8 Life Quotes and Tips to Make You Think

I love thought-provoking quotes – seemingly simple, yet interestingly profound phrases that have the power to get our minds thinking straight.  That’s what this short post is about.  Below I have listed eight of my favorite thought-provoking quotes, along with my interpretation and outlook on each one.  I hope you enjoy thinking about them as much as I do.

1.  Dealing with Problems

“We can not solve our problems with the
same level of thinking that created them.”
―Albert Einstein

Realize that not all movement is progress.  When stress and tension and chaos surround you, pause for a moment and relax.  The best time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.

Select a specific challenge, deal with it, and then move calmly and confidently to the next.  When you’re being pulled in multiple directions at once, take time to remember what you value most.  Focus on what’s most important to you and you’ll naturally direct your greatest energy to the right source.

Life is filled with either problems or possibilities.  What you see is what you choose to see.  On the surface life can seem tumultuous and perplexing, yet deep inside, where it truly matters, life is what you make of it.  Choose to see beyond the problems to the possibilities that await your attention.

2.  Happiness and Personal Growth

“You cannot protect yourself from sadness
without protecting yourself from happiness.”
―Jonathan Safran Foer

Live every day of your life in full.  Experience the highs and the lows, the positives and the negatives, and all the moods present between the various extremes.  Don’t focus on simply being happy.  Focus on living a well-rounded, seasoned life.  Focus on achieving completeness.  Yes, happiness is part of this completeness, but so is sadness, difficulty, frustration, and failure.  And overcoming these latter points supports your personal growth far more thanconstant happiness.

The feelings of happiness and fulfillment are nice when they happen, and they are needed, but they don’t strengthen you.  Instead of asking, “Is this making me happy?” ask, “Is this contributing to my completeness?”  If you’re struggling and making progress, the answer is “yes.”  Read 1,000 Little Things.

3.  Inner Peace

“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.”
―Elizabeth Gilbert

Inner peace does not depend on external conditions; it’s what remains when you’ve surrendered your ego and your worries.  Peace can happen within you at any place and at any time.  It’s always there, patiently waiting for you to turn your attention toward it.

Peace of mind arrives the moment you come to peace with what’s on your mind.  It happens when you let go of the need to be anywhere but where you are, physically and emotionally.  This acceptance of the way things are creates the foundation for inner harmony.  The need for something to be different in this moment is nothing more than a worry, and worries simply lead you in circles.  Acceptance will bring you back to your peaceful, productive center.

Remember, the same part of you that longs for peace is the part of you that experiences peace.  It is not complicated to achieve and is as close as your next thought.

4.  Appreciating What You Have

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
―Epicurus

Don’t pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, simple, and yet not-so-small gifts in your life.  It may seem strange to feel thankful for those events in your life which appear to be ordinary, yet it’s precisely by being thankful that you can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.  You may not see the value in spending time and effort acknowledging all the little, seemingly insignificant things in your life, yet without the little things there would be no big things.

Don’t let what was once a miracle become common to you.  Don’t get so accustomed to life’s goodness that you overlook it.  Let your enthusiasm rise from the doldrums by being thankful for what you have.  Seize every opportunity to be appreciative.  Make genuine gratitude a constant companion to who you are, in all that you do.  Read Learned Optimism.

5.  Replacing Excuses with Action

“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the BS story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
―Unknown

Instead of making a lot of excuses, make a little progress.  Instead of looking back with regret, step forward with enthusiasm.  Choose to view your life based on the best of what is possible.  Choose to define yourself based on the person you know you are capable of becoming.  If you believe it, you can do it.

All the negativity from the past can be erased in the moment with a single positive action.  Go ahead and make it happen.  The best way to disconnect from a troubled past is to trust and connect with possibilities of the present moment.  When you embrace the power of now, the future belongs to you.

6.  Knowledge and Education

“When you know better you do better.”
―Maya Angelou

Your education is the most powerful weapon you possess.  It has the power to change the world.  Keep it thriving.  Do not confuse your schooling with your education.  The classes at school end; your education is a continuous lifelong process.

Keep your mind open to new ideas.  Challenge your beliefs when you’re given a chance.  The greatest advancements in your education will be based on your willingness to absorb fresh information without resistance and without losing your temper or your poise.

