Depression has become so common in our society that, most of the time,
we don't even notice it. You can only see the phenomenon through the
darkness its exudes. Motivation is replaced by emotional paralysis. Vision breaks apart
in doubts. Energy can no longer be replenished and attention gets
distracted.
Emotional resilience
If you look around, you will find plenty of examples:
Co-workers who lately have been looking sort of sad, call up the
office, name some vague problem at home, and disappear for week.
Students who have been at the top of their class, start to fail one exam
after the other. Thoughtful friends, the kind who used to have strong
opinions, suddenly turn silent.
What is the cause of this
wide-spread ailment? Where is this malignant wave coming from? The
automatic response in those cases is to blame the world. When you talk
to men and women who suffer from the blues, you will often find them
willing to enumerate all the negative conditions affecting their life.
Those
complaints will usually have a sound basis in reality. Some people will
tell you stories of abuse and unfairness, injustices of all sorts,
inefficiency and dishonesty. Others will speak about their sickness, the
ingratitude of their family, treason by friends, loneliness or divorce.
Nevertheless,
those explanations remain insufficient to justify the overweening
levels of depression in our society. The most important element in the
equation is never mentioned. Why is nobody pointing out that, for every
dispirited person, you can find a reasonably contented one who is
enduring similar difficulties?
Short-term vision
Misfortune and catastrophe are not
to be trivialized. Bad luck and sickness can wipe out your savings,
your business, your family, and put to test your will to keep on living.
Serious problems and painful periods do occur in most people's lives.
My point is not that one should become foolishly cheerful in the face of
adversity.
Pharmaceuticals aimed at alleviating distress can
help to a certain extent, although they are frequently loaded with
secondary effects. My message is that, in the worst possible moments, a
man owes to himself, to his happiness, to reflect and act with proper
perspective. What one should keep in mind is that, on many occasions,
depression is a synonym for short-term vision.
The antidote
Rational thinking
is the only antidote that has repeatedly proven its effectiveness
against discouragement and depression. Seeing obstacles and
disadvantages in the frame of a lifetime helps to reduce them to a
manageable size.
Drop the false comfort of self-pity. Never allow
yourself to limit your own potential. Never give up before the game is
really over. Remind yourself everyday that life offers many
opportunities. Define your long-term target, sharpen your arrows, and
leave the blues behind. You have better things to do.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
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The 10 Principles of Rational Living
by John Vespasian
In order to improve your life, you don't need to place your hopes on a
lottery ticket or wait for the world to grant you the perfect
opportunity. There is a better way and it is condensed in the principles
of rational living, principles such as “think like an entrepreneur, not
like a crusader,” “ignore the noise and focus on results,” “stay away
from high-risk situations,” “find people who share your values,” and
“develop strong long-term passions.”
This book presents the principles
of rational living in great detail, with numerous examples of people who
have applied them successfully. The principles of rational living are
sound ideas that can dramatically improve your life. Learn all about
them and start applying them today.
1. Think like an entrepreneur, not like a crusader
A recipe for getting ahead in good and bad times
Debating and arguing are a waste of time
The true believer is the one who preaches by example
Entrepreneurs thrive on trouble and inconvenience
Unlike resources, opportunities are infinite
2. Ignore the noise and focus on results
If one road is blocked, take another
How to keep calm when you are surrounded by nonsense
The effective way to handle work overload
Learning from people who never feel discouraged
A proven strategy against career stagnation
3. Live inexpensively and invest for future income
Why the stock market offers the best opportunities
Common traits of great businessmen and investors
What kind of companies should you invest in?
A simple strategy is all you need
Adopt a realistic and practical approach
4. Choose a simple and healthy lifestyle
Don't just eat well, eat wonderfully
What is healthy, tasty, and easy to cook?
How to reduce everyday risks to your health
Eating healthily when you are travelling
Is it possible to slow down ageing?
