All emotions are welcome as long as they are regulated. When someone oversteps their limits, when someone hurts us, we need to feel the anger that motivates us to set boundaries in order to remove ourselves from abuse, and defend/attack when necessary. When anger is left unexpressed not only will it have numerous negative effects on the mental and physical health. Those effects are bound to interfere with the ability to set proper boundaries.Emotions reveal desires. When we extract the core messages, they guide to where focus is needed; attention and action may then follow.

How to turn negative emotions into a positive response?

Assuming that happiness should be a target and that positivity is a constant does more harm than good.. By denying negative emotions we experience deeper and more prolonged negative emotions and usually results in emotional dysfunction.Rigidly trying to be positive can only be achieved by avoiding reality and therefore hurting ourselves in the long run. Refusing to admit that things are bad perpetuates those bad things instead of solving them, so the best thing to do is be honest about problems, you may however have a positive outlook towards solving them, and then work to solve them.

Negative Emotions

Self is that part of you which is connected to a higher being, while ego is that sense of identity that you have as an individual to be able to compare and relate to others or the environment.Self is something typically associated with positive emotions, while ego is attributed to negative emotions, both necessary and need to be in balance.

Positive Emotions

Let free ur assumptions, you arrive at ur destination.Honor ur power, you realize ur purpose.Flow with ur emotions, you understand ur calling.See ur beauty, you witness ur hearts action.Witness ur mind, you control ur reaction.

Let Free

Place urself in situations to make interesting mistakes and share ur learnings.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

communication

Communication

Emotional Regulation

John Vervaeke, a cognitive scientist, gives us a taxonomy of the different kinds of knowing:<ul><li>Propositional knowing (knowing something is true). This is the stuff that's in the books or schools. But this is insuficient:</li><li>Procedural knowing (how to do something, our skills). "Knowing about bikes is different than knowing how to ride one"</li><li>Perspectival knowing (how it feels). Depending on our attention we can sense the room & make better decisions. </li><li>Participatory knowing (knowing how to be a participatory in an arena). I know how to play the father role at home and the leader at the office.  </li></ul>

4 Ways to Know

We tend to think knowledge is all about the books we read or diplomas we can collect. Not true. Our skills, our feelings, our being are forms of knowledge, even if they seem more subjective than their factual counter-part. 

John Vervaeke finally answers what we mean by "cognition."

education

Learning & Education

problemsolving

Problem Solving

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

John Vervaeke’s Ways of Knowledge

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.

This quote indicates that having faith in yourself is quintessential. When you face a challenge, you often question your faith. However, knowing and believing that everything will be fine is what one should always hold on to.

career

Career

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Self-confidence Quote by Rabindranath Tagore

The Bhagavad Gita says that the Universe is made up of eight elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether (Space), Mind, Intellect, and Consciousness. The five sheaths to human existence are the environment, physical body, prana or energy, mind and consciousness. So, the whole universe is an individual part, and we are part and parcel of the universe.

Honour Existence

Krishna tells Arjuna to fight but be in peace at the same time. He says, “First, go inside and cleanse yourself. Do not fight with hatred but fight for justice; fight with equanimity.”

Peaceful Fight

The Gita says, “Your own mind is responsible for your bondage and for your liberation.” Your mind keeps changing all the time. If your mind is trained well through Sadhana (spiritual practices), it befriends and helps you. Otherwise, your own mind behaves like an enemy.

Mind your Mind

Liberation is acquired by Nishkama-Karma — Action, which is done without any feverishness or attachment to the fruits of the action. Karma yoga is doing work with total responsibility.

Karma Yoga

Remember that that which is temporary is sorrowful. Sukha is inside you. Don’t look for happiness in that which is temporary, fleeting and changing. Joy and happiness are only in that which does not change.

You are Sukha

The relevance of Gita is in observing the flow of events in your life. That is ‘Sakshi’! Look at your past — Is it not a dream? Similarly, another 20 years will pass. Remembering that, “Whether unpleasant or pleasant things are happening, I am a witness to it. My mind getting caught up in it is also part of the happening; I am witness to that too.” This is how you rise above any situation.Just like how the air comes and blows everything away, in the same way, all of life’s events come and go.