7.  The Importance of Asking Questions

“The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, she’s the one who asks the right questions.”
―Claude Lévi-Strauss

There is profound power in asking questions.  In fact, the most successful people are rarely the ones who have all the answers, they’re the ones who ask the right questions.  Don’t be afraid to ask.  Ask when you don’t understand.  Ask for what you want.  Ask how to make things happen.  It’s the reason children are always asking so many questions, because they know they’ll never get anywhere if they don’t ask.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Bottom line:  Growth is more about asking than telling.  The way forward is yours for the taking – the way forward is yours for the asking.  Read Goals: How to Get Everything You Want.

8.  Endings and Beginnings

“In every end, there is also a beginning.”
―Libba Bray

Everything in life has to come to an end sometime.  It’s important to acknowledge and accept the end of an era – to walk away sensibly when something has reached its conclusion.

Closing the door, turning the page, moving on, etc.  It doesn’t matter what you call it; what matters is that you leave the past where it belongs so you can enjoy the life that’s still available to be lived.  This ending is not THE END, it’s justyour life beginning again in a new way.  It’s a point in your story where one chapter fades into the next.  Take a look at the first page of this new chapter; it’s a beautiful one.

45 Life Lessons, written by a 90 year old

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for things that matter.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful.  Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to be happy.  But it’s all up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose Life.
28. Forgive but don’t forget.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 6"

Alternate Views:

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 6" Display, White - 2nd Generation Say Hello to the Newest Kindle Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required 3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots International Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries. Paper-like Display: Reads like real paper with no glare, even in bright sunlight Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging Read-to-Me: With the experimental Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable Free Book Samples: Download and read the beginning of books for free before you decide to buy Large Selection: Over 350,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise Slim and Lightweight: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines. At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

Education Revolution: Help Us Reach the Tipping Point

The time for revolution is here.  It will be a peaceful one, conducted by people brave enough to walk away from our coercive schools, smart enough to resist the propaganda saying that such schooling is essential to success in our culture, and independent enough to thumb their noses at the education-industrial complex that pushes coercive schooling and makes it ever more burdensome.
Our schools fail because they are based on the false premise that education is something that is done to young people by professionals, not something that young people do for themselves. Over the past few decades, the education-industrial complex has attempted to remedy the obvious failures of coercive schooling by adding ever more coercion, to the point where many children are literally being driven crazy (for more on that, see here and here).  It is time to stop this madness.  It is time to stop accepting diagnoses of mental disorders for those of our children who can’t or won’t sit still through tedious, irrelevant, timewasting, anxiety-producing, depression-inducing assignments and tests. It is time to stop praising children who are willing to sit through all this, because all we foster with such praise is conformity, passivity, mindless obedience, and false pride for meaningless accomplishments.  It’s time to just say no.

