Two basic truths for
- life,

- business,
- education,
- relationships,
- spiritual well being,
- emotional health.
Do you ever forget that what now seems obvious was once a revelation? Or that some of the most basic things in life are things you most easily take for granted, then forget about, then remember, then forget again, over and over again.
Ideas and principles that have been around forever are still brand new when you get them for the first time; or when you get them again in a new and deeper way. Like peeling away layers to rediscover something new about what you thought you had understood. This is the nature of the two basic principles here.
Basic Truth~Principle Number One. Hamlet said it, in a moment of desperation, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Alfred Korzybski also said it so clearly that it is now an axiom, “the map is not the territory.”
We each live with different models of the world. You could say that we live in different worlds, with different maps, and often with entirely different ways of thinking.
One of the wonders of the world is that despite our different models of the world, and our different points of view, we still manage communicate with each other at all!
If you want to be a good parent, friend, salesperson, communicator, teacher (and you’re not a member of a cult where people are encouraged to hold the same basic model of the world) then respecting others’ values, point of view, assumptions, predisposition, and taste will stand you in good stead.
In short, respect the way other people view the world, however different from your own point of view that may be.
Basic Truth~Principle Number Two. Everything we experience is filtered through our emotions. and our attitudes that both inform and are informed by them. This includes the expectations we have of the world and of ourselves. It includes how we respond in times of difficulty.
It means that children learn best when they are happy, safe, and held in high regard. And of course, the same is true for adults.
We tend to fulfill what is expected of us, including and especially what we have learned to expect of ourselves. The world and the people around us also tend to respond to us according to our expectation of them.
When things go wrong it is better to treat the experience as a lesson, to pick yourself up, and move on.
Blaming yourself or others won’t help. Asking “what can I learn from this?’ will!
Explaining and justifying the situation won’t help. Asking what you can do differently next time will.
Indulging in self-pity, anger, resentment won’t help. Evoking a sense of gratitude for what you still have will!
In short, maintaining a positive attitude and a positive emotional state will always work to your advantage. And it will benefit everyone you come into contact with.
Two basic truths to live by:
- The map is not the territory; and
- Live at cause, not as a victim.

I’ve been asking people,“Have you heard of the term ‘Cultural Creative’?” Most people I ask say that they have not.
There are those who make change in their lives willingly – because of restlessness, because of inspiration, or through curiosity. They begin by changing their habits, or their external circumstances, or the meanings they give to things. And once they truly change any one of those things, the others change too.
Practical spirituality – is learning to live in balance, being in congruence with your essential values (the values that define who you truly are). It also means being in harmony with your surroundings. It means bringing specific positive change into your own life, and being capable of being of real service to others.
… the first encounter that Dante has on his journey down into the Inferno is with an endless stream of those who are described to him as neither good nor bad. This miserable throng is ferried down into the underworld by Charon whose endless task it was to go back and forth across the river. He has to hurry them on by striking them with his oars to hurry them, because there are so many of them.
Revisiting Dante’s Divine Comedy, for the first time since I was a precocious teenager with literary aspirations, I am astonished and excited by the utter genius of this work. Words escape me. There’s simply nothing quite like it in any language from any period.
“Have a great ride,” he said.

The Secret triggered new interest in Law of Attraction teachings and perspectives. “Think the right thoughts and become a star,” is the way it goes. The trouble is that this misses several important steps. Which is one reason why I turned to Buddhism – years ago – when my father explained positive thinking to me as a way to get good grades at school. Somehow I had the idea that study was important too. Silly me!