Witness the Flow of Time

the Holy Book of Geeta teaches the ultimate ways of living a fulfilled life.

The Bhagavad Gita caters to the entire range of human evolution. It stands for poise and equanimity and for performing one’s designated duty.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

meditation

Meditation

Life Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita

Solipsism revolves around the idea that there is nothing you can confirm except your own existence. If you think about the brain’s capacity for hallucination, and just good ol’ dreaming, it’s not that hard to imagine outside manipulation being possible as well. For all we know, we COULD be stuck in the Matrix, or maybe you’re the only person that exists and the entire world and your experience of it is just an illusion.

Solipsism

The philosophy of idealism has nothing to do with being idealistic. It has nothing to do with ideals, but rather ideas. It revolves around the thought that reality is fundamentally something that exists on a mental level. Kant once defined idealism as “the assertion that we can never be certain whether all of our putative outer experience is not mere imagining.”

Idealism 

Is the idea that nothing can be said to exist beyond the observation of the thing itself. So, for example, you could not argue that the stone exists, only that your sense of it exists. You could say: “I saw a stone.” but not: “The stone was there.” The only thing that one is able to confirm is the sensory data of the stone, but not the stone’s existence independent of your own.

Phenomenalism

The idea that only the present exists, and that both the past and future do not. A Buddhist scholar named Fyodor Shcherbatskoy said the following: “Everything past is unreal, everything future is unreal, everything imagined, absent, mental . . . is unreal. . .. Ultimately real is only the present moment of physical efficiency.” The belief that our way of experiencing time is it’s true and only nature. So, for a presentist the idea of time travel is ridiculous, as there exists no destination to travel to, where other philosophies and theories might suggest otherwise.

Presentism

Contrary to presentism, eternalism is the belief that all moments in time, past, present and future are equally real. Some eternalists believe that because of the nature of time, in this case that time exists as a whole, not in separate parts, the existing future already exists in a set and final manner, and therefore we are only capable of experiencing the future, not able to change it in any way, which one could interpret as the existence of fate. Modern scientific theories seemingly support the eternalism over presentism, but with our ever-developing understanding of the universe.

Eternalism

The most well-known form of nihilism, existential nihilism is focused on the assertion that life has no inherent purpose, goal, or intrinsic value. (Intrinsic value is the idea of something having value in and of itself.) Simplified, it’s the belief that life is utterly pointless. The difference between nihilism and hedonism is that pleasure, or joy, is seen as worthless as well, and therefore is often characterized as leading to a feeling of despair. Some modern interpretations of existential nihilism conclude that precisely because your life has no intrinsic value, goals or purpose.

Nihilism

Hedonism is centered around the belief that pleasure is the only thing that has intrinsic value. Basically, a hedonist makes pleasure the ultimate goal of any and all of his actions and choices in life. Hedonism is perhaps the philosophy that is closest to our original instincts, in that it embraces the response of pleasure to things like eating and fornicating wholeheartedly. Instead of bringing morals into the picture, it focuses on feasting on pleasure, a sensory response that probably played a vital part in our survival as a species.

Hedonism

Unlike what seems to be popular belief, stoicism is not about faking not having an emotional response or becoming completely emotionless. It is a philosophy that focuses on training yourself to improve through training and conditioning. From everything to your outlook on life, to knowledge and perhaps especially minimizing your negative emotional responses. Stoics believe that emotions like anger, sadness and frustration are based in your own, fixable faults rather than justified responses to outside influences.

Stoicism

One could perhaps argue that skepticism is the basis for all other philosophies. Because if we didn’t question, if we didn’t ask, then where would the answers be? But philosophical skepticism, unlike methodical skepticism, does not focus on questioning individual statements to validate or invalidate; rather, it questions if there is a possibility for a certainty in any knowledge. And given the constant changes in our understanding of the universe and even what’s directly in front of us, it might not be as “overly skeptical” as you might think.