More and more people are saying no.  More and more students, with their parents’ support, are walking away from coercive schools and choosing self-directed education at home and in the community, or at democratic schools where students are in charge of their own lives. The revolution has begun and is accelerating.  It will continue to accelerate, not by confronting the education-industrial complex and trying to change it, but by empowering people to walk away from it so it will become increasingly irrelevant.
Every year in recent times the percentage who opt out of coercive schools has increased.  At some point, before long, we will reach atipping point.  We will reach the point at which everyone knows several families who have left coercive schooling and chosen a path of educational self-determination, so it will no longer seem like an odd thing to do.  When that happens, the floodgates will open.  Schools as we know them today will eventually empty out.  When people see that freedom works, that coercion isn’t necessary, most people choose freedom.  The families who opt for freedom will become a voting block that will stop approving funds for coercive schools and start diverting those funds toward public educational opportunities and resources--such as learning centers and democratic schools--that people can use or not use in their own chosen ways (more on this here).  All people, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserve the right to control their own education.  The right to self-determination in education should be one of our fundamental human, democratic rights, and it will be.
The Tipping Point Project
I am part of a group who are committed to doing what we can to hasten society’s movement toward the tipping point, so the education revolution will happen sooner rather than later.  We have been referring to our group informally as the Tipping Point Project.  Our primary means of facilitating social change is to help empower people to leave coercive schooling. There are many, many families who would gladly remove their children right now from coercive schools if they knew it was possible and that doing so would make everyone in the family happier and make their children’s futures brighter, not dimmer.
As part of our Project we are developing a website that we hope will become a central, easy-to-find, easy-to-use resource for families who are unhappy with coercive schooling and are looking for a way out.  Our focus is on promoting self-directed education.  Children come into the world beautifully designed, by natural selection, to educate themselves (for the whole story on this, see here), but they can’t do that when they are shut away in coercive schools, deprived of the freedom and opportunities they need to play, explore, pursue their own questions, find their passions, and develop true expertise in the pursuits that interest them.  The website will present the evidence that self-directed education works for young people of all ages, and it will provide a directory of resources to assist people who take that route.
How You Can Help
I will tell you more about the Tipping Point Project, and name some of the others who are most involved, in a future post, but right now my purpose is to recruit your help in gathering information for the website.  Specifically:
1. Tell us about any democratic schools that you know of, for our directory.
One section of the website will include a directory of democratic schools, organized by region.  Here is our working definition of ademocratic school:
 “A DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL is a school where students are trusted to take responsibility for their own lives and learning and for the school community. At such a school students choose their own activities. They choose what, when, how, and with whom to learn. If courses are offered, students are always free to take them or not. The adult staff members at a democratic school are there to help, not direct.  The staff members teach, in the broad sense of the term, but so do students.  The staff members at a democratic school are usually not called “teachers,” because there is recognition that students commonly learn more from one another—as they play, explore, socialize, and work together in age-mixed groups—than they do from the adults. Democratic schools are administrated democratically, usually through a school meeting at which each student and staff member has one vote.  The school meeting typically legislates all rules of behavior at the school and works out procedures for enforcing the rules, often involving a jury whose members change regularly from week to week or month to month.  In short, a democratic school is a setting for self-directed education in which students have the advantage of an age-mixed community of friends and colleagues with whom and from whom to learn.”
We know that this is a narrower definition than some others use for democratic schools.  Our focus is on finding schools where students are truly in charge of their own learning and have a real voice in governing the school. If you are associated with such a school or know one well, please describe it briefly in the comments section to this blog post and provide a link to the school’s website.  If you know someone who is involved with such a school, please use the email function, below, to link them to this post so he or she can respond.  We want to include all the democratic schools that are out there. 
If you are not certain that your school fully meets our definition of democratic, but believe it comes close--for example, the students have control over their educational choices but responsibility for themanagement of day-to-day operations lies with an adult staff, not with the school community as a whole--describe it to us anyway, including the ways that it may not fully meet the criteria.  We realize there are degrees of democracy and that our cutoff point will be somewhat arbitrary.  But, for this list, we are not seeking Montessori schools, or Waldorf schools, or other schools in the progressive education tradition where there is some student choice but still a top-down curriculum and system of evaluation to accord with that curriculum.  Also, we are most interested in schools that accommodate students all the way through high school age, not just younger children.
2. Tell us about learning centers, family cooperatives, and other community resources designed to support self-directed learners.
In another section of the website we will have a directory of community resources that are designed to help support self-directed education. One category of such resources are often referred to as resource centers. These differ from schools in that they typically do not involve full-time attendance, nor do the students usually have equal participation in day-to-day operations. Resource centers are most often designed to help young people who are officially registered as “homeschoolers.”  Such centers provide opportunities for self-directed learners to get to know one another and learn from one another.  They may also provide tools and equipment for various sorts of activities, courses for those who choose them, and adult guidance or mentoring for those who seek it.
If you are involved with such a resource or know about one, please let us know about it.  Describe it briefly in the comments section to this blog post, and link to its website if there is one.
3. Share any insights you may have about what our website should include.
In your view, what is the most useful kind of information that we can provide, on our website, that will help empower people to take the leap from coercive to self-directed education?  If you have taken that leap, what helped you to take it?  We don’t want to miss anything, and we will be sure to take your thoughts on this into account.
----
Finally, please post whatever information and thoughts you have in any of these three categories here, in the comments section to the blog, rather than send them to me by private email.  I automatically receive an email, anyway, every time a comment is posted, and I read all comments.  My colleagues in the Tipping Point Project will read them too.  And, by posting them here, you are sharing with all other readers, some of whom may expand on your posting.  By posting here you are also helping to create, right here, a resource that others may find valuable, even before the Tipping Point website goes up.
-----
-

10 Mind-Blowing Theories That Will Change Your Perception of the World

Reality is not as obvious and simple as we like to think. Some of the things that we accept as true at face value are notoriously wrong. Scientists and philosophers have made every effort to change ourcommon perceptions of it. The 10 examples below will show you what I mean.

