Wisdom? Life Advice? Just a Pretext (Read 310 times)

[lazulum]

I mentioned sharing some experiences sometime, wasn't sure where the best place would be so I figured I'd share here under the clumsy guise of some life advice.


I didn't really start living until about five or so years ago. Since then, I've met a few ambassadors, come across the Heisei Emperor a few times, weathered out a typhoon in a shrine on a mountain, volunteered with the elderly, saved a man's life (which involved temporarily abducting him with the help of a Siberian, he was drunk), worked for the government for a little, traveled the country (Japan) and made friends everywhere, sing in community choirs, went up and down Fuji in a polo shirt, help an NGO every week, did a copy-edit commission for the then newly-formed country of Timor Leste, and much, much more.

[THE ADVICE]
I will share selected stories in the future as opposed to a general outline of sorts, but I hope that adequately supports my main advice. Every day is something to be cherished. You, too, can do similar. It starts with a step, just one step. Be somewhere. It takes patience, it takes endurance, bravery is required, and things will not happen when you expect, but walk with candor, keep a smile, and seek to do the right thing and give hope to people. Words alone can really change a person's life, and it is really the least we can do for people.

Maybe you didn't need to hear something already apparent and obvious. But, I find, with all things, if even just one additional person can profit in some way, it is all worth it.

[spongelevator]

lazulum has returned

I remember many of the stories you'd tell back when we would 2hus gaming
always liked hearing about that kinda stuff
that one original thread where we all started out and talked about whatever was the best one I never heard of underwater hamster guy before that

whenever I'd think about these sorts of things I think similarly
focusing too much on the future or the past tends not to be great for one's health and I wonder if it's so common as a result of the difficulty of starting something and sticking with it
pretty easy to get stuck in a loop of "if I had just done x earlier" or "one day I'll have achieved x so I can work on it anytime" and that is why I haven't done my reps since 9th grade (7 years ago) and can still only read kana and like three kanji
well that and I fell for the anki meme of hitting the middle button 999999 times instead of finding a better way to do it because there is no way I'm gonna remember a kanji with like 8 strokes when all I can remember is watashi and 1-10
expectations also need to be tamed and met with an equal amount of effort
people I know have mentioned so many times about their friends who want to be doctors but won't study for chemistry 1 and expect it to just fall into their laps if they will it enough
basically gotta put in not too little or too much effort (since too much effort is hopstital)

honestly seems like balance and going with the flow is the way to go maybe those taoists were onto something

(actually were they even taoists or were they just saying they were
or was that the buddhists
or both
man it's been a while)

I'd agree we should try our best to help people out if we can manage
may sound weird to say it like that but I've seen that strangely seems to be a controversial opinion with trust declining and the idea that "nobody owes anyone anything" becoming more popular
but if nobody trusts each other and friends don't help each other out unless there's something in it for them aint that just detroit where your porch gets stolen and you fall and break your knee but nobody helps because there's nothing in it for them

except when everyone trusts each other and helps each other you get that kinda community from back when you were a kid where you can ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar to make a fine banana bread that you bring over for dinner
somebody's gotta offer the olive branch if everyone is to get along
then again there's stuff like isolationism and neutrality (which could be seen as being independent in the same way as above) where sometimes that can be very peaceful like uh
edo period in japan?
but also the issue of how that may come at a cost and may also be a result of ignoring things happening to other countries and also the idea of helping others out potentially having great costs to your own peace and well-being and yeah suddenly the words are too many and the answers are too few

anyway good to see you lazulum hi lazulum

[lazulum]

Mar 16, 2024 23:09:13 GMT spongelevator said:

(long text)

Nice to hear from you again!
Those were nice times. Maybe sometime in the future we can revive that whole thing.

Glad you enjoyed my rambling haha
Hampture! That takes me back

Yeah, it stymies our attention, energies, and actions. It also causes us to despair, become demotivated, and maybe even grow anger and resentments.

That's a good bit of wisdom about expectations there. I know a girl whose devoted her every energy to trying to build a company before she turns 30 (I know others who have built different companies successfully to be fair), I hope she's been thinking about the opportunity costs I suppose.

I agree with your thoughts about charity and niceties. I find that one's life comes to reflect your endeavors as well. People actually try to emulate it. A woman asked me not too long ago how she could be a better person. I don't remember exactly what I told her but she recently told me that she had traveled to Sendai (up north) to volunteer with orphans.

[lazulum]

Might make a 'Stories from Laz' post here every so often.
Theme: Deontologicalism
I traveled around Central to Eastern Europe about two years ago. One chance encounter I had was with a journalist from Russia at a cafe. He was young, in his early twenties. After some chat I found out he had published (against his editor's wishes) a dissent against Russia's military operation in Ukraine. After publishing it, he ran from the country as he would at the very least be arrested for what he wrote. The young fellow made straight for Belarus and then Poland where he was stopped at the border and interrogated for over 12 hours. I ran into him after that, he was on his way to Ukraine incidentally so he could volunteer with humanitarian work.

The young chap will likely be unable to return to the place he was born for a very long time. His decision to throw away everything in the pursuit of doing the right thing has always left an impression on me. Hence, the theme is deontological ethics, there is always a right and wrong thing to do regardless of outcomes, benefits, costs, etc.

I have a picture of the fellow but I'm not going to post it for obvious reasons (he didn't even have social media anymore). Hopefully it was a nice little read.

Till next time.

[lazulum]

[Stories from Laz time 003]
Every week, I go to an orphanage after work for one evening as a volunteer. You can learn a lot from those kids. Most of them actually have parents but the parents are not allowed to be near the kids (a grim realization). Even in Japan there are such cases. There was a realization when it was brought up that the kids have baby pictures of one of the girls, though. That kid has never known anything but the orphanage. However, she is the most energetic, outgoing, and happy of the kids. I do not think I have ever seen that kid not smile. Makes me think about how easily many people I have known allow themselves to fall into deep despair, melancholy, and sadness. It is a vital skill to notice the myriad joys in our lives and to embrace them (for they are certainly there).

Hopefully there was something there worth reading. Till next time.