Observations on Life

I think true ignorance is when you think you have all the answers. Especially when it comes to people. The mind is too complicated and there is to much genetic variability to make up hard and fast rules about anything. The truly intelligent man knows what he knows, knows what he doesn't know, is willing to admit when he was wrong, and can learn new information.

No one is perfect, but that does not mean we should not try to obtain perfection.

I think the amount of discrimination that occurs in this country and the world is vastly underestimated. I have read and believe that fat people are the most discriminated against segment of the population. People also discriminate on height, looks, and chest size. Many girls won't date a short guy even if they are the nicest guy in the world. Studies have shown "good looking" people not punished as harshly and are expected to be smarter and treated as such as early as elementary school.

We are all in conflict about getting in a rut. There is a certain boringness about stability. Yet when we are at an unstable time in our life we all want stability.

Ignorance is when you make a mistake, but don't learn from it.
Average is when you have to make a mistake to learn from it.
Intelligence is when you learn from other's mistakes.

In reality "Do what ever feels good" and "No pain, no gain" are both wrong and if you try to live by either one you will not succeed.

I have read and thought a lot about relationships. It is scary to me that so many marriages fail and that more than 1/2 of all first born children are born to unmarried women. I think part of the problem is that while we are not perfect, we are looking for the perfect person. Rather than being content, we are always looking for someone better. People do not marry for better or worst, they marry until someone better comes along. We have greater expectations of our spouses than our grandparents did, in those say being a good person and a good provider was enough, now you have to be a best friend and a soul mate. We also have much greater access to member of the opposite sex with more people working and working longer hours. Knowing all these fact makes it hard for us to committee ourselves to someone because the odds are against us.  

Throughout life we are always trying to please people and impress people. I think we need to examine why we do this. In the end you must be able to face the man in the mirror, death, and God. Impressing people never works anyway, you always have to top yourself. I think we need to please people, but make sure it is the right people and that we get something, even if it is only a good feeling, in return.

• May every thought that you think be etched in fire in the sky for the whole world to see, for in fact it is.
• May every word that you say be said as if everyone in the world could hear it, for in fact they can.
• May every deed that you do recoil on top of your head, for in fact it will.
• May every wish that you wish another be a wish that you wish for yourself, because in fact it is.
• May everything you do be done as if God Himself is doing it for in fact he is.

learmanj@msu.edu