1. Great glaciation.

Great glaciation is the theory of the final state that our universe is heading toward. The universe has a limited supply of energy. According to this theory, when that energy finally runs out, the universe will devolve into a frozen state. Heat energy produced by the motion of the particles, heat loss, a natural law of the universe, means that eventually this particle motion will slow down and, presumably, one day everything will stop.

2. Solipsism.

Solipsism is a philosophical theory, which asserts that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. At first it seems silly – and who generally got it into his head completely deny the existence of the world around us? Except when you put your mind to it, it really is impossible to verify anything but your own consciousness.

Don’t you believe me? Think a moment and think of all the possible dreams that you have experienced in your life. Is it not possible that everything around you is nothing but an incredibly intricate dream? But we have people and things around us that we cannot doubt, because we can hear, see, smell, taste and feel them, right? Yes, and no. People whotake LSD, for example, say that they can touch the most convincing hallucinations, but we do not claim that their visions are “reality”. Your dreams simulate sensations as well, after all, what you perceive is what different sections of your brain tell you to.

As a result, which parts of existence can we not doubt? None. Not the chicken we ate for dinner or the keyboard beneath our fingers. Each of us can only be sure in his own thoughts.

3. Idealist Philosophy

George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything exists as an idea in someone’s mind. Berkley discovered that some of his comrades considered his theory stupid. The story goes that one of his detractors kicked a stone with his eyes closed and said, “There I’ve disproved it!”

The idea being that if the stone really only exists in his imagination, he could not have kicked it with his eyes closed. Refutation of Berkeley is hard to understand, especially in these days. He argued that there is an omnipotent and omnipresent God, who sees all and all at once. Realistic, or not?

4. Plato and Logos.

Everybody has heard of Plato. He is the world’s most famous philosopher. Like all philosophers he had a few things to say about reality. He argued that beyond our perceived reality there lies a world of “perfect” forms. Everything that we see is just a shade, an imitation of how things truly are. He argued that by studying philosophy we have a chance of catching a glimpse of how things truly are, of discovering the perfect forms of everything we perceive.

In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything is made of a single substance. Which means (according to him) that diamonds, gold and dog feces all consist of the same basic material, but in a different form, which, with science’s discovery of atoms and molecules, has been proven true to an extent.

5. Presentism.

Time is something that we perceive as a matter of course, if we view it at the moment, we usually divide it into past, present and future. Presentism argues that the past and the future are imagined concepts, while only the present is real.

In other words, today’s breakfast and every word of this article will cease to exist after you have read it, until you open it again. The future is just as imaginary, because time cannot exist before and after it happened, as claimed by St. Augustine.

6. Eternalism.

Enternalism is the exact opposite of presentism. This is a philosophical theory that says that time is multi-layered. It can be compared to a pound cake (however, unlike the time, a biscuit is not up for philosophical debate). All time exists simultaneously, but the measurement is determined by the observer. What he sees depends on which point he is looking at.

Thus dinosaurs, World War II and Justin Bieber all exist simultaneously but can only be observed from a specific location. If one takes this view of reality then the future is hopeless and the deterministic free will is illusory.

7. The Brain in a Jar

The “brain in a jar” thought experiment is a question discussed by thinkers and scientists,who, like most people, believe that human’s understanding of reality depends solely on his subjective feelings.

So, what is the debate? Imagine that you are just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. How would you know? And can you truly deny the possibility that this is your reality?

This is a modern interpretation of the Cartesian evil demon problem. This thought experiment leads to the same conclusion: we cannot confirm the actual existence of anything except our consciousness. If this seems to sound reminiscent of the movie “The Matrix“, it is only because this idea was part of the very basis of the story. Unfortunately, in reality we have no red pills…

8. The Multiverse Theory

Anyone who has not spent the last ten years on a desert island, has at least once heard of “the multiverse”, orparallel universes. As many of us have seen, parallel words, in theory, are worlds very similar to ours, with little (or in some cases, large) changes or differences. The multiverse theory speculates that there could exist an infinite number of these alternate realities.

What’s the point? In a parallel reality you have already killed the dinosaurs, and you are lying under the ground at a depth of eight feet (because that’s what happened there.) In the other you might be a powerful dictator. In another you might never have even been born since your parents never met. Now that’s a memorable image.