Why it is so difficult to lead a simple life
5. Find people who share your values
Why you should ignore most of what you hear
The ugly duckling story repeats itself every day
Overcoming the resistance to changing jobs and relocating
Don't be original, be unique
Proven strategies for building great relationships
Would you recognize yourself in the crowd?
6. Listen to your emotions, but check the facts
Beware of exaggerated romantic tales
In dating and cooking, choose natural ingredients
How far are you willing to go for happiness?
Conflicting values lead to contradictory behaviour
The short distance between infatuation and obfuscation
Do not waste your best years pursuing unworkable ideals
7. Accept the inevitable hassles of life
Putting an end to exaggerated fears
Extreme reactions are foolish and wasteful
In praise of caution and circumspection
Can you remain self-confident in times of trouble?
How impatient people become stoic philosophers
Never grant problems more weight than they deserve
8. Stay away from high-risk situations
Death statistics make great bedtime reading
Tranquillity seldom comes cheap
Do not make an obsession of the perfect profession
Three situations that you should avoid like the pest
Every archer needs more than one arrow
The jungle never sleeps
9. Acquire effective habits
An hour has sixty minutes, a day twenty-four hours
In praise of staying behind
How a proactive attitude helps you overcome difficulties
Let go of the dead weight of prejudice
Smooth operators get more out of life
Personal effectiveness depends on patterns
10. Develop strong long-term passions
Comparing yourself with other people makes no sense
Don't drink the poison of contradiction
What heroes are made of
The myths of the single skill and the unique opportunity
Become tolerant of mistakes, since you will make so many
The link between integrity and passion
The 10 Principles of Rational Living
by John Vespasian
Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468), to whom history credits with the
invention of the printing press, was the quintessential self-reliant
entrepreneur. He was trained as a goldsmith, plied his trade for decades
in several German towns, and it was only in his forties that he
identified the business opportunity that would transform his life.
Taken for granted
At
the turn of the 15th century, reading material was expensive and the
choice of titles severely limited. The price of a volume of three
hundred pages would exceed one hundred times what it costs today. Less
than one per cent of the population was able to read; as a result, only
the clergy and aristocracy had access to written information.
Since
ancient times, the cost of producing books had been proportional to the
effort it took to copy them by hand. A monk labouring at a monastery
would need two years to copy and illustrate a Bible by hand. In
addition, pages of medieval books were made of parchment, that is,
prepared animal skins, which also increased the overall cost of
production.
Despite the high price of books, it was obvious that
there was a growing market for them. The interesting question is why
none of the thousands of people in Europe involved in the production of
hand-written volumes had perceived the slowness of the process as a
problem. Apparently, before Johannes Gutenberg, the established mode of
operation was taken for granted.
For thousands of years,
goldsmiths had been using gold to make delicate jewellery, as well as
religious and ornamental figures. Gutenberg did not conceive the idea of
casting figures with molten metal, but he was the first to realize the
massive economies that could be made by casting movable types and using
them for book production.
Overcoming failure
His initial experiments quickly
revealed the difficulties of the enterprise. What alloy should he use to
produce the types? How was he going to melt the thousands of individual
letters that are needed to produce each page of a book? How could he
increase ink density in order to produce clean prints?
It took
Gutenberg many years to master the process. By the time he had overcome
one obstacle, another one would appear. His venture led him to incur
massive debts, which he could hardly reimburse. Finally, his attempts
proved successful and a first run of books came out of his atelier.
In
1455, Gutenberg undertook to print the Bible. By then, he was already
57 years old and fully conscious of the immensity of the task that he
had set up for himself. Unabated, he hired help to compose text with
movable types, purchased materials, and began to print pages. Several
dozen Gutenberg Bibles have survived the passage of time and can be
admired today in museums around the world.
Gutenberg's ability to
acknowledge individual problems enabled him to create a book production
system that changed the course of History. He combined existing
technologies into a creative solution to a problem that few people had
perceived as acute. The printing press drove down book prices and spread
literacy to a larger segment of the population.
