Writings (Under Construction) — Metanoia Philosophy

WHAT IS METANOIA?

[S1E00] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This entry chapter is the prologue of Metanoia Philosophy and provides a description of the concept of Metanoia, and the definition of my pen name (Not affiliated to Mark Zuckerberg’s “Meta” Platforms).

What motivates people to change?
"You change for two reasons: either you learn enough that you want to,
or you've been hurt enough that you have to."
– Unknown.

Metanoia is a Greek word that literally means ‘After Thought’.
And although in modern times it simply reflects to ‘a journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life’;
Its traditional Greek definition refers to 'atonement' that is driven by 'repentance',
or in other words Metanoia is ’the process of healing after regret through a conversion of the self.’

Since the term Metanoia is driven by regret, which is related to awareness of the self,
you can expect my writings and videos to be related to the term. And literally live up to my penname.
As in the words of Carl Jung, ‘I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.’

My writings and videos are carefully thought out, refined, and generalized into maxims
to the best of my abilities through time and the process of rethinking.
That being said, I am not perfect, and hence the term Metanoia, I will update as needed.
It is therefor how I aspire to eliminate ignorance, by inspiring the act of thought, self-doubt, and personal development.

I will engage in controversial topics such to coherently and collectively
come to a revolutionary global understanding, in hopes to make these topics uncontroversial.
However, It’s okay to believe or disbelieve, what’s important is to engage in the act of thought. […]

That being said, I am not the average modern philosopher.
Although I do seek to inspire, I consider myself more of an ‘Awareness Philosopher’
than an ‘Inspirational Philosopher’, and that is because it is no secret that many people dislike harsh truths.
Therefore to inspire may be hard to achieve because the offended may become naysayers.
As in the words of Democritus, ‘silly people are taught not by reason but by misfortune’,
because people change in two ways:
either they learn enough that they want to, or they’ve been hurt enough that they have to.
It is not my duty to hurt people, but to try to teach them, and to do that I must make them think.
Although indirectly, that may involve making them face harsh truths about themselves,
since ‘people will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls’ (Carl Jung),
that might make some of them dislike me a little bit…

I speak from experience and observation, for I too have changed and am constantly seeking to improve my flaws. Sometimes I learn from observation, but sometimes I learn from regret.

Psychiatrist Carl Jung would’ve likely agree, as he says ‘there is no coming to consciousness without pain’ (Carl Jung).
Because sometimes, as in the words of Aristotle, ‘we cannot learn without pain’. […]

WHAT ARE PERSPECTIVES?

[S1E01] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter opens up the concept of Metanoia Philosophy by tackling how two opposite points of view can meet in the middle. Duality.

Is the glass half-full, or half-empty?
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
– Socrates.

To describe Perspectives in depth, I wrote this small tale;

Imagine two lost friends
looking for each other
in the middle of the woods.
As one of them ventures about,
he encounters a Big Gray Rock.
He hears his friend walking around
and making noise as he steps on twigs.
The boy calls him out
saying he is behind the Big Gray Rock,
and the other boy responds jokingly
by calling him silly and saying
that the Rock is mostly covered in Moss.
However, they acknowledge
that they are in fact on opposite sides of that Rock.
So both friends go around the Rock
only to realize that the Big Rock is in fact
covered in Moss on one side
and not on the other.

The point of this small tale is to understand that
we perceive things from the angle we see them.
In other words, our point of view
will not always match with the one of others.
Unless we go around the subject covering all angles
we will never fully understand a situation.

So basically, by acknowledging this understanding of perspectives
we have a deeper psychological understanding of people, and of life in general.

"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize
how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us."
– Socrates.

Now that we understand how perspectives help shape our ‘realities’,
lets read the next chapter on ‘What is Madness’,
to understand what really defines someone as ‘crazy’. Aren’t we all?”

WHAT IS MADNESS?

[S1E02] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter engages on what defines someone or something as "crazy".

“Crazy”… – Aren't we all?

“It seems insane how it is quite normal for some people to judge others as crazy for doing things they may not understand or wish not to.
Specially considering that for the most part,
most people’s perspective on the definition of ‘crazy’ is different
or inconsistent. Often times, opposite parties consider the other as the one who is crazy, making this a very controversial topic.
Which leads us to question; what can be genuinely considered as ‘crazy’,
and what is the true definition of madness?

