Photo by Alexi Berry

27. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Lao Tzu

22. Forget relationships and learn how to relate. Osho

If you haven’t read it yet here is an article about love and relating by Osho that everyone on the planet should read.

14. Sometimes you make the most rational decision you can make based on emotion. Wm. Berry

10. Do not speak unless you can improve the silence. Proverb

I’m quite sure I’ve used this quote before, but it remains relevant in my life. I have been struggling with “Right Speech” for what seems like a very long time. I am a talkative person, and quite impulsive (or spontaneous if you want to put a positive spin on it). This has resulted in difficulty in being quieter, with practicing Right Speech (which includes less unnecessary talk). And silence can be such a beautiful thing…

Recently I was nominated to be the speaker for the “What Would You Say” once a year lecture at FIU. I was truly honored to have been nominated. This week I found out I finished in the top three, but will not be this year’s speaker. I believe it is for the best, as I need to practice what I preach more before addressing another audience.

I’ve also been feeling like everything has been said. As I explain in my article “The Need For Repetition In The Game Of Life” sometimes we need to be reminded of how to get where we are headed, as we often lose our way on the path. But at times I feel like a hypocrite. I often fall very short of what I propose leads to self actualization or enlightenment. And sometimes, as I said in “Is Psychology Helping or Hindering Your Enlightenment” we overanalyze everything and miss living in the moment. We would all benefit from just “Being” more often.

So, basically, I just spent another three paragraphs (and two links to articles) explaining why I need to be quieter…quite the paradox, and quite a glimpse into why it is so difficult for me to practice Right Speech.

7. All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be – don’t try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance. Osho

1. All humans are frightened of their own solitude. But only in solitude can we learn to know ourselves, learn to handle our own eternal aloneness. Han Suyin