27 lessons

On the momentous occasion of my 28th birthday, I would like to share some rudimentary lessons that influence my thinking and how I arrive in this world.

1. You cannot detach, without first, participating.

2. Change starts from within, and the only way out is through.

3. We’re sentient beings who feel and emote before we think and articulate. That does not necessitate that our information processing models have caught up to trust certain actions before semantics.

4. It’s foolish to think you’re not a fool, and it’s wise to think you’re not wise. Alas, thinking doesn’t make you who you are.

5. The adage by Francois de La Rochefoucauld lives and can be helpful to revisit during liminal periods. “Thinkers think and doers do. But until the thinkers do and the doers think, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary of sense.”

6. Learning about the evolution of birds and the history of jazz can teach one a lot about survival. 

7. Choose peace.

8. Learn about economics early and engage in discourse on it.

9. The astute and shrewd might benefit from exploring ways to cultivate ignorance and vice versa.

10. Escapism and misery are long-known friends. Misery and prideful conviction are less public but very well-acquainted.

11. To know oneself is to take care of oneself—gnothi sauton and epimelēsthai sautou. See also: On caring.