"A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?"
– Albert Einstein.

To explain this in the most general way possible in which everyone is likely to agree, picture this tale that I wrote:
"Imagine being in the city
and seeing a Naked Man running around the streets.
At first glance, most people witnessing the situation
will comment and gossip about the Naked Running Man
by saying that the man is crazy and out of his mind
for doing something that is considered by society as inadequate.

But what if that Man, happens to be a homeless person
who came across an individual
that offered him a large sum of money
to run around the city naked.
The Man acknowledges that what the individual is asking
is of course inadequate by society’s standards.
But the Man however, really needs that money.
So the Man took the offer regardless
and decided to run around in the city naked.

The point of this small tale is to understand
that Madness is based on Ignorance.
[Crazy is he who unconsciously acts in an inadequate manner.]
But the thing is,
that what we may consider as inadequate,
others may not.
Hence Madness is also based on Perspectives,
and although there are things
that may be clearly considered Crazy
the point is that being aware of it
rather than the action of doing it
is what determines the mental status.
Because some people ‘act’ crazy
for a reason.

"No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."
– Aristotle.

Now that we understand how perspectives and madness play a similar role in our daily lives, let’s read how Perspectives (and arguably Madness) affect our Happiness, but first let’s take a look at the chapter on ‘What is Perfection?’
to find out what defines someone or something ‘perfect’.
Is there such a thing as a Perfect life?”

WHAT IS PERFECTION?

[S1E03] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter questions what is perfection and whether or not there is such a thing as someone or something perfect.

If so, who stops us from trying to be Perfect?

People sometimes say that nothing is perfect,
or that perfectionists have unreal outlooks on life;

But what exactly is someone or something ‘perfect’?

"Everywhere man blames nature and fate yet his fate is mostly but the echo of his character and passion, his mistakes and his weaknesses."
– Democritus.

It’s generally true that it often takes a perfectionist to make things perfect,
and that most of today’s problems would’ve been fixed yesterday if everyone were a perfectionist.
This begs to question, what defines someone or something ‘perfect’,
and is there such a thing as something 100% perfect?

Well, the thing is nothing can be 100% perfect because everyone and everything has pros and cons.
However, ‘perfection’ is mostly based on ‘perception’,
meaning that if something can be ‘perceived’ as good enough from ‘all’ angles, it is ‘perfect’.
Therefore it is possible for someone or something to be perfect, depending on the perspective we have on it.
But since we are often limited to seeing things from one specific angle,
which is our own perspective, we are limited into distinguishing what is ‘perfect’ for us and not for others.

In conclusion, what is ‘perfect’ for us is not necessarily ‘perfect’ for others.

An example of this is Charles Adams quote on the Addams Family, when he said that
‘what is normal for the spider, is chaos for the fly.’
In which I will rephrase as:
What is ‘perfect’ for the spider, is ‘chaos’ for the fly.

So there is nothing wrong with trying to be perfect,
because eventually we can be perfect– in the eyes of some people. […]

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
– Aristotle.

On a side note,
I believe that some things can be overall or literally ‘perfect’, but it relies on constant optimization.
Because for a lack of a better description, perfectionists are basically optimizers.
Therefor it is not good enough to be normal, because ‘normal problems are caused by normal people’.
Hence we must optimize ourselves by trying to be better. We must try to be perfect.

Anyways, now that we know that ‘perfection’ is based on ‘perception’.
Can you think of what a ‘perfect’ job, friend, or lover would be for you?…

Next, we will go over ‘What is Happiness’
to see how perspectives and madness have a lot to do with it.
Can we really achieve happiness in an imperfect world?”

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
– Aristotle.

"It is fitting for men to take account of their souls rather than their bodies;
for a perfect soul corrects wickedness of body,
but strength of body without reasoning makes the soul no better at all."
– Democritus.

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

[S1E04] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter tackles the ancient question of what is happiness.
Inspired by ancient wisdom, I will provide an example of what makes people happy and how to maintain it.

Can we all achieve Happiness in an imperfect world?

"People often say that Happiness starts within;
that you cannot rely on anyone or anything to make you happy;
but what exactly is Happiness?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness,
and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."
– Carl Jung.

Happiness is a status,
an emotion and a feeling that is driven by joy,
we can all agree on that right?

But in depth, as in the words of Socrates;
‘The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more,
but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.’

