On Religion

One thing that's interesting about religion is the two sides seem so far apart that you need to be willing to take this "leap of faith" to see things from the other side. For someone who isn't religious, it's unlikely that they will ever listen to their friend who is because it's just too easy to say "I'm not the religious type". We all believe there is a fundamental difference between believers and non-believers.

Check out this article. I believe this is the same guy who wrote about "Radical Honesty" that I talked about in this post. An "agnostic Jew", he spent an entire year living his life by the strict rules of the Bible. Some of it predictably improved his life (no gossiping for example), others un-predictably improved his life (he said he felt happier wearing all white clothing), and still others seemed to have a negligible impact (stoning adulterers).

If ever there was someone who could finally give you the religious equivalent of "I've used PC's for the last 15 years, and now I've switched to a Mac...and love it!", it's this guy.

I haven't read his book: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible but it's getting great reviews on Amazon.

I don't have time for new friends

Have you ever said this to yourself? I have. Many times actually. Someone from my past will attempt to resurface and I don't take the bait, because I already have a full plate socially (or, so I tell myself).

It's totally lame. Can I really not spare an hour to go have drinks (well, water anyway) with someone I liked but haven't seen in years?

Unless you dislike someone, there is no reason not to stay in touch. You never know where it might lead. If nothing else, you'll feel better than sitting at home and "relaxing" in front of the TV, right?

One man's trash

This morning, I met a guy who goes around rummaging through curbside garbage picking out the choicest items and selling them at a flea market. He said he makes between $150 and $250 per day, and he does it twice a week. It was enough for him to live on.

What really got me thinking though was that he said: "You know, I finally realized that holding out for the best price doesn't matter. Most things go for one dollar, two dollars. But you don't want to keep them. You just want to get rid of as much stuff as possible."

Then, he found a really nice purse, which he said was comparable to Louis Vuitton. I couldn't help but imagine someone walking up to him at the flea market, buying the purse, and then selling it on Ebay for significantly more that the $4 they paid him for it.

But basically, it comes down to your resources and what your time is worth. Then I imagined the whole path of this purse and just how much money was spent and earned on it (not to mention how much was kept inside!).

And even though he was rummaging through the trash looking for things he could sell for $1, you couldn't help but admire him and wonder where all that stuff would end up.

It's possible

Is it possible that almost everyone of us actually knows what we need to do to be better at life, but we just don't have the determination to make it happen?

Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.

Oh, the things I've learned

Someday I'll start writing them all down. Lately, I've been learning things that I hope I'll never have to put to use again. For example: tips for evicting a tenant who isn't paying. Or: how to propose.

But it's actually REALLY hard to remember everything we learn. That's why I'm trying to learn to go with what my gut tells me, rather than whatever I can figure out through conscious thought.

I'm sure I've missed out on countless opportunities where someone told me: "oh, I have a friend who works in that business", or "I know someone who can get tickets for that if you ever need them". I say: "Oh yeah? Cool."

Then I promptly forget.

I read a ton of really interesting books. But ask me to summarize them, and I'll stammer and stutter. Ask me what I've learned and I could probably tell you one or two things.

There is too much information floating around out there. Even if I write it down, when the time comes to recall that information I probably won't even remember that I wrote it down somewhere.

Guess what? I have no solution for this. I suppose trusting your instincts is a start. There's usually a reason.