Skepticism

9 Philosophies That Will Change The Way You Look At Life

Mimetism was not Rene Girard original idea. It can be traced to David Hume who observed one's actions reverberates to the rest like the strings of a violin. It describes humans as a social specie, prone to co-vibrations aka under the influence of other people's actions.<ul><li>Mimetism is a social technology to get to the subjectivity of others. But ...</li><li>Mimetism is a tendency, but also a capacity. It leaves room for individual agency. At any time, you, the player, can choose the next string to pluck.</li></ul>

Mimetism as the Strings of a Violin

The basic mimetic behaviour manifests in society in more meaningful ways:<ul><li>Through prestige. The respect, admiration, and high regard that is accorded to someone has less to do with the objective qualities of the person and more with the adherence to normative values.</li><li>A step higher is the real of the sacred. For Girard this is just a dial up of mimesis. The power of a sacred relic lies just with the collective admiration that one feels compelled to mimic. Gods live only as long as there are rituals of belief.</li></ul>

Normative Evolution, Prestige and Gods

Mimesis is both the strongest and necessary authority for us to hold normative values. It more than any faculty decides what we think of beautiful, as good ... what laws we think of just or what sexual relationships we think of as legitimate or depraved. Even what we strive to be like.

Mimetic desire can be separated in:<ul><li>a desire to experience (physical desire)</li><li>a desire to be (metaphysical desire). We chase objects for what they say about us on for the fullness of being that we expect them to confer upon us.</li></ul>ex: We may chase a sexual partner for how they make us feel or for the social status of being with them. We may start a company for the thrill of the struggle or because we want to be like like the Silicon Valley tech bros. The balance of the 2 will vary from person to person, but pride and ambition are strongly correlated with metaphysical desire.

The 2 twin components of mimetic desire

Metaphysical desire is focused on our identity, our ego, our spirit ... the core of what we are. This itself can be broken down into 3 components:<ol><li>Reality. We want our existence to be observed and noticed by others. What really matters is not the physical experience but what others think it's real.</li><li>Persistence. We want our identities to last through time. We are obsessed with achieving some immortality. </li><li>Self-sufficiency: Deals with having the power of the social realm to fulfil our thirsts. It's what Nietzsche calls "the will to power". It has a lot to do with domination over others.</li></ol>

The 3 Components of Being

We crave objects because other people we look up are associated with those objects: a celebrity, a parent, a colleague etc... The faulty logic being that our acquisition of the object will grant us the same sense of being as our role-model. Desire is not a straight line from subject to object, but a triangular path to object through the role model.

The Faulty logic of Object Acquisition

Not all our actions will be motivated by metaphysical desire, but out of the possible motivations ... it is the strongest. In commercial terms it means products that focus on it will command the most value. It explains the success of branding, the celebrity culture and consumerism as a whole.

The Power of Metaphysical Desire

<ul><li>Malleability. They are highly dependent on our mediators. If I grew up with a Don Juan father I may seek superficial relationship. </li><li>Power. The more we get motivated by it the more we loose our agency. The tulip buying mania, the 2001 dotcom crash etc.</li><li>Deceitful: We are oblivious that we are confusing an object for a state of being. </li><li>Ungovernable: It is not ruled by reason. Reason becomes a spoke-person to our spirit. Not the source of action, but its justification.</li></ul>

The 4 Qualities of Metaphysical Desires

The second part of the lecture on Girard. More in depth look at desires.