Problems are opportunities
Are you also
able to transform problems into opportunities? When a product or service
seems overpriced, do you try to identify the reason? Do you make the
effort to analyse disruptions? When you experience irritation, can you
name the critical elements involved?
Johannes Gutenberg's career
offers us a vivid example of an essential entrepreneurial trait: the
ability to isolate difficulties and reduce them to manageable size. Once
Gutenberg named a problem, he devised a solution, achieved stability in
that area, and moved to the next challenge.
Individuals who try
to accomplish too much at the same time frequently feel overwhelmed.
Unless you achieve success in some area, you will grow dispirited and
might even decide to quit your endeavours altogether. Instead, acquire
the good habit of making a list of pressing difficulties.
Name
your problems, assess their relative importance, and establish
priorities. Deal only with the most critical issues until you have
achieved a tolerable level of stability. Once you have improved a
specific aspect, move to the next and build it from there.
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Annoyance and irritation are part of daily life. When we encounter
unexpected difficulties, we often become emotional and raise our voice.
When people oppose our plans, we question their intentions and express
our discontent. However, the fact that those reactions are natural does
not make them effective.
Anger and discontent can mark the steps to a
better life more effectively than conformity. Those who accept
disruption without resistance seldom come up with ideas to prevent
further perturbation. In contrast, those who hate interruptions tend to
be the ones who suggest protective measures.
Problems must be acknowledged before they can be solved
It is not a
coincidence that most inventors and entrepreneurs are independent
characters. Individuals who trust their own perception do not fear
calling things by their names. Exacerbated diplomacy can undermine
sincerity and inhibit personal initiative.
Everybody is able to complain, but too few
individuals are motivated to analyse problems, study their causes, and
figure out solutions. Successful living is a process of
dealing with adversity and overcoming obstacles. If we stay alert and
adopt an entrepreneurial attitude, trouble can reveal opportunities to
improve our lives and careers, and increase our success and happiness.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
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If you don't live in the United States of America, you may have never
heard of Anna Mary Robertson Moses. She was popularly known as Grandma
Moses and died in 1961, when she was 101 years old. Her days were spent
working, initially for other people and later for herself.
During
her life, Ms. Moses did farm work, cooked, washed clothes, raised her
children, and made butter and embroideries. Her earnings remained modest
for many decades, but she wasted no time complaining. She
simply had too much to do, especially when she became a widow at 57.
Making
embroideries kept her busy. It was the sort of work that she liked, a
combination of creativity and routine, a challenge to her energies and
imagination. Unfortunately, when she turned 76, arthritis prevented her
from doing further needlework and she had to stop making embroideries.
Many people who reach that age give up whatever illusions they have left
They tell themselves that they can go no farther and fall prey to
psychological immobility. Once they relinquish their will to live, their
physical condition soon catches up with their attitude.
In
contrast, when arthritis prevented Grandma Moses from doing embroidery
work, she simply acknowledged the fact and searched for an alternative
occupation. She chose to take up painting and began to produce her first
works, which she would give away to family and friends.
Before long, her new activity turned into a passion
Grandma Moses would devote about six hours every day to
painting, which she did mainly in her kitchen, often producing a
finished work in one session. At that speed, her hand quickly gained
confidence and mastery. In her paintings, the motives came from her
memory and the bright colours from her philosophy.
After a while,
she started to put up her work for sale. Since no art gallery would
stage an exhibition for a 78 year old neophyte, Grandma Moses convinced a
nearby drugstore to showcase her work. Her asking price was just a few
dollars per painting.
As chance would have it, an art collector
passed by the drugstore, saw her paintings, and purchased a few of them.
Those sales proved that, if she persisted, she could become a
professional artist. The collector's reaction predicted what millions of
people would later come to experience when confronted with Grandma
Moses' art: freshness, authenticity, and hope.
