Out with the old in with the new…
I used to have, my friends called it the dinosaur, a flip phone. At first I simply did not buy a smart phone because I didn’t find the need for it. Eventually it became a personal statement for me to use a flip phone. It was my way of protesting against “technology pollution.” It became apparent that I needed to upgrade since I am a web developer and cross-device testing is a huge part of web development. Also it would just be silly to never change phones, so I got myself a fairly new smartphone.
It was awesome. Everything is in HD, you can watch everything everywhere anytime and there is literally an app for everything. I was like the baby who discovered his eyebrows for the first time. I would lock and unlock my phone just to marvel at this sleek beautiful piece of technology.
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However, as I found myself becoming more dependent on the phone’s technological capabilities, I realized I was being too dependent on it. Do I really need to download a ruler app to measure something if I have an actual tangible ruler in the next room? The answer to that would obviously be no.
The price of innovation
With technology and advancement, the pacing out of old unadaptive technologies is a natural unfortunate process. Certain things I used to do such as using pencil and paper to make notes is now impractical since I could simply write it down on this device that I have with me at all times.
What I didn’t realize, however, was the incalculable intangible aspects of doing things the slow and possibly “less efficient” way. With technology, it reduces activities to it’s purest practical form. You simply send an email to deliver a message, but what we miss are the small irreplaceable experiences we have to go through if we were to deliver a message in person.
In essence, technology might be efficient and more convenient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we should abandon the old ways because there are essential human aspects we sometimes are simply unaware of. And in today’s fast paced environment, people forget the roots of things that make being human such an amazing and fulfilling experience. These ten wise old sayings embody many of these human experiences. Their fundamental importance in life are explained by the sayings themselves and their lessons should not be left to fade away. I bring you the 10 wise old saying that world is starting to forget.
African Proverb
Having read something in Wikipedia does not equate to expertise. In a world where you can literally “google” anything, people start to forget the difference between information and wisdom. Wisdom comes with experience. It comes from attempting many different perspectives to solve a problem and making mistakes. Each time a mistake is made, it gives you another piece of the puzzle. Information is simply having pieces of the puzzle dumped in front of you, but you wouldn’t know where to put them. Take your time, stay humble, and learn from your mistakes.
Golden Rule
Do you want people to be fair to you? Then be fair to others. The Golden Rule is plain and simple, yet there are many that seem to forget just how important it is to treat your neighbor how you want to be treated.
The spread of violence, violation of human rights, and disregard for life is not how one can make the world a better place and it is certainly not the way to spread your message to the world. Those who treat others negatively always end up suffering the same fate. It takes courage and strong spirit to find the will to break the cycle of hatred.
If someone hurts you, fight back by helping others and using the pain of your experience to fuel that light that will lead others from a stray path.
Thomas Fuller 1661
Humans are biologically inclined to remember negative stimuli move vividly than positive ones because back then, remembering to avoid a dangerous place is more important to survival than remembering that time when you had the greatest ice cream ever.
Being exposed to negative news and negative content regularly will take it’s toll on your psychological well-being, and information pollution is sneaking it’s way to our subconscious. People nowadays have less peace of mind than those who lived before the age of information technology because we are constantly bombarded with bad news and demands on how things should be, who is at fault, who is this and that, etc.
Give birth to a new enthusiasm for life daily, live your life away from the negative influences of how other people think you should live your life. And when it’s time to let go of something, let it be on your terms because everything in life does eventually pass away, but the experiences and the meanings of those moments stay with you forever. No one and nothing can take that away from you.
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George Herbert 1633
Moderation is perhaps one of the greatest secret to happiness that is right in front of you. It basically means to avoid excess, but you never truly understand how important it is until you have understood the failings of gluttony. Gluttony is the desire to consume in order to chase pleasures.
The problem with this chase is it turns into the desire to escape from pain. Eventually what used to be pleasurable simply becomes the new normal. A new normal that strains the body and strains your finances. Gluttony for food eventually leads to life threatening diseases and the gluttony for luxury leads to financial death. Gluttony for anything will lead to the ultimate death of ones appreciation for the rewards he/she can attain.
That is why moderation is not really a duty, but a gift. It is almost like time travel where you rewind back the clock to the point that you feel satisfied with something you previously had. Instead of living life chained to the impossible pursuit of some addiction you can’t satiate, you find yourself content and in control.
