quotes from books

In a world of constant connectivity, it can seem like every problem is always present and in need of my immediate attention. But this is never true. There is always more time than it seems, but I'm unable to see this because I'm under the control of attachment.

I'm deeply worried about my unsolved problems and the potential for them to create an even worse situation for me. My aversion to this is so strong that I've become attached to it, and my attention is now dominated by the demands of my various problems. As a result, everything I do becomes tense and tightly controlled as I try to manage even what is totally unmanageable.

Sometimes she thinks about these things too much. When she's aware of this happening, she forces herself to stop. Her deepest questions have to remain unanswered, and this bothers her. Her own self seems to belie explanation, as if it were somehow beyond her possible understanding. She doesn't know if things will ever become clearer, but she continues to look everywhere for answers.

She doesn't trust her own desires, because she doesn't know where they come from. She trusts her fears even less, for they often seem to get in the way of what she needs to do. She has endless doubts about most things, and not just things in her, but those out in the world too. She wishes there were something solid to support her, some dry ground she could stand on, instead of constantly flailing about in the sea of doubt.

As we learn about our world and its ways, we discover new paths of creative expression. We always follow these paths, regardless of the potential risks, for it is by doing so that we develop new capacities to effectively meet our needs. What typically prevents needs from being met is not technology but the rigidity of human-imposed systems that do not allow our new tools and their products to be made available to those who would most benefit from them.

It is precisely our lack of awareness of the normative world that allows these harmful systems to continue, and it is their dominance that makes new technologies dangerous. When we lack awareness, our new creations can easily be used to further injustice, even when our intentions are good.

But there are also pains that are not like this, pains that are simply part of what it is to exist as a human being. Some of these pains are caused by maladies and diseases that are outside of our control, but that we can sometimes alleviate using medicines and treatments. Others are akin to the pains we feel when we're training our bodies — the aches that accompany growth and development. These pains arise from doing what is worthwhile but difficult, from pushing ourselves further than we would usually go.

In general, pain is an indicator that something difficult is happening for our bodies. The difficulty we're undergoing is sometimes harmful, but not always. To act from compassion, we need to be aware of the wide variety of pains a human being can experience. This awareness comes from attention to our own experiences and from listening carefully to the experiences of others.