truth to power is spiritual wealth

Thousands of years ago there was this Chinese farmer named Sai Weng and one day he lost his horse. There are tons of translations of his story but the key points are always basically the same:

A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, ‘Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see’.

A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

This thing could go on longer than the story of that absurd woman who ate a spider and followed it up with a zoo. There are so many translations of this story because it is pretty easy to understand. You can change a lot of the details but the meaning will remain the same: never listen to other people. 

Never listening to other people is a key tenet of my personal philosophy. Certainly, everyone should do their own research. I feel like that's pretty self-evident, especially when you encounter something new or need to make a life decision. However, there are important differences between accepting someone else's conclusion and coming to your own. Research and study is pointless without critical thinking.

Not very long ago, I was having a lively argument with a colleague over the merits of my "ascetic" lifestyle. I don't eat carbs or potatoes and I'm pretty shy around most other vegetables. I've even stopped messing with most meats too. I get most of my energy from grass fed cow products like milk, cheese, and veal. It's primarily about energy sources (grass fed animals versus corn fed animals) and stuff, and I will discuss this in greater detail soon, it's just not the point of today's musings. Also, I stopped jerking off.

The argument arose because of a particularly ill-equipped day in the field. The weather has been getting colder lately and the days shorter. In spite of a day filled with misfortune, my spirits were never brighter and my smile was as infectious as ever. How, I was interrogated, could I maintain such an easy happiness even with all this bullshit?

At the time, my belief was that my "spiritual wealth" was due to my diet and the resulting balance of hormones in my body. If my happiness is so odd, then doesn't it make sense that it is due to my odd diet? Well, maybe. I mean, there's definitely some truth to that. Although, anytime we're honest with ourselves about the food we eat and make an effort to do so properly, there's always an increase in happiness and mood.

Exercise, sunshine, vitamins, and practicing good breathing habits will also do wonders for your happiness and mood. My answer to the query about my happiness, of course, was "Stop masturbating so much, you goddamned degenerate."

Over the past year, I've "given in to my animal self" ... or something. What this meant at the time, I clearly had no idea. What this has come to mean is an acceptance of myself because of my flaws and vices. Once I got through those hurdles, I was able to appreciate that which makes me more me. 

One of those things that helps me self-actualize is what I like to call "aggressive curiosity". This means that I will generally kick a fuss until I understand something. An expression of this is something I wrote briefly about the other day: voting(?). I don't understand the point so I withdraw from it, or maybe I do understand the point and so I just speak truth to what I see as a wrong or injustice. 

Standing up for yourself is the first step towards true self-actualization. Standing up for others is what separates us as creatures living alone in nature from creatures living in a society. I think the latter would be self-realization, expressing the self you've made with the society in which you live. If you see something, say something. The only regrets I have are when I didn't speak up, when I didn't share the truth. 

Speaking truth to power is spiritual wealth. It is what I came to realize is one of my true foundations of said spiritual wealth. How can a fella be unhappy when he is unafraid of the consequences of his curiosity? If you take an active role in life and fight when you should, things pick up more meaning. Life's destination is death, the journey is the meaning.

I feel like I've gone through who I used to be and even said goodbye to who I was supposed to become in order to be this comfortable with myself. I speak my mind and it makes me happy. 

I personally never listen to other people because some Chinese man who lost his horse thousands of years ago told me to, or something. You can do what you'd like with the information I'm sharing here today. You're free to do as you'd like, of course.