Little
by little, her work found its way into exhibitions and galleries,
initially with other artists and later alone. When Grandma Moses became
famous, she was well into her eighties. Day after day, she continued to
produce new paintings with an energy that few other artists could match.
Her compositions portray the joy of purposeful human activity
Her
canvasses frequently ignore the classical rules of perspective, but are
filled with colour and charm. Each of Grandma Moses' paintings is an
affirmation of the pleasures of simplicity. Unaffected by her success,
she continued to produce new works well beyond her 101st birthday.
If
you are convinced that prejudice, age, or any other factor are denying
you opportunities, you might be right, but that's beside the point. The
question has to be formulated in a different manner: What are you going
to do to circumvent obstacles and improve your situation? More often
than not, a path to success can be
found.
Should you consider your circumstances too distressing,
the work of Grandma Moses might provide you the inspiration you need.
See if you can get some colour posters of her paintings. Place the
posters on your kitchen wall and let their optimism change your mood.
Life and happiness are less complicated than they seem
You wake up in the morning, you stay
alert, and seize opportunities as they come. The message from Grandma
Moses is reflected in her compositions: a world full of light that has
little need of shadows.
Discouragement and complaints are
dead-end projects that you shouldn't pursue. Those who are busy moving
forward have no time for lamentations. Immobility keeps you down, but
action generates opportunities. The tide will turn today: don't miss it.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
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- Abundance Tapestry
- Albert Ellis Institute
- Always Well Within
- Advances in the History of Psychology
- Anxiety No More
- Anxiety Slayer
- Art of Non-Conformity (Chris Guillebeau)
- Art of Charm, The (Jordan Harbinger)
- Association for Psychological Science
- Barrie Davenport
- B Brown Random Tagline
- Brian Kim
- Bold Life, The
- Bounce Blog, The
- British Psychological Society
- Calm Monkey, The
- Canfield, Jack
- Chance Scoggins
- Craig Harper (Australia)
- Daring Adventure
- Deric Bownds Mindblog
- Do it myself (Glenda Watson Hyatt)
- Dragos Roua
- Dumb Little Man
- Early to Rise
- Egoist Blog, The
- Ellis, Debbie Joffee
- Elliott Hulse
- Empower Blog (Dr Hiten Vyas)
- Enjoying the Small Things (Kelle Hampton)
- Escape Adulthood
- Experimental Philosophy
- Extraordinary Ordinary, The
- Fancy Feet (Heidi Cave)
- Flourishing Life, A
- Four-Hour Work-week (Tim Ferris)
- Gail Brenner
- Gala Darling
- Greater Good
- Hansen, Mark Victor
- Happiness in this World
- Happiness Project, The
- Happy Girl
- History of Psychology
- Home-life Simplified (Australia)
- Hope to Cope
- Ian's Messy Desk
- Influence People (Brian Ahearn)
- Inspire Me Today
- James Altucher
- John Vespasian
- Jungle of Life, The
- Kimchi Mamas
- Larry Winget
- Les Brown
- Life Dev
- Lifehack
- Life Optimizer
- Literary Lawyer, The
- Live Bold and Bloom
- Living Rationally
- Living with anxiety
- Love and Smiles
- Maverick Philosopher
- Manage Your Life Now
- Martin Poldma
- Meant to Be Happy
- Mindful
- Mindhacks
- Miz Meliz
- Mudita Journal
- My Super-Charged Life
- National Association of Cognitive Behavioural Therapists
- Oliver Burkeman
- OK Dork (Noah Kagan)
- One Crafty Mother
- Optimistic Life
- Panic and Depression
- Partially Examined Life, The
- Penelope Trunk
- Personal Excellence
- Personal Success Factors
- Personal Success Today
- Philosophers Anonymous
- Philosophy and Life
- Philosophy Blog, The
- Philosophy Etc
- Philosophy in a Time of Error
- Philosophy Talk
- Pick the Brain
- Please Feel Beautiful
- Positive Blog
- Positive Provocations
- Positive Sharing
- Proctor, Bob
- Prolific Living
- Providentia
- Psych Central
- Psycholocrazy
- Psychological Science
- Psychologies Magazine (United Kingdom)
- Psychology of Well-being, The
- Psychology Today Blogs
- Psychology Tomorrow Magazine
- Pursuit of Happiness
- Radiant Soul Space (Otiti Jasmine)
- Ramble. Focus. Ramble.