9. Fictional realism.

This is the most fascinating branch of multiverse theory. Superman is real. Yes, some of you would probably choose a different story, for argument’s sake, Harry Potter might be real too. This branch of the theory argues that given an infinite number of universes,everything must exist somewhere. So, all of our favorite fiction and fantasy may be descriptive of an alternate universe, one where all the right pieces came in to place to make it happen.

10. Phenomenalism.

Everyone is interested in what happens to things when we aren’t looking at them.Scientists have carefully studied this problem and some of them came to a simple conclusion - they disappear. Well, not quite like this. Phenomenalist philosophers believe that objects only exist as a phenomenon of consciousness. So, your laptop is only here while you are aware of, and believe in its existence, but when you turn away from it, it ceases to exist until you or someone else interacts with it. There is no existence without perception. This is the root of phenomenalism.

How To Treat Others: 5 Lessons From an Unknown Author

1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve"

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

40 websites that will make you cleverer right now

khanacademy.org – Watch thousands of micro-lectures on topics ranging from history and medicine to chemistry and computer science.

freerice.com – Help end world hunger by correctly answering multiple-choice quizzes on a wide variety of subjects.

artofmanliness.com – Blog/site dedicated to all things manly, great for learning life skills and good insights.

Inktank.fi – Awesome and awe inspiring articles all in one wonderful place.

unplugthetv.com – Randomly selects an educational video for you to watch.

coursera.org – Educational site that works with universities to get their courses on the Internet, free for you to use.

conversations.nokia.com – Learn about the world’s most innovative smartphones and future mobile tech.

lizardpoint.com – A collection of browser-based games and the like to improve knowledge of geography, math, and such.

ted.com – Collection of TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks in which knowledgeable speakers address a variety of topics in short videos (< 18 minutes)

lifehacker.com – Learn to hack life! Tips and tricks for improving all areas of your life.

lifehackninja.com – Recently started life hack site that offers lists of useful knowledge

good.is/infographics – Collection of infographics which showcase useful information in an easy to digest visual format.

mathrun.net – Practice your basic maths skills with a simple game.

Litro.co.uk – All you need to know about the wonderful world of books and writing.

justinguitar.com – Hundreds of free guitar lessons as well as some basic music theory.

duolingo.com – Learn a new language for free while helping to translate the web.

memrise.com – Learn things quickly and efficiently with flashcards that are spaced based on the spacing effect

cookingforengineers.com – A site containing one man’s explorations in food, with step by step instructions for making a wide variety of dishes.

thedatingspecialist.com – A weekly blog run by a professional dating coach, offers advice on a wide variety of relationship topics.

zenhabits.net – Blog about improving your life by making it simpler.

nerdfitness.com – Fitness resource for the average person.

mentalfloss.com – Interesting articles guaranteed to make you smile and get you thinking.

openculture.com – Compendium of free learning resources, including courses, textbooks, and videos/films.

charitynavigator.org – Site dedicated to reviewing charities so you can easily research any you’re interested in.

lettersofnote.com – Their tagline says it all: “Correspondence deserving of a wider audience”

thedailymiscellany.com – A daily dose of useful knowledge, quotes, and other random things.

MIT Open Courseware – Free access to quite a few MIT courses that are on par with what you’d expect from MIT.

codecademy.com – Website packed with introductory courses for various programming languages and web technologies.

investopedia.com – Learn about the world of finance, from basic terminology to in depth analysis of various areas of investing.

udacity.com – Free courses mainly focused around mathematics and programming. Aimed at people of all skill levels.

lang-8.com – Write posts in a language you’re trying to learn, get them critiqued by a native speaker (and in turn help that native speaker learn your language)!

careerbuilder.com – Job hunting site to help you find a new career.

ureddit.com – Reddit’s very own University. Learn from redditors, or try to teach them.

engineerguy.com – Collection of videos in which Bill breaks down various feats of engineering in layman’s terms.

zooniverse.org – Take part in a huge variety of interesting studies of nature, science, and culture.

quora.com – Ask questions you’re curious about, answer those you’re knowledgeable about. Tailor your own feed to fit what interests you.

thenewboston.org – A fascinating collection of videos and tutorials related to maths and computer science.

aldaily.com – Aggregation of articles from various higher education journals and publications.

noexcuselist.com/everything – A huge list of awesome sites to learn from.

livemocha.com – Community dedicated to the idea of everyone being fluent in multiple languages, teach or be taught another language with the goal of conversational fluency.

simplesciencefitness.com – Breaks down the science behind fitness into layman’s terms.