Constructing My Daily Philosophies

I think everyone lives by certain priorities, whether they set them consciously or not. These priorities are the beginnings of philosophy: how we see the world. As they grow and mature, philosophies can develop into very complex and specific ideas that apply to every niche of life, and since they sometimes become so specialized, many can gather dust like old pocket watches. But there are some philosophies that are so important, they should be remembered and exercised every single day.

I've been thinking a lot about mine lately. For a long time, I've wanted to sit down and construct my Daily Philosophies and see what I come up with. What are my guiding lights? How do I strive to live? What things will I say to myself when things get tough and decisions get hard? As I was constructing them, I made several versions--lists that contained what I felt were ideas worth living by. Finally, I came to something I felt good about when I read. The list that changes ended up looking a little like this:

1. Love others as yourself
2. See things from others' perspective
3. Seek wisdom through experience, observation, and contemplation
4. Be reasonable
   
5. All conclusions are tentative
6. Being wrong may occur often--this is normal
7. Be brave
8. Serve others
9. Do not fear work
10. Health is important and worth striving for
11. One must do what one believes is right
    
12. No person is fundamentally above or below another

Funny. Though almost all of those philosophies changed dramatically from my first draft to my latest, the first one stayed pretty much the same.

Orisinal: Morning Sunshine

When I was a child, I had a certain feeling about me. I had a feeling of imagination and, though I didn't see it that way at the time, a certain purity.

That sort of childlike wonder isn't something that ever really goes away, but it may be more difficult to access as I get older and start to realize through greater amounts of living what the world is really like. But the magical images of my childhood imagination are precious to me, so when I find something that helps me relax and think about magical, adventurous, and beautiful ideas, I always cherish it.

This particular site, Orisonal: Morning Sunshine by Ferry Hallim, is absolutely spectacular for this. This flash website is full of games with breathtaking imagery and enveloping music. Gather flowers into a floating bottle and send it to a loved one in heaven; hop on a frozen lake and watch your reflection gather shooting stars; help a white rabbit jump up and upward on silver bells in a sky of falling snow. There are over 50 games, and they are all worth a try.

Here are some of my favorites:

Monkey Slide

Winterbells

Wake Up Calls

Bubble Bees