Yes, I do have a list like this. One summer I worked at a summer camp in Kananaskis which was run by hippies and beatnik work-abroad shaggy hair types all in their late twenties while I tried not to mention my own age, at 19 years of age. You wouldn't believe how many times I was asked what my "personal philosophy was on life, maaan" which would then result in me scrambling for an answer and just reverting to my tattoo which is by no means not a personal philosophy of mine, but also I wanted to have more to say than just an idea from a YA novel made famous by the melodramatic (albeit well acted) film adaption. Keeping up the conversation was difficult,but it wont be now! (Now that I have such a handy little list in my head for moments where I must self-consciously defend my right to be on this earth and ear tie die dresses)
1. The world is open for play. Be a yes man. Try as many activities as you can- play games, be outside, look for opportunities to be child-like.
Do not choose a life that keeps you from playing. Do not look me in the eye and tell me 20$ an hour is too much to play in a room full of trampolines and foam pits and do not try and deny that a night role-playing in some stupid game with friends is somehow a sad and pathetic existence.
2. Consciousness is singular and existence is ultimate.
I do and do not like the idea of re-incarnation. I don't like any idea that cheapens this life, but I do like the way Buddhists view this whole issue (at least the Chinese Buddhists) and that is that being born in a human body with a human consciousness is both a divine and statistically insane gift as well as a responsibility to use it well (there is some debate about what "well" is, of course, but I feel like it is fairly subjective). You will be reborn, but nothing will carry through. Be kind to others for we are all in this together, but I don't like the banking on rebirth as a means of letting go of the fear of dying or anxiety of not reaching one's full potential. Of course, maybe I'm just not enlightened enough. The Buddhist firmly believe in eliminating fear of death. C'est la ve
3. Ambition and procrastination or re-enforced behaviors.
Be ambitious in all things be it work, love, and self-improvement. Never settle for less in terms of contentment and happiness. Often I find new-age type hippies hate the "never settle for less" idea because they associate it with capitalism, but I truly believe there are other means of applying that philosophy, and I don't like the trend of classifying ambition as something that only leads to empty, meaningless capitalist pursuits.
4. We accept the love we think we deserve
I get tired of re-iterating this particular belief I have just because whenever someone sees my tattoo I have to explain it a bit. Essentially, I find it to be a powerful idea not just in terms of abusive relationships and low self esteem, but again I like to tie it back to ambition. People live the lives they think they deserve, too. A lot of people, myself included, have been in relationships and in places where they believed this was the kind of situation that they deserved because they weren't worth anything else. When I started coming to terms with my sexuality I appreciated this quote on a whole new level, again, because it was easy to believe that I deserved to be alone and that I was hurting people with who I was and I am a failure etc.
5. You do not choose to be happy
This may seem contradictory, but I do not believe that people choose to be happy. People can choose a lifestyle which may sow seeds for growth and happiness and they may adopt a perspective which lends itself to this, but you do not just choose to be happy in a shitty life with an unhealthy mind and body. This idea that you can just turn on a smile kind of offends me, actually, on behalf of everyone who suffers from depression.
6. Stop finding excuses not to help/ give
People find so many excuses and justifications about social situations so that they don't feel bad about not helping the situation. I am not about charity-shaming at all because this practice is also not at all helpful, but do not tell me that you are against soup kitchens and shit because half of homeless people are just pretending or they'll just eat and then do drugs and don't tell me that you just don't have the time to give your parents a call. People miss the point with these things, I feel.
7. Health and wellness are related but not the same
eating well, excersizing, and going outside all contribute to a feeling of wellness. This is indisputable. However, I fundamentally disagree with the idea that you have to eat small organic meals and run 10 miles a day to have any foundation of wellness. One can attain wellness and still enjoy brownies, but at the same time it is god damn scientifically proven that excersize and diet help drive people out of depression often times even more effectively than therapy and medication. So many people want to black and white this whole issue and it is so unnecessary and extremely ill-informed.
8. Religion is not a bad idea- what some people do or justify with religion is
I feel this one is pretty basic. Still, I hear people all the time claiming that religion is just an all around bad thing and does absolutely no good for anyone. I don't know what to say. Sometimes an idea of one-ness brings people together and can create charitable social models but I guess if you want to just disregard that completely because extremist Muslim sects exist that's up to you.
9. Monogamy is not for everyone, but it is for some. It is the norm, but it is not the enemy.
Tumblr in it's internet and person form likes to label monogamy as an unnatural oppressive terrible thing only straight white God-fearing Christians who hate gays do. Alright, so it may be unnatural on a purely biological level, and of course Christians are typically monogamous, but there are people who find genuine fulfillment in monogamous relationships and there is literally nothing wrong with this. Are you going to tell me that even gay couples that get married are oppressing your right to be in open relationships and whatnot, Tumblr? Does that not sound a little hypocritical? This brings me to another point:
9.5 Some people are born gender queer and some are not. Being cisgendered is nothing to be ashamed of
Finally, I have never met a cat person that hates dogs. It's weird, it's like dog people are totally elitist and cannot comprehend qualities in other animals that may be appealing to others. Weird.