Mimesis, mimetic desire, and metaphysical desire are the fundamental building blocks of Girard’s psychology. They will show us how even the most intimate aspects of our identity can be radically shaped by others and how to distinguish vanity from authenticity. These psychological fundaments are what make humans social animals, why prestige and recognition matter so much to us, and how we are able to form cultures and even language itself. They are responsible for humanity’s greatest achievements, but they also render us helplessly fallen. Under scrutiny, metaphysical desire will reveal itself to be none other than original sin. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:51 Mimesis 00:08:16 Mimesis and Normativity 00:17:34 Mimetic Desire 00:29:17 What is Meant by "Being" 00:31:53 The First End of Being: Reality 00:34:38 The Second End of Being: Persistence 00:35:31 The Third End of Being: Self-sufficiency 00:41:36 Metaphysical Desire 00:50:14 The Malleability of Metaphysical Desire 00:52:09 The Power of Metaphysical Desire 00:53:30 The Deceitfulness of Metaphysical Desire 00:58:18 The Ungovernability of Metaphysical Desire 01:00:31 Original Sin

history

History

Mimesis, mimetic desire, and metaphysical desire are the fundamental building blocks of Girard’s psychology. They will show us how even the most intimate aspects of our identity can be radically shaped by others and how to distinguish vanity from authenticity. These psychological fundaments are what make humans social animals, why prestige and recognition matter so much to us, and how we are able to form cultures and even language itself. They are responsible for humanity’s greatest achievements, but they also render us helplessly fallen. Under scrutiny, metaphysical desire will reveal itself to be none other than original sin. 

00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:51 Mimesis
00:08:16 Mimesis and Normativity
00:17:34 Mimetic Desire
00:29:17 What is Meant by "Being"
00:31:53 The First End of Being: Reality
00:34:38 The Second End of Being: Persistence
00:35:31 The Third End of Being: Self-sufficiency
00:41:36 Metaphysical Desire
00:50:14 The Malleability of Metaphysical Desire
00:52:09 The Power of Metaphysical Desire
00:53:30 The Deceitfulness of Metaphysical Desire
00:58:18 The Ungovernability of Metaphysical Desire
01:00:31 Original Sin

If I were not Diogenes, I wish I were Alexander.

Johnathan at Limbo

Lecture II: Mimetic Desire and Original Sin | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

René Girard's Mimetic Theory - Lecture 2

We cannot correct ourselves, more so if you are accustomed to doing wrong.

This is what the Bible says in Jeremiah 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." We cannot correct ourselves, more so if you are accustomed to doing wrong. What I mean to say is, you are always doing wrong, doing wrong has been your way of life. You seem to be used to it, it will be hard for you to change if only by yourself.

Let us read Jeremiah 13:23. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Like a leopard, it cannot take away its own spots. The same goes with someone who is accustomed to doing evil, it will be difficult for you to change yourself. But who can make change within us? Our Creator. He is the one who created us, He can renovate or change us.

Let us read Ezekiel 36:26, it says, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." It is God who can make change. The first thing he will change is your heart. Change will come from the heart. It is the heart that directs our whole being. It is the heart that directs the activities of the entire person. Even our thinking comes from the heart.

So, for us to change, it is God who will make the change, He will change our hearts first. After He changes our heart, He will change our spirit. He said that He will give you a new spirit. We cannot change ourselves on our own. It is God who will make the change. Let us read Proverbs 16:9. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." It is God who can correct us. And for God to correct us, we should listen to His word. Let us listen, keep it in mind, believe in the word of God, we will be able to walk in the newness of life.

That has been my experience. In this group, there are members from other churches who were sent to Apalit to spy on me. When they heard the word of God, they changed. Instead of killing me, they became members of the Church. There have been many such people who joined us and changed because of the word of God that they heard. They had a transformation.

In their former groups, they were allowed to commit adultery. They were not expelled even if it was known they committed adultery, they kept doing it. So, they cannot actually change there. But when they joined the Church, with God's mercy, they heard the doctrine, they changed. It is the doctrine of God, the word of God, that can make change.

Better yet, continue listening. It will institute change in you, even in your spouse, your friend, your children, your parents. Just share the word of God with them. It can change a person.

The word of God has power. But here is one secret - the word of God is like a frequency. If you are on the same frequency, it will be effective in you. But if you are not on the same frequency, you will not meet, you will not change at all. Why? One is VHF, the other is UHF.

The word of God and you should be on the same frequency. For you to be on the same frequency, you should obey Him, change your frequency. If before, you did not want to listen to the word of God, now, start listening.