Now I personally love how Aristotle adds to this subject by saying that
‘Happiness is a state of activity’.
And I’ll demonstrate an example of this:

You see,
[Aligns empty cups, {labeled: Love, Social Life, Hobbies, Career}]
we all perceive happiness differently depending on our values.
Assuming our values are Love, Social Life with friends or family, Hobbies like reading books or playing video games, and having a satisfying job without financial struggle;
[Pours water on each cup with large pitcher]
the balance and fulfillment of all of these values is what resonates as happiness.

So you see, happiness is literally a state of activity
[as water spills from a small hole from the cups, and adds more with pitcher]
And the key to happiness is in part the capacity of enjoying less,
[Turns pitcher around, revealing the word “TIME”]
AND having a balanced fulfillment and satisfaction of all values.”

[VIDEO ENDING]
"Can I ask... a question? What makes you happy?
I wonder... what makes you happy... does it make... others happy, too?".
– Child on the Moon, (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Video Game).

Now that we know that happiness is a state of activity that is relative to each and every one of us
because of our individual values and perspectives, for the next three chapters we’ll be talking about relationships.
Starting of with What is Genuine Love;
we all seem to know what it is but we all have a different depiction of it right? So what exactly is Love?
Find out on the next video as I try to revolutionize the definition of ‘Love’
with hopes that we can all collectively agree.”
Can we all agree on one definition for it?”

WHAT IS LOVE?

[S1E05] BRIEF SUMMARY:
Whether these words are culturally used or not, Inspired by words from the Greek language I compiled this information and explain how people can love in at least 8 different ways.

Do we Love everyone the same way?– If not, what's the difference?

Now that we understand that perfection is based on perspectives,
that people have different perspectives,
that we all have a little bit of madness,
and that happiness is a state of activity,
on this chapter we will be talking about
‘What is Love?‘ or rather, ‘What Makes Love Genuine’?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"Millions of people are suffering: they want to be loved
but they don't know how to love. And love cannot exist as a monologue;
it is a dialogue, a very harmonious dialogue. "
– Osho.

So before we begin, the first step in understanding what love truly is
is to recognize that feelings are inward and emotions are outward.
Which means that people express it differently, and that it is better understood as a ‘feeling’
because only we can accurately sense it individually.
Perspectives and madness play a large role on this,
and that also means we can’t expect someone who cannot see or feel it understand it. Furthermore, through extreme amounts of distress or hormonal imbalance some people numb themselves from it. With hormonal imbalance, sometimes the opposite is true as well.

That being said, it is also interesting to note that love and hate
are literally two sides of the same coin neurologically,
were both are perceived in the same part of the brain;
which means that in theory or speculation, we cannot be more sensitive to love
without being more sensitive to hate. One is the shadow of the other,
similar to admiration and envy, which are opposites on a spectrum.
It is therefore how through different perspectives or madness,
some people are likely to have a passion for hurting, in other words, ‘hate’.

Where as the opposite would be compassion, or in other words, to ‘love’. […]

If love is based on kindness and compassion,
then what exactly is ‘genuine’ love, and how do people love ‘differently’?
Well first, let’s consider the different types of love.
The Greek language offers seven words for love that explain this perfectly:

Philia refers to Love between Friends;
Based on sharing emotions and intimacy.
Ludus refers to Playful Love;
and is based on young love and flirty behavior.
Eros refers to Sexual Love;
and it is based on sexual passion and desire.
Pragma refers to Longstanding Love;
Based on staying in love with a partner through efforts.
This often refers to marriage.
Storge refers to Love between Family;
Based on a parent and child or between siblings.
Agape refers to Charitable Love;
Based on selflessness and the love of helping others.
It is the act of giving without expecting something in return.
Doing kindness, but not business.
Philautia refers to the Love of Self;
Based on two possibilities,
on the healthy side it can mean that
one can love oneself enough to learn how to love others.
To treat others the same way one wants to be treated.
On the unhealthy side, it can become narcissism. […]
and Mania refers to Obsessive Love;
Based on a possessive character, or addiction.

So basically we can love in different ways.
Obviously we don’t love our parents the same way we love our spouse,
or brothers, or sisters, or friends.
It is important to recognize that we love differently,
and that every loved one is unique, and no love can be repeated. […]

Which leads us to question, then if love is on a spectrum, what is ‘genuine’ love?
Well in general, ‘genuine love is euphoria and passion’.
Otherwise it would be based on interest.
It would be based on doing business, not kindness or compassion.

