When i read Seneca’s words this morning, i realize that the world does not need more writers or more knowledge.
Everything we need to live a good life, every wisdom is out there, written clearly by the thousands philosophers who lived before us. I must admit i am profoundly humbled by the writings of Seneca who wrote about life so much better than i could, 2000 years ago.
What people need is more understanding.
I need more understanding and it has nothing to do with knowledge, of which there is an infinite amount out there.
Anybody can look a youtube video and explain how to throw an arrow with a bow. That’s knowledge and it is all out there. Few people can effectively use a bow. That’s understanding and mastery. Same goes for happiness.
To understand something, to own it, we need to practice it.
This morning, i realize that it’s all out there, the knowledge, and that there is no need to add more.
What i really need is more understanding, more practice of the things i am saying, of the things i am writing about. As most people who write about life, i am not all that i write. I am a work in progress, i have my own shortcomings. As someone very dear to me said recently, i am a man with the defaults of his qualities.
I love this Saint Augustin’s quote
“As a result of seeing everything, we end up bearing everything, As a result of bearing everything, we end up tolerating everything,
As a result of tolerating everything we end up accepting everything,
As a result of accepting everything, we end up approving everything.”
From now on, i will use more of my time to really be with the people that i care about, those close to me. Let’s talk more. Let’s listen. Let’s meet. Let’s walk. Let’s play. Let’s be together.
To be truly happy, we do not need social media. We need people. We need take really good care of the deep human bonds that we have to our friends and family. We need to be involved in something greater than our own little petty needs. We need to forgive and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. And most importantly, we need to love.
Thank you for everything.
Original post Facebook, April 2018
Martin Pham Dinh 