Socrates
If you want to change the world, you cannot expect to stay where you are. Many people want change the world but they don’t want the inconvenience. Money is a good way to help, but as shown by what happened during the typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines, money has it’s limits. Money did not immediately reach the victims and significantly affected the relief efforts because there wasn’t enough man-power to distribute the donations.
Giving your time and effort may be the best thing that you can offer. Many volunteers, not only give their money, time, and effort, they also risk their lives in order to lend a helping hand.
Socrates
Tinder, Match, OkCupid, etc. are all dating apps designed to make meeting someone more “hassle free.” Despite what most dating applications suggest, great relationships are not formed by some complicated bio-matching algorithm. It is refined by time, emotional investments, and personal sacrifices.
Do not feel the need to find someone just to find someone. Take your time. Learn to love yourself, learn to feel great being by yourself, and if you find someone to share your good times with, that would be awesome.
Time and tribulation will determine whether this awesome time you are having will turn into a life changing revelation that is meant to change your life forever. Rejections and broken hearts are part of the process, so don’t get too bummed when things don’t turn out how you wished. Good things take time.
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Greek Proverb
Beauty is subjective. Each person has a different perception of beauty. Curvy women are beautiful, thin women are beautiful, and athletic women are beautiful. Recently, weight issues have been the target of social engineering campaigns using perceptions of beauty to play with women’s insecurities about their bodies.
To put it simply, people look their best at different weight ranges and people feel their best at different weight ranges. Beauty is not all about how you look, it’s how you move, it’s how you talk, it’s your mind and your body projecting itself to the people you connect with.
These people associate their experiences with your image and they create their own opinion of your beauty. That is why people often have their own “types.” Some people are into skinny, some are into athletic, and some are into curvy. Beauty is never entirely physical, a huge deal of it depends on how the person seeing it perceives it. And a person’s perception of someone’s beauty relies heavily on many different variables beyond the weight on the scale.
Robert A. Heinlein 1966
You think you are getting a good deal with that once in a lifetime offer? Most likely not. This is the golden age of internet scams, so it is best to be smart and know when something seems to be too good to be true.
Like I always say, apply cautious optimism. Optimism doesn’t mean you should jump unto anything remotely enticing and just scream “YOLO” all day. Stay positive but do your due diligence to educate yourself to make sure you are making the best possible decision. Great decisions followed by a great outcome is an awesome stress reliever.
François de Charette 1742
You can be the greatest nicest saint and you will inevitably offend someone. Ever since the internet made it easier for people to connect with other people all over the world with varying opinions and cultures, people have been finding newer and newer ways to be offended. Too much political correctness will not get anything done.
I’m not saying you should never be offended, or that you should never consider other people’s feelings. Often times people are offended because there is something that is actually offensive.
I think if you are trying to make a difference and stepping out of your comfort zone to reach out and make your positive mark on the world, sometimes you will offend someone for reasons unclear to you. And that may not be a bad thing. Don’t let it discourage you. Sometimes you have to take a risk to deliver your message and to make a change. Also some people are just completely bonkers and are impossible to please. Like they often say, sometimes you have to “ignore the haters.”
François de Charette 1742
Imagine yourself floating in the middle of the ocean. You sea the sky, you can feel the gentle kiss of the warm water on your skin, you can smell the sweet scent of mist in the air, and you can hear the world around you. It is an interesting thought, but are you truly there if you just float by and let the currents take you wherever it takes you?
Just thinking about the situation you probably would have the urge to gently play with the water and do some kind of action. Action is the keyword. Just doing anything would send ripples of energy through the water, making waves. These waves make changes – they displace sand underneath, they move leaves floating along the surface. If you decide to start swimming and moving your arms vigorously, you would make an even bigger impact. It’s the action that makes a huge difference.
My point is in a modern world where we are influenced by many different behavior-governing entities including new social norms, political issues and all the various emerging technologies that heavily alter our behaviors and perspective, it is important to know what we truly want as an individual and to do the most essential part – taking action.
And in taking action sometimes these technological advances we depend on will fail – your phone will run out of battery, your WIFI won’t connect, you’re software will be glitching out, etc. And we will have to go back to the good ol’ basics. I think, in essence, this is what these wise old sayings embody – being a complete human being not entirely dependent on the myriad technologies to take action towards our life goals.