- Rational Philosophy
- Rationally Speaking
- Recovering Engineer, The
- Reflecting a Life
- Research Digest on Brain and Behaviour
- Richard Koch
- Robert Ringer
- RSD Nation
- Start of Happiness, The
- Sensophy (Jacob Sokol)
- Shake Off the Grind
- Simple Productivity Blog
- Situationist, The
- Splintered Mind, The
- Stefan Molyneux
- Steve Pavlina
- Steven Aitchison (Change your thoughts, change your life)
- Talent Develop
- Teaching High School Psychology
- Time Shifting
- Tiny Buddha
- Today is That Day
- Tracey Cleantis
- Try to Stay Positive
- Unclutterer
- Unlimited Choice
- Up Popped a Fox
- Vishnu's Virtues
- Wisebread
- Zen Habits
From time to time, it can be beneficial to sit down and make a list of
all factors that are keeping you down. Make sure that you have plenty of
paper available since the outcome might be long. If this is your first
attempt at compiling such list, don't overdo it. A dozen pages will do.
A long list of problems
Depending
on your age and circumstances, you may wish to write down that you are
too young or too old. If you live in the countryside, you should mention
that opportunities are scarce. If you inhabit the city, that
competition is fierce.
Should you be looking for a job, write a
remark that the market is hard. For half of the open positions, your
experience will be insufficient; for the other half, you will be
overqualified. The situation will be worse if you are going out on
dates. Those who might love you won't recognize you and those who
approach you might not fit your needs.
After you have finished
your list, read it aloud. In view of the obstacles that are blocking
your way, the conclusion seems inescapable. The arguments have been
heard and judgement cannot be deferred. Would you agree that no
improvement is possible?
You aimed at a target and missed, so
stop running and quit. You tried your best and it didn't work, so go
away and never return. Your attempts did not lead to success, so it's
time to abandon your quest. You have wasted your resources and exhausted
your forces.
Your best ideas are spent, your best years filled
with discontent. Since your performance did not earn a decoration, you
can choose between abdication and resignation. Your ambitions are
impossible to achieve, how could you ever be so naive?
Turning the situation around
Nonetheless,
even if your difficulties seem insurmountable, the above conclusions
are wrong. Thousands of individuals overcome much worse problems than
the ones you have. Those who search for better ways tend to multiply
their chances of success.
As long as you refuse to quit,
possibilities continue to exist. The tide will turn today, washing away
yesterday's waste and bringing new opportunities. Turn around, face the
water, and look for the best moment to sail away from the coast.
Irrespective
of your background and constraints, your situation can change for the
better. Male or female, young or old, you should relentless pursue your
goals. Most problems can be solved if they are faced with courage and
creativity. Obstacles can be circumvented and solutions invented. Do not
let adversity render you blind to opportunity.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
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"Wisdom is the most general of sciences,"
observed Aristotle, "since it requires man to know principles and to
follow them. Prudence, on the other hand, is a virtue concerned with the
particulars of human action. Prudent is the man who can tell, at the
same time, what is the best and what is feasible for him."
The rational approach
The rational approach to dealing with personal deficiencies and bad luck
starts and ends with reality. Cards are not evenly distributed in the
game of life. Expecting others to compensate you for present or past
trouble is unlikely to improve your situation. If anything, pity and
compassion will paralyse you. What to do then? In my view, these four
are the steps that one should follow:
First, remember your uniqueness. You are
unique in your genetic characteristics and personal circumstances. Do
not compare yourself with others. Irrational comparisons bring nothing
but misery.
