Think about the ideas that define<\/p>\n
you\u2014ideas that tell the world who you<\/p>\n
are. You\u2019re an activist or a volunteer.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re a workaholic. You\u2019re a liberal or<\/p>\n
a conservative. You\u2019re loyal to a fault.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re God-fearing, patriotic, and the<\/p>\n
number-one fan of your home team.<\/p>\n
These may seem like admirable ways<\/p>\n
to describe yourself, but have they<\/p>\n
made your life easier? How much time ing your position? Do you criticize<\/p>\n
people who describe themselves differently? Do you \u201clay down the law\u201d to<\/p>\n
your family and friends, expecting<\/p>\n
them to be as fanatical as you are?<\/p>\n
You may still want to start a war or<\/p>\n
just win a few battles. Either way, opinions aren\u2019t where your power lies.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re just opinions. A good argu-<\/p>\n
ment is still just an argument.<\/p>\n
Your beliefs and ideologies may<\/p>\n
feel as if they are the heart and soul of<\/p>\n
you, but they\u2019re not. Cherished ideas<\/p>\n
represent a way of thinking that makes<\/p>\n
us feel safe and possibly even superior. We invest them with a lot of<\/p>\n
emotional power, but they have no<\/p>\n
power of their own. Ideas and ideolo-<\/p>\n
gies influence the way we conduct our-<\/p>\n
selves, which often feels right, but<\/p>\n
they can also harm our ability to inter-<\/p>\n
act and share time with others.<\/p>\n
To respect someone\u2019s right to an<\/p>\n
opinion is an act of love. It\u2019s a gift to<\/p>\n
others to let them share their views.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not so difficult to listen without<\/p>\n
judgment. It\u2019s not that weird to say, \u201cI<\/p>\n
don\u2019t know,\u201d and disarm the moment.<\/p>\n
Let others know they have a valid<\/p>\n
point. We don\u2019t always have to be<\/p>\n
right. We don\u2019t ever have to be me.<\/p>\n
Most of the battles we fight are in<\/p>\n
our heads. We grapple with ideas and<\/p>\n
constantly struggle with notions of<\/p>\n
right and wrong. And then we take the<\/p>\n
fight outside, arguing about truth and<\/p>\n
lies, good and evil. Our way is briliant; their way is stupid. Like most<\/p>\n
conflicts between nations, our wars<\/p>\n
with other people are public decla-<\/p>\n
rations of self-importance.<\/p>\n
We have a tendency to defend ourselves, often as if we were defending human life.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Consider that for a moment: we\u2019re de-<\/p>\n
fending the integrity of something that<\/p>\n
isn\u2019t real. Maybe we\u2019re afraid of losing<\/p>\n
face, and that reveals the whole problem. We will lose our masks, in other<\/p>\n
words. We will abandon pretense. Unable to support what we are not, we<\/p>\n
will stand naked and authentic in front<\/p>\n
of the world\u2014which may be what<\/p>\n
we\u2019ve needed all along.<\/p>\n
If we refuse to quit old habits and<\/p>\n
pretenses, how can we experience the<\/p>\n
truth of us? We will continue to be at<\/p>\n
odds with the world. We will continue<\/p>\n
to see injustice everywhere and make<\/p>\n
our lives that much more difficult. The voice of me insists that we be right<\/p>\n
and that everyone else be wrong, but<\/p>\n
where do our ideas come from in the<\/p>\n
first place? If we dare to incorporate<\/p>\n
new ideas, what exactly is at stake?<\/p>\n
Who needs to be shielded from that<\/p>\n
disturbance? If we want peace of<\/p>\n
mind, we won\u2019t find it by arguing and<\/p>\n
insisting.<\/p>\n
We find unexpected peace when<\/p>\n
we stop trying to defend ourselves.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The three questions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n DON MIGUEL RUIZ & BARBARA EMRYS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Think about the ideas that define you\u2014ideas that tell the world who you are. You\u2019re an activist or a volunteer. You\u2019re a workaholic. You\u2019re a liberal or a conservative. You\u2019re loyal to a fault. You\u2019re God-fearing, patriotic, and the number-one fan of your home team….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/post-2488.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Think about the ideas that define you\u2014ideas that tell the world who you are. You\u2019re an activist or a volunteer. You\u2019re a workaholic. You\u2019re a liberal or a conservative. You\u2019re loyal to a fault. You\u2019re God-fearing, patriotic, and the number-one fan of your home team....","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39688,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39687\/revisions\/39688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}