I sign up for a lot of stupid shit on the internet, just to try it out.

Today, I found the answers to this Quora question so enticing that I (albeit reluctantly) used my Google account to sign up.

I think so far, it's been worth it. I haven't gotten through it all, but here are bits and pieces from different lists. I don't necessarily agree 100% with what was written but I find them fascinating to think about.

"What are the top 10 things that we should be informed about in life?"


4. Be aware of your actions, and form good habits. It becomes very easy to delude yourself into thinking that you're doing the right thing, or that you actually have good habits etc. Most people will not realize how their habits are very self destructive, as Warren Buffet said "The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they're too heavy to be broken".

8. If you cannot picture your life partner making you laugh 50 years from now, bail out. Humor rekindles love and warmth. Humor brings you back to earth and humbles you. Humor depends on insights and timing, something hugely important in truly intimate relationships. Not just wit, but humor that depends on understanding you, your tastes, your psyche. Life can become very tough and your body will surely degenerate. Humor looks past all of that and heals with resilience.

(rose interjecting here- as a side note about the power of humor,  this article talks about how Turks have been using humor in the face of government repression)


5. In order to see yourself, do different things often and do many things differently. Sports, music, ballet, kung fu, MMA, dance, coding, drawing, massage, poetry, reading, listening, crying, movies. Do them with passion and discipline in addition to whatever your day job is. Live in the physical world, the creative world, the gastronomical world, the logical world. The more worlds you can traverse, the clearer your vision of self becomes. Spend a day in a classroom of preschoolers or juvenile delinquents, and listen. Volunteer in a retired group home and help residents work their smartphones. Many of my innovations arise from these experiences.


This is from Sri Madbhagvatam, written almost 5000 years back. I am surprised as how true these words are even in this age:

Whatever happened, happened for good.
Whatever is happening, is happening for good.
Whatever will happen, that will be for good as well.
What have you lost? why are you crying?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which was destroyed?
Whatever was received, was received from here.
Whatever was given, was given here
You brought nothing when you were born
You are taking nothing with you when you die
Whatever is yours today was somebody else’s yesterday and will be somebody else’s tomorrow.
Change is the law of the universe.

Stop worrying.


7) There are few ways of communicating better than holding hands. You can learn everything you need to know about what someone is thinking simply by holding their hand. If you want to know if your relationship is in good shape or trouble, just hold hands with your partner for 5 minutes. You will know beyond a doubt. 



9) Few things are as liberating or as powerful as forgiveness. There are lots of expressions about this, such as forgiveness is great revenge -- forget them. When you forgive someone, you are forgiving yourself. You will not believe how forgiving someone will make you feel like a huge weight is lifted off you. It doesn't matter what they did, or how guilty they are. I didn't say it was easy either. But holding a grudge, feeling resentment, hating someone is worse then letting them live rent free in your head, it actually holds you back and hold you down. When you are wrong, admit it and ask for forgiveness, If you don't get it from others, forgive yourself and focus on improving next time. 

10) There are no poetic justices, happy endings or absolute love. The bad guys win at least as often as the good guys, possibly more often. It's easy to crush goodness. Goodness is weak and depends on mutual weakness to thrive. Badness only requires that one person be capable of taking advantage. Trust everyone -- but always cut the cards. If you want a happy ending, remember that is just the beginning of the next chapter and that we all die someday. You may love someone today, they may be the ONE for you -- but they are not the only one. And if they die or leave or anything else, it's possible (but not certain or even probable) that you will find love again.


9. Don’t spend your life working. Enjoy this beautiful gift that is life. Spend time with your family and loved ones. Don’t let your life and your legacy be about work. I understand everyone has to ‘work to live’ but don’t ‘live to work’. Don't let a 9 to 5 work week turn into a 9 to 9, six or seven day work week. Always make sure your keep a positive work/life balance. “Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” - Dolly Parton



“The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Buddha



9. Wonder & Awe will keep you young.  I annoy people with this, but everything is fascinating to me.  It goes back to #7.  If you develop a sense of awe and wonder in this experience of life, you will never have time for sadness or negativiy.  Everything is part of greater process, many of which are highly interrelated.  Inquire, ponder, look at things from different angles - if the complexity doesn't amaze, the brilliance of random chance should mystify you.  There's enough wonder and awe in this universe to negate the need in fanciful jest or bizarre belief systems.  Real systems demonstrate magic all around us, and you are missing out on the adventure of living if you don't mine these profound realizations.  Have fun learning.  Everything is interesting.  As simple as this, a viral quote I saw the other day: "The only cure for boredom is curiosity.  There is no cure for curiosity".