You will feel that the word of God has power to change you, to change your mind, to change your way of living, change your outlook in life, change your preferences in life.

I know of somebody. We became acquaintances, he was a businessman. When he was under indoctrination, he said, "Brother Eli, I am turning away from my business." "Why?" "Think of it, I would be waking up at 6:00 in the morning and do my business until 11:00 in the evening. I would have a bath at 12:00 midnight. I do not have time for my child anymore.

Now, I have learned from the indoctrination, I heard that man needs to serve God. How can I serve God when I'm doing business all day?" So, he decided to sell one of his business. "I want a simple life. I would be selling my big apartment and move in a small one."

His perspective in life has changed. Once you hear the word of God, you will be changed, it will take effect in you. Only that you need to be on the frequency of the word of God.

This is what God said in Proverbs 1:23, "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." Return to the reproof of God. Listen to His reproof. Obey the will of God. You will come to know the word, it will have an effect on you.

Discover the true religion that the Lord Jesus Christ taught in the Bible. Learn about His pure doctrines that Christians should obey and live by with.Join the Members Church of God International’s Mass Indoctrination sessions. Day 1 begins tomorrow, January 2, 2022 at 7 PM PHT, God willing.

Congratulations For Reading It All! Now What?

All sessions are available in more than 20 foreign and local languages.  MCGI YouTube ► https://youtube.com/MCGIChannel Instagram ►https://www.instagram.com/mcgidotorg Twitter ► https://twitter.com/mcgidotorg

Find the peace your heart seeks through the wisdom that  the Bible provides.

In this video, Bro. Eli discusses how a person can see a change within himself. * Hailing from the Philippines, Brother Eli Soriano is an award-winning international evangelist who has been in service to God and humanity since 1964. Follow Brother Eli Channel's official social media pages: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BroEliChannel Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrotherEliCh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brotherelichannel For more sensible feeds, follow Brother Eli’s official website and social media pages: Website: https://www.elisoriano.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BroEliseoSoriano Twitter: https://twitter.com/BroEliSoriano Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisorianoofficial #BrotherEliChannel

books

Books

videos

Videos

In this video, Bro. Eli discusses how a person can see a change within himself. 

*

Hailing from the Philippines, Brother Eli Soriano is an award-winning international evangelist who has been in service to God and humanity since 1964. Follow Brother Eli Channel's official social media pages: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BroEliChannel 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrotherEliCh 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brotherelichannel 

For more sensible feeds, follow Brother Eli’s official website and social media pages: 
Website: https://www.elisoriano.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BroEliseoSoriano 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BroEliSoriano 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisorianoofficial

#BrotherEliChannel

Hailing from the Philippines, Brother Eli Soriano is an award-winning international evangelist who has been in service to God and humanity since 1964. 

Follow Brother Eli Channel's official social media pages:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BroEliChannel

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BrotherEliCh

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/brotherelichannel

For more sensible feeds, follow Brother Eli’s official website and social media pages:

Website:
https://www.elisoriano.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BroEliseoSoriano

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BroEliSoriano

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/elisorianoofficial

Brother Eli Channel

Ano ang paraan para makamit ang pagbabago sa sarili? | Brother Eli Channel

How can we change ourselves?

A French philosopher he developed a unique worldview based on the concept of mimetic desire. According to him, human beings are constantly seeking to imitate and emulate the desires of others, and this process of imitation drives much of human behavior and social dynamics.His main idea is that desire is always mediated through the desires of others, and that this process of imitation creates conflicts and rivalries that are fundamental to human society.He is gaining a lot of praise recently with lots of Silicon Valley luminaries listing him as a major intellectual influencer.

René Girard

Girard observed that our desires are social. We rarely desire an object for it's intrinsic functional qualities. We usually use the objects as proxies for an identity we envy. Desire are not fixed or innate, but rather constantly changing & under the influence of the people we encounter. We can see this in advertising, when we buy sneakers to be like Jordan, not to run a marathon. When we date a certain person because others will see us a certain way and so on.

