for myself. All this time and every stage of my trajectory, I sought to shelter my sibling from the traumas, absences, and lack that I faced. I tried more than my best to bond, protect, and shelter my fragmented family. Unfortunately, I only neglected myself in the process. Not until, I was totally destroyed on every level of existence, that I came to my senses and realized that my worst enemies were within, and without.
Do not neglect that I am referring to a trajectory covering several decades of various mindsets and social etiquettes — all empty smokescreens concealing evils that I totally ignored, in an effort to dissuade their attention and judgment away from the miseries they so cherished.
Of all the sports I learned, I compare life to a boxing ring. Once in the ring of life, you have to land a few blows to protect yourself. Through my docile nature, I ignore 2 things: You have to continue giving the blows to win the fight. Or you have to use them for provocation to go for the kill. Or else, you lose, or you might not survive. But just as you land blows on your opponent, you must expect to receive some too. There is no time to nurse your wounds. You get tougher over time. I did get tougher. Instead of through force and aggression, I chose wisdom and legal strategy. It requires enormous patience, but it pays more. In the final equation, the solution is permanent. At one point, the blows stop, and you win after all the bruises!
We have no choices as we enter into this world. We don’t even know if we chose to come in the first place. We are provided with a heavy load we progressively encounter in jolts.
1. Identity.
2. Family.
3. Race.
4. Creed.
5. Social level.
6. Money or the lack of it.
7. Sexual orientation.
Isn’t it crazy? Isn’t it a huge pre-ordained burden? The best part is that we are born with a free Will, and we can determine our course. It is a big responsibility. Like every decision, it is encountered with resistance. Fear and hesitation are our worst enemies. In fact, in the Christian Faith, they are sins, and rightly so. If we do not overcome them, we are paralyzed throughout our brief lives.
Just as we are dispensable in life, so are all the elements above. We can change anything except race. It is in our blood and not on the surface of our multicolored skins. Diversity in life is its spice and flavor. Incomprehension and intolerance are its venomous poison.
- God gave us 2 ears and one mouth. Listen more attentively than you speak.
- God gave us 2 eyes and 2 nostrils. Observe and inhale. Ignore distractions, and focus on learning.
- Question the silent motive in every verb you hear.
4. Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. Your performance will bear you witness.
5. Starting at the bottom of the ladder, secures every step going up, wherever you stop.
6. Learning never stops, that is why to err is only human.
7. We should educate ourselves in all we do and constantly strive for perfection.
8. Observe every deed to understand every intention. Do not be fooled by glitter and gold.
9. Innocence and goodwill lack ruse and wisdom.
10. Never assume anything, but test and confirm always.
11. Never throw pearls to swine. The effort and time are wasted.
12. Never share your sorrows, or your joys. Your silent enemies will manipulate you.
13. Never share your thoughts, intentions, or aspirations. Jealousy, greed, and envy will surprise you.
14. Anger and pride are the beginning of every downfall.
15. Focus relentlessly on your goals, ignoring all the words around you.
16. Permit yourself healthy distractions, and take pleasure in simple things.
17. Condemn injustice and commend exemplary behaviors.
18. Ideologies and values are irrevocable.
19. Family is certainly dispensable.
20. Judge no one, and defend no one.
21. Demarcate your tolerance limits from the onset.
22. Force solves nothing. Patience moves mountains.
23. Money is not everything. Intentions are.
24. Man is conceived to assume responsibility and serve the less privileged.
25. To be a husband, one must have authority, respect, and provide security.
26. Gratitude and generosity generate blessings.
27. Success is guaranteed through tenacity and perseverance. It endures through patient achievement.
28. Fame is a provisional mist.
29. Wealth is an illusion. Money has no owner.
30. Age is but a number. If you don’t mind it, then it doesn’t matter.
31. The best lessons are through the most bitter experiences.
32. There is no problem without its solution. The best is a progressive solution.
33. Never allow any situation to get out of control.
34. Never mimic to mock. The mockery will surely bite you in the ass.
35. Consecrate every pain, trial, tribulation, or deprivation, and every act of kindness and charity, to a higher spiritual purpose.
36. Accept what controls your circumstances and make the best of it. It will bring out the best in you.
37. Time is a loyal Judge.
38. Health, age, and timing do not belong to man.
39. Be loyal to your Core Self. It will take less time to align and shine.
40. Age brings either the best or the worst in people.
41. Keep your rudder flexible to adjust your sails to the unpredictable winds.
42. Destiny & fate do not belong to us, despite our best objectives. Control them & they shall swiftly overpower you.
43. Your in-born talents must be developed even if they are not projected. They will still bloom and make you shine.
44. Trace your course, even if it should project the demons of those around you.
45. Be steadfast in your ways. Make no compromise, and you shall shine with time.
46. A diamond never breaks, it shines, only through every abrasion, just as gold never shines without purifying it with fire.
47. Life is a trajectory, make the best of it.
48. Forgiveness is for your sake, not for anyone else’s sake.
49. Every intentional error is time wasted and a slower path to progress.
50. The most beautiful tree in any forest is the oldest one that stands alone. It is sought by all the creatures and parasitic plants. Grown into one.
51. Hell is when every second seems a minute, every hour a day, and every day a week, and every week a month, you only wish for death. It is devoid of emotion.
52. Ensure you thrust your mind forward whenever your heart plunges in love and compassion.
Forgive me if the above is not in an expected order. They are meant to inspire and surprise the reader as he/she reads along. I only wish that you find them beneficial. How I wish I had this opportunity I am offering in my own youth. Yet, I have no regrets. I always gravitated toward older folk, picking their brains or learning through them, which I could never find among my peers. Their treasures shall be the subjects of many more articles I shall generously share — in the fondest gratitude towards them and their memory.
Sammy RNAJ
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