Allow me to me explain, picture this:
If you love sports, and there is a game on Sunday,
you will ‘passionately’ try to do whatever it takes to go the game.
Not only that, but you will be very happy to be there, in other words ‘euphoric’…
Now this explains loving ‘something’, not ‘someone’. This is arguably based on interest,
but it is still a hobby that you ‘genuinely’ love.
Now let’s use this principle with ‘relationships’.
If you genuinely love someone, you will ‘passionately’ try to do whatever it takes
to be with that person and make that person happy.
Not only that, but you yourself will be very happy to be there, in other words
you will have a sense of ‘euphoria’.

Being with someone out of interest, in this scenario would be for example something like
having a partner that you don’t have future plans with, just to help you pay rent.
In which case you would not be doing kindness, you’re doing business. That’s not genuine love.

This begs the question, can we honestly have healthy relationships and be healthy parents to our children if rent or the cost of living punishes people? I argue that love is based on choice not coercion but we are coerced into being with people we are not compatible with just to survive, and that is not good for anyone involved. Not the father, mother, or child.

So basically when we really love someone or something,
we are ‘passionate’ about it
–meaning we will fight for it and do anything to achieve it or maintain it.
On top of that, doing what we love
or being with someone that we love makes us ‘euphoric’.

Both are what make it genuine, hence ‘love is euphoria and passion’.

[VIDEO ENDING]
“Body is purified by water.
Ego by tears.
Intellect is purified by knowledge.
And soul is purified with love.”
– Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Next part of this subject is ‘What is a Genuine Relationship?’, an in depth analysis what makes a fulfilling lasting and loving relationship.

Because it seems that a lot of people are together but not in love,
and a lot of people are in love but not together.
Don’t you agree?”

WHAT IS A RELATIONSHIP?

[S1E06] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter continues with the previous subject of what love is by engaging in the 3 Connections that make up for a healthy and long-lasting relationship.

If Love is the answer, can you repeat the question?

How does genuine love play its role in a romantic relationship with someone?
What makes a romantic couple healthy?

[VIDEO INTRO]

According to Psychologist on Marriage & Family Therapy Dr. Gary Brainerd,
The average “Enchantment Phase” in a relationship lasts 6-8 months.
(Although sometimes it can be as little as a few weeks, or as long as a couple of years).
And up to 90% of the couples who stay together report their marriages as "unsatisfactory"
but choose to stay together for a variety of reasons…
Hopefully, this chapter will change people’s perspective on love,
enough to avoid such fantasies and enhance a ‘realistic’ approach on love.

When it comes to romantic relationships
there is a difference between ‘wishful thinking’ and ‘true affection’.
One must fall in love with a person, and not an idea of that person.

This involves knowing the person, to which I believe there are three characteristics that make loving someone genuine:
Attraction, Admiration, and Synergy.

Attraction is based on sexual chemistry and common interests.
A good example of this is physical preference or liking the same hobbies,
such as the same music, movies, books or activities.
When we meet someone that likes the same things we do,
we automatically feel attracted to them enough to make communication and bonding easier.

Then comes Admiration, it is based on inspiration and respect.
People often say that no relationship will work if both can’t respect each other.
And a way around this is through admiration. Admiration is the purest form of ‘acceptance’.
It is impossible to not respect someone we admire.
Therefor by admiring someone for who they are, what they’ve done, and how they do things,
we automatically ‘appreciate’ them enough for them to ‘inspire us’
to become a better version of ourselves, and in essence accept and love them for who they are.

And lastly comes Synergy, which is an unexplainable connection or spiritual bond.
This is the ‘magic’, or what we like to call the ‘click’.
The weird sensation that both have a connection that is hard to explain.
We’ve all heard stories of someone who met someone and it was just meant to be.
This is that feeling, this is that ‘click’.
It doesn’t have to be what people call ‘soulmates’ or ‘destiny’.
It just has to be someone you ‘click’ with. THAT is ‘synergy’, and it can be anyone.
Even people we don’t admire, or don’t feel physically attracted to, but get along in a way.

Theoretically, the reason we ‘click’ with some people
is because we all have vibes and unique frequencies.
There are scientific studies on brainwaves that might be related to this.
Which is why love is something you ‘tune into’,
not necessarily something you find.

