1. Compassion: Hatred is easy, disdain is easy, apathy, intolerance, fear... all these are easy. Try to open up, to be kind before you condemn, to give before you take, to help someone else up, even if you're sure you'll never need any help from anyone else ever in your entire life.
2. Engagement: Contrive to Connect, Contribute to the Controversy, Collaborate in the Collective Consciousness! Mankind is a single organism. He who does not participate in the pageantry of life is a parasite. We cannot just Live Life, we must experience it.
3. Foresight: The future is coming on fast. We've got to open our eyes to it and see it for what it is; see the opportunities and the
pitfalls. We've got to prepare, as a people and as individuals. Prior Planning may not Prevent Piss-poor Performance, but it's damn sure more likely to stop it if anything can.
4. Respect: Self-Respect is important. Respect for other people and their ideas, cultures, histories and everything else that makes them what they are, good are bad, is even more so. We've fallen into the trap of disdain, of hating our enemies, which blinds us to their point of view and keeps us from understanding them. They're full of hate, so it's easy to hate back, but it accomplishes nothing. We've got to learn respect, to show it, especially when it seems least applicable.
5. Responsibility: We've got to learn that we are responsible for our own actions. We've got to stand up and take the blame, take the shame, try to do better. We've also got to learn that we are our brothers' keeper; that we have to help out, lend a hand, do what's right, especially when it's inconvenient, hard, or painful. We've got to say, "I'll take care of that", then actually do it.
6. Moderation: It's not good to obsess over things. It's good to know when enough is enough. Don't be too big a fan of any one thing. Don't spend too much money on any one hobby... and yes, fashion is a hobby. Don't work too hard. Don't drink too much. Don't be too much of a stick in the mud. Life is for the living, but we've got to balance quality and quantity.
7. Be Elite, but don't act it: Mediocrity is a terrible thing. We've become convinced that the little guy is great, that it's okay to be normal. It's not. We've got to strive to be the best we can be, to push our own boundaries and set unrealistic goals. We've got to reach for the stars and hold on tight, even if we get burned. But that's only half the virtue. Its okay, great, wonderful to be superior. It's okay to let people know you are. It's not okay to be an ass about it or think that your superiority should give you special treatment. Be the best, don't be a tool.
(c) 2010 Jesse Grant
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