Second, do not remain passive. Take action. Discard unrealistic expectations and
figure out how to make the best of your situation. Look for practical solutions.
Assess different alternatives. Make a plan and implement it consistently.
The chosen path
Third, make a vow to persist until you find the way.
Realize that, more often than not, focused long-term activity is able
to counterbalance personal deficiencies, major obstacles, and
even tragedy. Keep on advancing on your chosen path and don't look
back.
Fourth, keep your peace of mind, even if things don't work as you would like. If you look around, you will find plenty of
examples of people who have succeeded despite overwhelming burdens.
Maintain your serenity and trust the principle of cause and effect.
There is no guarantee of success, but intelligent persistence has proven to work more often than not.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
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Anyone who tells you that you should always be yourself under any
circumstances does not have your best interest in mind. On the contrary,
placing yourself in difficult situations for no good reason will
prevent you from enjoying life and leave you little energy to develop
your talents. Being authentic is great, but not at any cost.
Minimize your risks
When
it comes to pursuing your dreams, you will be much better off if you do
it the right way. Minimizing your psychological and financial
dependence on other people's opinion is a prerequisite for being able to
make your own choices without fearing dire consequences. My point is
that it is perfectly rational to avoid confrontation in situations from
which you cannot walk away.
Increasing individual independence
from third parties' opinions is such a fundamental skill that it should
be taught at school. The idea that only millionaires possess the means
to speak out their mind is false, although unfortunately, such an
argument is frequently invoked to favour conformism. The truth is that
everyone can take steps to protect his privacy and integrity. In my
experience, the following two strategies are particularly useful:
Protect your privacy
There is little advantage in
providing details of your private life to strangers, colleagues at work,
employers, suppliers, or anyone who does not belong to your circle of
close friends. Why should you give anyone the opportunity to use that
information against you or the power to manipulate you in anyway?
Rudeness
is unnecessary to protect your private life and, to prying questions,
it is often wise to give a vague reply. In most cases, people will
accept your reluctance to provide personal details and change the
subject.
Create a financial reserve
Accumulating a financial cushion will do wonders to protect your peace
of mind and personal freedom. The temptation to engage into doubtful
business or professional practices can hardly tempt a man who possesses
enough savings. He will be able to used those to quit his job and spend a
couple of months searching for a new position.
Nobody needs to
be a millionaire to be able to do that. The real bedrock of
self-confidence is not magic or make-belief, but financial foresight. If
you save regularly every month, it should not take you too long to
accumulate a financial cushion that can take you through a rough period
in your professional life.
Make the decision to bring your
dependence on other people's opinion down to a negligible level. Find
polite ways to show your determination to protect your private life. It
is easier than you think and it will save you lots of problems down the
line.
Establish a reasonable monthly savings goal for yourself
and stick to it until you reach your desire level of safety. By adopting
these simple measures and implementing them consistently, you can
substantially enhance your well-being, peace of mind, and happiness.
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Few are able to keep a cool head when facing insurmountable obstacles.
Frustration derived from hardship leads many to despair. When misfortune
and tragedy strike, empty promises won't help. What advice can be given
to those who suffer from physical deficiencies or find themselves
discriminated on the basis of their origin, background, or personal
history?
Severe problems
Television and magazines are full of recommendations for
disadvantaged individuals. "Be positive and have confidence," they are
told. "Better times are coming." On many occasions, such bromides are
dispensed by those who have never encountered serious problems in life
or who have inherited most of what they possess.
Nowadays, many of those affected by severe problems, instead of seeking out a rational response, turn to
nihilism, obsession, or revenge. None of those approaches works, none of
them has ever improved anything. What is the reason of their
popularity? Why do people follow those paths?
A blurred vision
Nihilism will
deprive your life of direction, replacing ambition by neglect and
dereliction. Your vision will become blurred and you will be reduced to
perceiving, from everything, the worst. Purpose will be buried by random
decisions, convictions will turn into derision.