Mimetic Desire

For Girard, we are different than animals because of our desires, our myths, our lies. We invent stories, we go to war for abstract concepts etc. This is a the object of his psychological focused philosophy. Similar to how class was the nexus of socialism, how casts worked in Hinduism, or rationality in liberalism.

Spirited Animals

According to Girard, is a social mechanism that arrises from a cataclysmic event. A troubled society murders an "innocent" victim (blamed for all evils) & thus gains cathartic release and gains new new Gods. This event is dramatised, captured in myth and then translated back into the society in the form of rituals & prohibitions. Ex: Julius Caesar is ritually killed as he is blamed for the fall of the Republic. However, as his nephew becomes emperor, Caesar becomes a God. And later on an institution emulated by all rulers.

Girardian Scapegoating

The Christian mythology follows the same Girardian arc: civil unrest in Judea, Jesus crucified as a scapegoat, turned into a God, institutionalized through the church. However, the unique element is that the story is told for the perspective of the victim, rather than of the accusers. In the Bible, the victim is innocent, the crowd was mistaken.It is this unique care for the victim that spills into our modern worldview and institutions: from human rights to work ethic. In a sense we all live in a Christian society even if we don't consider ourselves as Christians.

The Uniqueness of Christian Scapegoating 

For Girard, violence is natural. But modern day seems quite peaceful. And Girard credits 2 institutions:<ul><li>capitalism: which Girard sees it as a status seeking game more than a rational transfer of resources.</li><li>laws: a set of institutions that mediates disputes and acts as a monopoly on violence </li></ul>For Girard capitalism is this stew of violent energies that needs to be contained through laws. One can not function without the other.

The mechanism to protect against violence

It's no wonder the European aristocracy went into business as soon as heroes and warriors went out of fashion.

Basic Girardian ideas beautifully presented by a young philosopher, Jonathan Bo, in conversation with David Perell. 

Lecture I gives a brief overview of Girard’s life and work. It summarizes the key conclusions of mimetic theory, distilling the most crucial ideas of this 10+ hour long lectures series into a digestible 2 hours. For those who are short on time, this synopsis is sufficient to give you a taste of Girard. For those embarking on the full journey, this lecture is a rough map that will orient you throughout the expansive, tumultuous, and dizzying terrain ahead. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:05 The Case for Engaging Girard 00:19:34 The Structure of This Lecture Series 00:23:52 Girard's Biography 00:29:06 What We Cover in Lecture I 00:30:45 Mimesis 00:33:43 Metaphysical Desire 00:42:04 The Negative Phase of Mimesis 00:51:20 The Scapegoat Mechanism 01:03:05 Christianity 01:10:55 Love and Hypocrisy 01:13:38 Truth and Dogma 01:18:04 Innovation and Imitation 01:26:02 Violence and Apocalypse 01:37:16 The Case Against Engaging Girard

Lecture I gives a brief overview of Girard’s life and work. It summarizes the key conclusions of mimetic theory, distilling the most crucial ideas of this 10+ hour long lectures series into a digestible 2 hours. For those who are short on time, this synopsis is sufficient to give you a taste of Girard. For those embarking on the full journey, this lecture is a rough map that will orient you throughout the expansive, tumultuous, and dizzying terrain ahead. 

00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:05 The Case for Engaging Girard
00:19:34 The Structure of This Lecture Series
00:23:52 Girard's Biography
00:29:06 What We Cover in Lecture I
00:30:45 Mimesis
00:33:43 Metaphysical Desire
00:42:04 The Negative Phase of Mimesis
00:51:20 The Scapegoat Mechanism
01:03:05 Christianity
01:10:55 Love and Hypocrisy
01:13:38 Truth and Dogma
01:18:04 Innovation and Imitation
01:26:02 Violence and Apocalypse
01:37:16 The Case Against Engaging Girard

Lecture I: Introduction to Mimetic Theory | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

René Girard's Mimetic Theory - Lecture 1

These 10 genius Stephen Hawking quotes will inspire you.

