Certainty And Utopia Traps

• Never expect anyone to act from your knowledge, perspective, or objectives. Assume that his viewpoints will differ in some ways from yours.
• Never make an important decision when your emotions are dominating your mind.
• Never lie or appear to be something other than what you ar...

These are unpleasant situations that restrict your freedom, that you might be afraid to get out of. They could be anyting: bad relationship, job, location, friendship. A big restriction of your freedom is the boxes you allow yourself to stay in, for fear of the work you must do t...

As you view the identities of others, you make it far easier on yourself if you accept them as they are. Attempts to change others are rarely successful, and even then probably not completely satisfying. – once you understand someones identity then you understand their actions

Recognize that there are such things as miracles — events for which there are no ready explanations.

Later knowledge may explain those events quite easily. But at this date in history, you can’t expect to know everything that might be known eventually.

• Don’t be false, or change yourself based on your environment.
• What you are is the most valuable asset you possess for finding others.
• To make relationships work, each person should have their time alone, their own friends and interests.
• If you feel imprisoned by yo...

• Intellectual trap: That your emotions should conform to some preconceived standard. You’re in the Intellectual Trap if you let your intellect tell you what you should feel.
• Emotional trap: The belief that you can make important decisions at a time wh...

• The belief that you should be someone other than yourself
• The assumption that others will do things the way you would. You can’t control others’ natures, but you can control how you deal with them.

We live in an unfree world, created by our beliefs and the environments we put ourselves in. Most of us strive for more freedom in our lives and you can get it by focusing on the psychological and lifestyle shifts you need to make to get there.

There are two main reasons you aren’t free:

• Never use someone’s property in any way that he doesn’t approve of.
• Never focus your attention on anyone’s weaknesses — his temper, sloppiness, poor logic, dishonesty, whatever.
• Never quibble over a price you didn’t expect to pay. Pay it and move on to better things.

The purpose of knowing “truth” is to be able to make it work for you. You need the truth in order to deal with things as they are and get predictable results from them.

The specific application for which you need the truth might be different from another person’s. You ...