Obsession will
narrow your range to the minimum, pushing you to devote every hour to
senseless goals, such as acquiring fame and power. History tells of many
small men who became murderers to enhance their feeling of
self-importance. This is not the way.
Revenge will waste your
life by focusing your attention on past misfortune. Getting even seldom
solves problems and frequently results in additional harm. Revenge will
consume your efforts and resources, leaving you empty-handed, sad, and
mad at yourself.
Aristotle's advice
No wonder that
envy and discouragement are rampant in contemporary society, possibly
more than in any previous era of humanity. Already in the year 326 B.C.,
Aristotle emphasized the importance of seeking rationality as a way to
attain happiness. Unfortunately, the voice of the philosopher seems long
forgotten.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
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The
vision of life as a sequence of work interrupted by
holiday trips was born a century ago, but our mental patterns are more
than 5.000 years old. The practice of going away at regular intervals
and leaving everything behind would have seemed incomprehensible to most
19th century entrepreneurs, composers, or inventors. They would have
looked at us with surprise and inquired about the purpose of all that
travelling.
Productiveness and happiness
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is
known to have spent his entire life in Konigsberg, a city that nowadays
belongs to Russia. Apparently, he never wandered more than a few
kilometres away from Konigsberg, where he worked for decades as a
university professor. If he had wished to travel, he possessed the means
to do so.
Kant never crossed the ocean to see America and never
visited Russia, even though St. Petersburg is not far away from
Konigsberg. He never went to London, never set foot in Paris, and never
spent a summer in Rome. For all we know, he did not even go
to Berlin for a weekend. If this sounds boring to you, wait until you
read the whole story.
Due to financial difficulties in his youth,
Kant was forced to interrupt his studies for a couple of years. He
eventually managed to obtain an advanced degree and, when he was 31
years old, he landed a teaching job at the University of Konigsberg,
where he would continue to lecture until his retirement decades later.
Sound daily routines
For
most of his life, Kant did pretty much the same every day, irrespective
of the season. He would have breakfast, walk to the University, teach
his classes, have lunch, do some research, write a few pages of his next
book, return home, and have dinner.
When his friends urged him
to have a more active social life, Kant politely replied that he had no
time. There was always some exciting subject that he was researching or
some important book that he was planning. His writing kept him busy,
leaving little room for travel and other
activities.
After a quarter of a century at his job, he
produced his most important book, the Critique of Pure Reason (1781).
When the volume was published, Kant was already 57 years old and fully
conscious of the importance of what he had accomplished. History would
prove him right. His work has exerted foremost influence on philosophers
during the last two centuries.
The insights contained in Kant's
book prepared the ground for scientific discoveries and industrial
development. His ethical theories, which underline the role of reason,
stressed the importance of individual responsibility.
Clear-cut decisions
Would Kant
have written such exceptional book if he had spent several weeks per
year travelling for pleasure? Would he have produced such extraordinary
achievement if he had interrupted his work at regular intervals? No, obviously not.
Do
not assume that you are obliged to follow the trend. If there is a
lesson to be learned from Kant's life, is that you can attain great
success without going anywhere. Travelling for pleasure can be great
fun, but if there are better things that you could do with your time, do
not let anybody decide for you.
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Travelling for pleasure is a modern phenomenon. Before the twentieth
century, few people undertook long journeys if it was not for investment
or trade. Moving from one country to another was uncomfortable and
expensive. Before vaccination became an everyday procedure, malaria and
yellow fever presented major health risks for those travelling to
tropical areas.
The enticement
In our days, public taste has shifted to the
opposite extreme. From teenagers to pensioners, millions of individuals
devote their holidays to visiting distant cities. Airlines offer
affordable tickets to cross the ocean, inviting consumers to spend their
next vacation exploring exotic cultures. Who can resist their enticing
advertisements?
