WORDS are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew upon a thought produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions,
think. – Lord Byron
I have been a life-long reader. I enjoy reading. Even as a senior citizen, I read 6-8 books each month. Recently, I re read a book titled-“The Joy of Reading”, which was published in 1960. That book gave me the idea to write this article. Hope you will enjoy it and learn from it.
Be Your Own Lamp
“Therefore, Ananda, be lamp unto yourself, be a refuge to yourself. Take yourself into no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the Truth as refuge.” – Buddha (c 563-483 BCE)
Context – The Buddha gave this advice as his final words to his disciple, Ananda, when asked who would be their teacher after his death.
Rules of Life
The rule of life is to be found within you,
Ask yourself constantly, “What is the right thing to do?”.
Beware of doing that which you likely, sooner or later, to repent of having done.
It is better to live in peace than bitterness and strife.
It is better to believe your neighbors than to fear and distrust them.
The superior man does not wrangle. He is firm but not quarrelsome. He is sociable but not clannish.
The superior man sets a good example to his neighbors. He is considerate of their feelings and their property.
Consideration for others is the basis of a good life, a good society.
Feel kindly toward everyone. Be friendly and pleasant among yourselves. Be generous and fair. – Confucius ( c 551 – 479 BCE)
The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living
“ The unexamined life is not worth living”, and “To find yourself, think for yourself”.
“The only true wisdom is, knowing that you know nothing”.
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom”.
“Know yourself”.
“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and weak minds discuss people”.
“By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher”. – Socrates (470-399 BCE)
Context – The time of the Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates is called the Axial Age, a period from about 800-200 BCE, when transformative philosophical and religious ideas emerged in different parts of the world. The Term was coined by German Philosopher Karl Jasper.
A Smile
A SMILE costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature’s bad antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile as much as he who has no more to give. – Author Unknown
Success
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain; – Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Ps. Emily Dickinson was a reclusive American poet who wrote nearly 1,800 poems, though only a few were published during her lifetime.
Avoid Deception by Word or Silence
A lie may be told by silence, by equivocation, by the accent on a syllable, by a glance of the eye attaching a peculiar significance to a sentence; and all these kinds of lies are worse and baser by many degrees than lie plainly worded; so that no form of blind conscience is so far sunk as that which comforts itself for having deceived, because the deception was gesture or silence, instead of utterance; and, finally, according to Tennyson’s deep and trenchant line, “A lie which is half a truth is ever the worst of lie.” – John Ruskin ( 1819-1900)
Ps. John Ruskin was an English polymath- a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic and philanthropist of Victorian age.
The Way to Wealth
In short, the way to wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality; that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality nothing will do, and with them everything. He that gets all he can honestly, and saves all he gets, (except necessary expenses) will certainly be rich. – An Old Tradesman
Thomas Jefferson’s Rules of Living
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
Never spend your money before you have it.
Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap.
Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
We seldom repent having eaten too little.
Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
How much pain the evils have cost us that have never happened!
Take things always by the smooth handle.
When angry, count ten before you speak: if very angry, a hundred. – Thomas Jefferson ( 1743-1826)
PS. Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father and the third president of The United States from 1801-to 1809. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
Death, a Necessary End
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
Julius Caesar, Act 11, Scene 11, William Shakespeare
It’s the Little Things
It’s the little things we do and say
That mean so much as we go our way.
A kindly deed can lift up a load
From worry shoulders on the road,
Or a gentle word, like summer rain,
May smooth some heart and banish pain.
What joy or sadness often springs
From just the simple little things – Willa Hoey (Canadian Poet)
The Simple Way
Love without ceasing,
Give without measure-
Who can exhaust
God’s limitless treasure? – Malcolm Schloss
Sources
1- The Joy of Words, J. G. Ferguson Publishing Company; Chicago; 1960
2- Wikepedia.org
