Optimism Is Not Insane (by Vlogbrothers)

Optimism is Not Insane (by vlogbrothers)

This is what gives me faith in the Path.

Some more wise words.

How do I balance compassion and not let people be rude to me? I am forgiving but sometimes it makes people think it is ok to be careless towards me... Thanks! :)

A mother is most compassionate to her children. She loves them with all her heart and yet does she allow them to misbehave, to take advantage of her love, to use her as a doormat?

The mother tempers her kindness with firmness. She may have a soft spot for her children sometimes and may be tough of them at other times. 

It is similar with the compassion we practice towards all. People may be rude and careless regardless of your compassion, that is something you simply need to accept. But that doesn’t mean you have to meet that kind of behavior with passive allowance. You can remove yourself from the situation or respond to it with tough love, that’s up to your discretion. 

But the crux of compassion is acknowledging what is best for all. If all the cars coordinated perfectly, there would be no traffic. Similarly, if all were compassionate toward one another, life could be more harmonious. 

You do not need to wait for everyone to take up the practice of compassion. Being a practitioner of compassion yourself is enough to ease up the traffic around you. Just remember the tao of the Mother: absolute love tempered by having people’s best interests at heart. 

Taking advantage, being harmful toward one another, and general carelessness is in no one’s best interest. But there is also a line between knowing when to stand up to it and knowing when to let it go. Time and experience will make that clear to you. 

Namaste :)

This is Dao.

"It is important to maintain your equanimity. You cannot let yourself get too ‘up’ or too ‘down’ based on your circumstances." “Too ‘down’ I understand. But why not too ‘up?’” “Because the higher your mountains are, the deeper your valleys will seem. You should not react to the world. You should respond, but not react. A response is an action based on logic. A reaction is an emotional state. Your reaction will not change the world. Your reaction only changes you. Your response will change the world.”

a wonderful explanation of discernment.

The power of perspective.

The wise are good to the good, but also are good to the bad. Wise people trust those who trust, but also trust those who do not trust... Goodness and trust are the very nature of the Path. -Paraphrasing from the old man, chapter 49.

It reminds me a great deal of the quote from Nietzsche, where one must take care not to fight monsters, lest you become a monster yourself. I believe that people should be judged by how they treat their enemies, as this is the clearest indication of one's character. Eye for an eye and all that. I do have a tendency to explain quotes with other quotes, apologies for that.