The fact that large numbers of people travel for
pleasure provides evidence of its popularity, not of its benefits. Many
individuals count smoking, overeating, and excessive drinking amongst
their favourite occupations. The enjoyment derived from those activities
does not automatically qualify them as advantageous. Judgement should
be passed on the basis of rational assessment, not of popularity.
Novelty without purpose
While
dogs and cats appear perfectly contented to move around without
purpose, human beings tend to become restless. Travelling dissolves our
routines and forces us to start from scratch. Encountering novelty can
be pleasurable, but too much of it leads to exhaustion.
Spending
your vacation in an unusual location guarantees that you will meet new
people and taste exotic food. For the duration of the break, you will
forget your routines and feel exempted from preoccupations. The idea is
that, since you have worked hard for months, now it is your turn to
enjoy a holiday.
Using your time wisely
On the other hand, if you are one of those who
loves his work and is inclined to introspection, you might experience
some doubts: Should you really be there? Don't you have better things to
do? What is the point of all these vacation trips? Are you not wasting
your time?
While exotic vacations are fine for some people, other individuals find them disruptive. Depending on your personal
philosophy and the type of activities you like, extended travelling might or might not be the right thing for you.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my books.
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Although there is no foolproof formula for identifying dead-end
projects, experience provides us with effective guidelines. The sooner
we recognize a losing pattern, the faster we can correct it or escape
it. If you want to increase your chances of leading a happy life, it is crucial that you avoid projects that lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. The following eight questions can help establish if a project is
worth pursuing or not.
Create new assets
First, does the project create assets or liabilities?
Valuable undertakings provide the foundation for a
better future; detrimental activities destroy resources. The worst sort
of ventures are those that create permanent liabilities. Never embark
yourself on an enterprise that requires you to make disproportionate
commitments.
Second, does the project involve dealing with nice or
unpleasant individuals? Dead-end projects attract bitter persons who
relish in sharing their misery. Enterprises that possess a culture of
aggressiveness hire workers who are nasty and mean. Those environments
are not conductive to success; seek out kind people and do your best to
avoid the rest.
Third, is your project inspired by reason or by
prejudice? Rigid preconceptions constitute a disadvantage in the age of
globalisation and internet. Prejudice cannot provide a sound basis for
cooperation and friendship. Avoid projects based on cultural bias;
instead, choose activities inspired by reason.
Fourth, does it
develop valuable skills or is it just a hobby? The best games
make us acquire useful habits and think for ourselves; similarly, the
best sports improve our overall physical condition. In contrast,
dead-end activities have restrained scopes with no wider application;
they are doomed to remain hobbies forever.
Take a global view
Fifth, does it have a
local or international focus? Minority languages, despite their many
charms, cannot match the array of possibilities offered by English,
Spanish, French, and German. Projects with strict local focus provide
few opportunities for growth and learning. Activities with a global view
allow participants to meet many interesting people.
Sixth, does the
project encourage production or consumption? Activities that consume a
massive amount of resources cannot be carried out for long. If you work
in the field of development, choose projects aimed at building up
productive skills in the local population. The purpose of sustainable
development is to provide individuals with know-how so that
they can generate a steady income for themselves.
Seventh, does it
create a feeling of adventure or routine? The best enterprises possess
high goals that motivate participants to perform everyday activities
that often are unchallenging or boring. Inspiration transforms routine
into adventure. Undertakings that do not provide an ennobling vision of
the future will rarely be worth your time.
Eighth, does the project
encourage growth or simply tries to prevent decay? History changes
markets and fashions; the clock cannot be turned back. Worthy activities
follow current trends and attract new customers; in contrast,
unworkable projects attempt to maintain dying traditions; they have
already lost the race against time.
The right choices
Stop wasting time on dead-end
projects. As soon as you identify a losing pattern, discard
rationalisations and analyse your motivation. Shun activities that keep
you running in circles; instead, seek out opportunities for growth
and learning; choose projects that enhance productiveness, cooperation,
kindness, and friendship.
In the US and in some other countries, you can use Kindle Unlimited to download my latest book for free
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