Hawking's influence exceeded the field of science.

The theoretical physicist, best known for his work in cosmology (<a href="http://www.hawking.org.uk/into-a-black-hole.html">particularly with black holes </a>), was both a visionary and an inspiration. Outside his vast intelligence (of which he was very modest, <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/what-stephen-hawkings-iq-score-late-physicist-called-people-who-care-losers-843895">once saying that people who boasted about IQs were losers </a>), he was also a study in resilience and perseverance.At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2018-03-14/stephen-hawking-als-how-he-outlived-his-prognosis-for-so-long/9548110">amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) </a>. The disease progresses quickly, and Hawking was given only a short time to live, but he survived for decades and stayed mobile with use of a wheelchair.

Stephen Hawking, universally beloved scientist

"Although there was a cloud hanging over my future," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-professor-dies-aged-76">Hawking said of his diagnosis </a>,"I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research."

Hawking never stopped working 

In 1988, Hawking published "A Brief History of Time," which accomplished, as <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-a-brief-history-of-time-book-theoretical-physics-why-good-a8255251.html">The Independent </a>notes, the "impossible" tasks of not only taking the entire history of time and space and relating it all in just one volume but also making it easy to read and understand for everyone — not just fellow scientists."However, if we discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable by everyone, not just by a few scientists," <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-a-brief-history-of-time-book-theoretical-physics-why-good-a8255251.html">Hawking wrote at the end of the book </a>.

"However, if we discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable by everyone, not just by a few scientists," <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-a-brief-history-of-time-book-theoretical-physics-why-good-a8255251.html">Hawking wrote at the end of the book </a>. "Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God."“My goal is simple," <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/stephen_hawking_124516">Hawking said of his work </a>. "It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”

He will be deeply missed. And as the celebration of his life flows on social media — <a href="https://twitter.com/mikecavalier/status/973772804515598337">who could forget the time he threw a party for time travelers and no one showed up </a>— we're celebrating Hawking's contributions to this world with some of his most inspirational quotes, the ones that remind us to look forward, look upward, and never forget the common humanity we all share.These 10 genius Stephen Hawking quotes will inspire you.

Hawking was an inspiration for us all.

"Be curious. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up."-Stephen Hawking

1. On moving forward in the face of adversity:

"Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."-Stephen Hawking

2. On the importance of a sense of humor:

"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."-Stephen Hawking

3. On the universe:

"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."-Stephen Hawking

4. On what makes humans unique:

“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.”

5. On the power of communication: 

"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."-Stephen Hawking

6. On the true meaning of intelligence:

"I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."-Stephen Hawking

7. On creating your own fate:

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."-Stephen Hawking

8. On knowledge:

"Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein’s general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out.”-Stephen Hawking

9. On the power of possiblity:

"Here are the most important pieces of advice that I've passed on to my children. One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away."-Stephen Hawking

10. On living your best life:  "Here are the most important pie

These 10 Genius Stephen Hawking Quotes Will Inspire You To Dream Big.

sciencefiction

Science Fiction

These 10 genius Stephen Hawking quotes will inspire you to dream big.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha">Siddhartha </a>presents the self-discovery expedition of a man during the time of the Buddha who, unsure of what life really means to him, takes an exploratory journey to pursue the highs and lows of life, which ultimately leads him to discover the equilibrium in all things and a higher wisdom within.

Book Summary

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go."

Author Quote 

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha">Siddhartha </a>is a young Brahman to whom common pleasures like food, companionship, or wealth are not satisfying enough. His soul is searching for a higher meaning in life. Therefore, he sets a goal to move past fear and experience the contrasts and divergences of the world. His journey takes him from wealthy and luxurious beginnings to a humble life in which he gives up all comforts. He soon becomes unrecognizable from starvation and sunburn, but he feels more fulfilled than before. By experiencing life’s contrasts, Siddhartha learns more about himself than he ever has.

Book Overview

Siddhartha meets Govinda, a friend from childhood who is also seeking self-realization. They discover that desire causes suffering because it makes humans attached to things they want but do not have.

