Post by thenightmarehero on Feb 13, 2005 0:42:53 GMT -5
Original article here for download as pdf:
www.freewebs.com/thenightmarehero/Passion%20Rationality%20and%20Self%20Control.pdf
Passion, Rationality, and Self Control
By Amin Emilio Aun Joven
Most of us have the need to excel at our lives, and this is good, but when you have no idea what you’re thinking, what you’re saying, and what you’re doing, you don’t get anywhere. Some of us with creative talent of some kind whether commercial or artistic, have an imbalance regarding how much they should unleash the beast of passion. When you don’t think about what you say or what you do, and let your mind run on autopilot, you let the primitive part of your brain determine what you do. Most but not all of us have evolved away from the primitive in our actions, but the animal side concerning our actions of creation still needs improvement. Some historical figures are prime examples of what can be achieved when you have too much of one aspect in your character. The passionate can create great things in life, but the passionate can create great things of madness, for madness is misunderstanding, ignorance, lies, distractions, and details.
“Without passion, you cannot excel, without rationality, you cannot control your madness, and without self control, you cannot find inner balance. Have all three in the right amounts and your life is bliss.”<br>
Passion, rationality, and self control do not always exist in a person; they must be grown in the same way that a tree grows: with time, care, and patience.
To grow passion, you must be exposed to the passion that exists around you in life: all that is extreme and subtle, quiet and loud, literal and figurative, and vague and concrete. Too much of one thing, no matter how good it may be, can and will always be a bad thing, especially if your body and mind are not accustomed. To adapt is to evolve, and to evolve is to overcome. Overcome by learning the errors of those that have excelled and failed before. Once you are aware of the mistakes of others, and have internalized and thought of a solution to avoid failure, you will be able to overcome and evolve. Observation is a powerful tool for learning, so too is listening. I am reminded throughout my life of a saying that came from Jet Kun Do, the martial arts discipline started by Bruce Lee. The saying goes as this, “Absorb what is useful.” What is missing from this quote is to disregard what is useless. We all must let go of what we once loved, and we all do once we die in the real world whether forgotten or known. To disregard is to accept that something that you have obtained is in error, and to change, correct, or remove it to improve yourself and possibly those you share what you have improved. This can be anything, but it begins as wisdom, knowledge, and skill. When you let go you overcome, and to overcome is self control.
Rationality is realizing that something that you have obtained is wrong without current example but with prior experience. When you seek rationality you seek the advice of what has existed before you, you use your experience as guidance. This works sometimes. There is one pitfall to rationality, believing that all knowledge, wisdom, and skills that came before you are flawless. As we evolve our bodies and minds we should also evolve our wisdom. Yes wisdom is sacred, but it is not unchangeable, nor should it be. To improve is to struggle against sameness, for sameness is not correct unless it is flawless, and we sometimes as a majority do not notice the flaws in and around us. Passion offers a freedom from sameness, but passion can lead to madness if not controlled, for madness is chaos and chaos destroys. Rationality offers us freedom from madness, but rationality can lead to sameness, and Sameness is sadness. Sameness does not always allow us to overcome if we do not see our inherent flaws. So the struggle continues on between the two opposites, that of madness and sameness. But we now have a mediator between the two and it has always been there for us to discover, which is self-control. Self-control of ourselves and what is within our reach allows us to have balance between our enemies and ourselves. Self Control is the negotiator between the two extremes of madness and sameness. Imagine a world where Self-control did not exist. Sameness would annihilate madness and sameness would then die without its opposite because of its sadness. On the other spectrum, madness would annihilate sameness and then die from its chaos. God is not sameness or madness, god is both sameness, madness, AND self control. When you have balance between all three, nothing on Earth, the heavens or hell can stop you. Learn and overcome, change and excel, and balance yourself from inside outward. Once you have done this you will survive, for survival is immortality. Take it as you will.
www.freewebs.com/thenightmarehero/Passion%20Rationality%20and%20Self%20Control.pdf
Passion, Rationality, and Self Control
By Amin Emilio Aun Joven
Most of us have the need to excel at our lives, and this is good, but when you have no idea what you’re thinking, what you’re saying, and what you’re doing, you don’t get anywhere. Some of us with creative talent of some kind whether commercial or artistic, have an imbalance regarding how much they should unleash the beast of passion. When you don’t think about what you say or what you do, and let your mind run on autopilot, you let the primitive part of your brain determine what you do. Most but not all of us have evolved away from the primitive in our actions, but the animal side concerning our actions of creation still needs improvement. Some historical figures are prime examples of what can be achieved when you have too much of one aspect in your character. The passionate can create great things in life, but the passionate can create great things of madness, for madness is misunderstanding, ignorance, lies, distractions, and details.
“Without passion, you cannot excel, without rationality, you cannot control your madness, and without self control, you cannot find inner balance. Have all three in the right amounts and your life is bliss.”<br>
Passion, rationality, and self control do not always exist in a person; they must be grown in the same way that a tree grows: with time, care, and patience.
To grow passion, you must be exposed to the passion that exists around you in life: all that is extreme and subtle, quiet and loud, literal and figurative, and vague and concrete. Too much of one thing, no matter how good it may be, can and will always be a bad thing, especially if your body and mind are not accustomed. To adapt is to evolve, and to evolve is to overcome. Overcome by learning the errors of those that have excelled and failed before. Once you are aware of the mistakes of others, and have internalized and thought of a solution to avoid failure, you will be able to overcome and evolve. Observation is a powerful tool for learning, so too is listening. I am reminded throughout my life of a saying that came from Jet Kun Do, the martial arts discipline started by Bruce Lee. The saying goes as this, “Absorb what is useful.” What is missing from this quote is to disregard what is useless. We all must let go of what we once loved, and we all do once we die in the real world whether forgotten or known. To disregard is to accept that something that you have obtained is in error, and to change, correct, or remove it to improve yourself and possibly those you share what you have improved. This can be anything, but it begins as wisdom, knowledge, and skill. When you let go you overcome, and to overcome is self control.
Rationality is realizing that something that you have obtained is wrong without current example but with prior experience. When you seek rationality you seek the advice of what has existed before you, you use your experience as guidance. This works sometimes. There is one pitfall to rationality, believing that all knowledge, wisdom, and skills that came before you are flawless. As we evolve our bodies and minds we should also evolve our wisdom. Yes wisdom is sacred, but it is not unchangeable, nor should it be. To improve is to struggle against sameness, for sameness is not correct unless it is flawless, and we sometimes as a majority do not notice the flaws in and around us. Passion offers a freedom from sameness, but passion can lead to madness if not controlled, for madness is chaos and chaos destroys. Rationality offers us freedom from madness, but rationality can lead to sameness, and Sameness is sadness. Sameness does not always allow us to overcome if we do not see our inherent flaws. So the struggle continues on between the two opposites, that of madness and sameness. But we now have a mediator between the two and it has always been there for us to discover, which is self-control. Self-control of ourselves and what is within our reach allows us to have balance between our enemies and ourselves. Self Control is the negotiator between the two extremes of madness and sameness. Imagine a world where Self-control did not exist. Sameness would annihilate madness and sameness would then die without its opposite because of its sadness. On the other spectrum, madness would annihilate sameness and then die from its chaos. God is not sameness or madness, god is both sameness, madness, AND self control. When you have balance between all three, nothing on Earth, the heavens or hell can stop you. Learn and overcome, change and excel, and balance yourself from inside outward. Once you have done this you will survive, for survival is immortality. Take it as you will.