1. The world is open for play. Be a yes man. Try as many activities as you can- play games, be outside, look for opportunities to be child-like.
Do not choose a life that keeps you from playing. Do not look me in the eye and tell me 20$ an hour is too much to play in a room full of trampolines and foam pits and do not try and deny that a night role-playing in some stupid game with friends is somehow a sad and pathetic existence.
2. Consciousness is singular and existence is ultimate.
I do and do not like the idea of re-incarnation. I don't like any idea that cheapens this life, but I do like the way Buddhists view this whole issue (at least the Chinese Buddhists) and that is that being born in a human body with a human consciousness is both a divine and statistically insane gift as well as a responsibility to use it well (there is some debate about what "well" is, of course, but I feel like it is fairly subjective). You will be reborn, but nothing will carry through. Be kind to others for we are all in this together, but I don't like the banking on rebirth as a means of letting go of the fear of dying or anxiety of not reaching one's full potential. Of course, maybe I'm just not enlightened enough. The Buddhist firmly believe in eliminating fear of death. C'est la ve
3. Ambition and procrastination or re-enforced behaviors.
Be ambitious in all things be it work, love, and self-improvement. Never settle for less in terms of contentment and happiness. Often I find new-age type hippies hate the "never settle for less" idea because they associate it with capitalism, but I truly believe there are other means of applying that philosophy, and I don't like the trend of classifying ambition as something that only leads to empty, meaningless capitalist pursuits.
4. We accept the love we think we deserve
I get tired of re-iterating this particular belief I have just because whenever someone sees my tattoo I have to explain it a bit. Essentially, I find it to be a powerful idea not just in terms of abusive relationships and low self esteem, but again I like to tie it back to ambition. People live the lives they think they deserve, too. A lot of people, myself included, have been in relationships and in places where they believed this was the kind of situation that they deserved because they weren't worth anything else. When I started coming to terms with my sexuality I appreciated this quote on a whole new level, again, because it was easy to believe that I deserved to be alone and that I was hurting people with who I was and I am a failure etc.
5. You do not choose to be happy
This may seem contradictory, but I do not believe that people choose to be happy. People can choose a lifestyle which may sow seeds for growth and happiness and they may adopt a perspective which lends itself to this, but you do not just choose to be happy in a shitty life with an unhealthy mind and body. This idea that you can just turn on a smile kind of offends me, actually, on behalf of everyone who suffers from depression.
6. Stop finding excuses not to help/ give
People find so many excuses and justifications about social situations so that they don't feel bad about not helping the situation. I am not about charity-shaming at all because this practice is also not at all helpful, but do not tell me that you are against soup kitchens and shit because half of homeless people are just pretending or they'll just eat and then do drugs and don't tell me that you just don't have the time to give your parents a call. People miss the point with these things, I feel.
7. Health and wellness are related but not the same
eating well, excersizing, and going outside all contribute to a feeling of wellness. This is indisputable. However, I fundamentally disagree with the idea that you have to eat small organic meals and run 10 miles a day to have any foundation of wellness. One can attain wellness and still enjoy brownies, but at the same time it is god damn scientifically proven that excersize and diet help drive people out of depression often times even more effectively than therapy and medication. So many people want to black and white this whole issue and it is so unnecessary and extremely ill-informed.
8. Religion is not a bad idea- what some people do or justify with religion is
I feel this one is pretty basic. Still, I hear people all the time claiming that religion is just an all around bad thing and does absolutely no good for anyone. I don't know what to say. Sometimes an idea of one-ness brings people together and can create charitable social models but I guess if you want to just disregard that completely because extremist Muslim sects exist that's up to you.
9. Monogamy is not for everyone, but it is for some. It is the norm, but it is not the enemy.
Tumblr in it's internet and person form likes to label monogamy as an unnatural oppressive terrible thing only straight white God-fearing Christians who hate gays do. Alright, so it may be unnatural on a purely biological level, and of course Christians are typically monogamous, but there are people who find genuine fulfillment in monogamous relationships and there is literally nothing wrong with this. Are you going to tell me that even gay couples that get married are oppressing your right to be in open relationships and whatnot, Tumblr? Does that not sound a little hypocritical? This brings me to another point:
9.5 Some people are born gender queer and some are not. Being cisgendered is nothing to be ashamed of
Finally, I have never met a cat person that hates dogs. It's weird, it's like dog people are totally elitist and cannot comprehend qualities in other animals that may be appealing to others. Weird.
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