<ol><li>Siddharta realizes that the material world is not complete without the spiritual one, and vice versa. </li><li>The fisherman is a metaphor for the enlightenment we’re all looking for, one way or another. </li><li>All things coexist in a beautiful unity that contains everything living and dead. </li></ol>The secrets of enlightenment may be easier to uncover than you think, and these lessons will prove it to you!

3 Top Book Lessons

The story of Siddhartha’s journey to <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/enlightenment-now-summary/">enlightenment </a>is a story of the interplay between materiality and spirituality. At first, he thinks that the material world is all there is. But then he realizes that it’s not complete without the spiritual one, and vice versa.  The book is a story of discovery — of the world, of himself, and of his purpose in it. Siddhartha begins as a young man who is unsatisfied with his life. He adopts a life of asceticism to discover enlightenment. But then he realizes that this path is incomplete without the physical world.

Lesson 1:  True harmony comes from living peacefully with oneself and finding balance between spirituality and materiality  .

He then moves to the other extreme and lives as a materialist by having a well-paid job, being with a woman, and indulging in consumerism, good food, as well as bodily pleasures. However, he finds this lifestyle lacks spirituality so he decides that there must be an equilibrium between the two. Siddharta finds balance where spirituality meets the materialistic world from a fisherman who tells him that <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/mindsight-summary/">the river </a>holds all secrets. The river is coming and moving into the oceans, which is a great representation of how everything in the universe interconnects, including these two worlds.

In life, we all have to find our light or goal and reach it to fulfill ourselves. In this novel, the fisherman represents Siddhartha’s goal of enlightenment and freedom from his suffering. Because he was so entranced by the beauty of nature, the fisherman has no desire to be a part of society’s rules or expectations. He is an outsider who lives in his own world and only gets involved when it suits him. He has no ambition beyond what he needs in order to live comfortably. The fisherman catches fish as they come out of the water to eat them once they’ve been hooked on his line.

Lesson 2:  Just as Siddhartha found a light in the fisherman, we must look for our own source of enlightenment and follow it  .

When Siddhartha meets him first as a young man and again later in life after many years have passed, he finds himself attracted to this lifestyle. That’s because it seems so freeing compared to what he has known before then. When you let go of society’s expectations and learn what fulfills your soul both through the spiritual and physical world, you’ll know what you have to do. Once you set your mind and heart to follow that purpose, you’ll find<a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/the-story-of-philosophy-summary/">enlightenment </a>as well.

The <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/the-universe-has-your-back-summary/">universe </a>is highly interconnected and vast. It’s almost as if there is no beginning or end to it, which makes it as mysterious as it is beautiful. To understand this magnitude of information, Siddhartha turns to the river. As he travels in the forest, Siddhartha encounters many experiences that change his life forever. He learns that all things are connected: by nature, by their environment, by their purpose, by their thoughts.

Lesson 3:  The Universe is made of all things combined, living in a harmonious union  .

The river is used as a metaphor for this idea. It comes from a mountain stream and eventually flows into an ocean. As Siddhartha watches it flow through every stage of its journey, he realizes that he himself is just like the river. He has come from somewhere else and will eventually return in nature.  He sees that he can learn from everyone around him because they have all been through similar experiences as him before; yet each person has his own unique way of seeing things that makes them unique too.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha">Siddhartha </a>is a young man who leaves home to find meaning in life. He meets many people on his journey who help him find inner peace and enlightenment. The book teaches us that if we want to be free from desire and find peace within ourselves, we must reach nirvana (a state of blissful emptiness). This lecture is not a guide to <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/waking-up-summary/">meditation </a>or a self-help book, but rather a pleasant and empowering tale that will change your perspective on life forever. Better yet, it’ll help you understand what it means to have inner peace with yourself as well as with others around you.

Siddhartha - Book Review

Our summary of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse tells the story of a young man going on a journey to find himself while teaching you 3 lessons.

Siddhartha Summary

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