Essay by Luke Foster
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”
Edward de Bono
Over the last month mainly while beach walking, I have been racking my brain how to make my life more, happy and fulfilling and I came to the realization that I need much more gratitude, compassion and forgiveness and then I will suffer a lot less and not make others suffer too.
“Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind that is nonviolent, non-harming, and nonaggressive. It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility, and respect towards the other.”
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lamas advice on compassion is sage advice and I love that quote by him.
“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world. When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”
Malala Yousafzai
Malala is quite young but she is definitely wise beyond her years and I love how she gives young women a voice in the developing world to get an education. What more could develop gratitude in those young women and children she helps and how much courage and compassion it takes for her to do this.
“Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” “Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail.” “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
Michelle Obama
I love this quote by Michelle Obama and she has an incredible amount of clout in the world to achieve her compassionate objectives with Barack.
“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
Pope Francis
In conclusion I feel the way out of the woods is to have more gratitude for all who guide and look after me, humour me and build me up when I’m already happy and build me up when I am down in the dumps. I need more compassion particularly for those less fortunate and try to lessen their suffering with the help of the global community. I should also try to have a lot more forgiveness towards those I have had differences with. Last of all I should try to have a sense of humour that lessens my burden on a stressful day.