Humanist Thought of the Week

Compassionate Problem Solving

Compassion is the basis of almost all moral codes on the planet.

It helps us to judge some things as good and others as bad.

And when something is bad, we have a problem.

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Paradigm Shift

There is a good chance that if we have been failing to solve a problem, the reason why we are failing is that our understanding of the problem is flawed.

When this happens, what we need is a paradigm shift.

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Intellectually Lazy

When it comes to politics, if your attitude is a pox on both houses, you are intellectually lazy.

You are basically saying you are too lazy to pay attention to know who is telling the truth and who isn’t. 

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What do you care?

Does it really matter if other people like you?

Making friends is hard work.

You have to put yourself out there and risk rejection.

This fear of rejection, like all fears, makes people do stupid things.

In this case, it makes you focus on the wrong thing.

Instead of worrying about whether other people will like you, you should be worried about whether YOU like them.

If you don’t like them, then it won’t matter if they don’t like you.

If you do like them, chances are, they will like you too, because people like people who like them.

And if they don’t, so be it.

The more you can focus on liking other people, the less weird you will act because you won’t be consumed by your own irrational fears.

It will also prevent you from chasing after friendships that are toxic.

Pick Your Battles

Sometimes you win by not fighting.

There are several reasons why it’s important to pick your battles.

First, you don’t have unlimited energy.

If you fight every little thing, you will quickly burn out, even if your cause is just.

Second, some things are better left not fought. There are some battles you cannot win AND, no good will come from the fight.

Third, it takes two people to fight. If you don’t fight, the other person usually ends up looking like a jerk and you can win by default. 

This way takes longer, but the success and satisfaction is worth the self-control this takes. 

In order to be successful, you have to have balance.

Learn how to pick your battles by learning how to think critically and by having compassion for those you disagree with.