And that is why it ‘feels’ like it is having a complete connection
of the body, of the mind, and of the soul with someone.
It is often found within serendipities,
and it feels like two matching puzzle pieces connecting. […]

This is why these three characteristics are the main ‘drivers’ for a relationship to work:
Without the Attraction, the contact may never happen, or will seize to happen eventually.
Without Admiration, respect and acceptance is lacking.
And Without Synergy, there is no magic therefor it isn’t special.

So basically, to summarize one of the most complex subjects there is;
Love is a decision and a form of acceptance.
Love is a language and a form of expression.
Love is something we create– therefore Love is art.

Which means that we can like many, but only love a few
and in essence, ‘love is euphoria and passion’. […]

In the beautiful words of Osho,
‘If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.’

[VIDEO ENDING]

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.
Those who wish to sing always find a song.
At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.”
– Plato.

There are some studies that suggest that the happiest couples
consider their lover their ‘best friend’.

But what exactly defines a ‘real’ friend?”

On the next chapter, I will go over ‘What is Friendship?’.

"In love the other is important; in lust you are important"
– Osho.

"They do not love that do not show their love."
– William Shakespeare.

"The biggest coward is a man who awakens a woman's love
with no intention of loving her."
– Bob Marley.

"Being deeply loved gives you strength, loving deeply gives you courage."
– Lao Tzu.

WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP?

[S1E07] BRIEF SUMMARY:
This chapter continues to engage in relationship awareness by defining what true friendship is.

Do your Friends consider you a Friend?

Now that we understand how romantic relationships work, what about friendship–
Is it the same?
It is said that the average friendship lasts seven years.
And that if it lasts that long, then chances are it is possibly going to last a lifetime.
So that begs to question, who are our real friends?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"A friend to all is a friend to none."
– Aristotle.

First and foremost,
there is a difference between friends and acquaintances,
we may have hundreds of acquaintances,
whether friendly or not they are not the people we spend most of our time with intimately.
This is how people can come in different magnitudes of friendship levels.

It is important to recognize who are genuinely our friends
through understanding these magnitudes,

because some people just act out like friends to use people out of interest.

They can be very parasitic, and these are the ones that must be avoided
for they are not ‘friends’ nor ‘acquaintances’.

Just bad or ignorant people trying to get by.

Anyways, there are different kinds of friends.
Such as friends that are like family,
which are regularly no more than five,
close friends that are regularly no more than ten,
or distant & old friends which can be relatively around twenty.

In regards to old & distant friends, they can seem like acquaintances
just because we don’t hang out with them much,
but they can feel close when we’re with them.

Life just happens to place us on different roads
so spending time together is not usual.
This however, does not make them acquaintances, just ‘distant friends’.

We can measure a friend by his or her behavior.

A real friend is with us in our good times and our bad times.

People that are with us when we’re on our unfortunate times
might just be trying to help.
People that are with us when we’re on our fortunate times
might just be trying to use us.
But those that are often with us
whether we’re going through a good time or bad time,
those are true friends.

No matter what shape or size, friends are the family that we get to choose.
And like any relationship, acceptance is key for a friendship to work.

[VIDEO ENDING]
"My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake."
– Aristotle.

Since we previously learned a lot of what we need to know
about human interests on social interactions, the next chapters will focus on personal development and growth.
Starting with ‘What is Emotional Maturity?’,

What do we know about ourselves?”

"No one is a friend to his friend who does not love in return."
– Plato.

"It is something that grows over time... a true friendship.
A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time.
The passion of friendship will soon blossom
into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go..."
– Shiek, (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Video Game).

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL MATURITY?

[S1E08] BRIEF SUMMARY:
Emotional maturity is a fundamental part of our lives. Some say that with enough pressure, anyone can break.

If so, what saves us from breaking and falling into Madness?

“Toughness or awareness…
What makes us emotionally mature?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks,
the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.
Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."
– Ernest Hemingway.

A bad environment can shape a good person into a bad one. Emotional maturity is essentially the emotional self-awareness of ourselves,
to know why we feel happy, sad, angry, and etcetera at any given time. From a collectivist perspective, it is a sign of emotional maturity to understand what triggers us and show patience, to not lash out or burst into emotions recklessly. From an individualist perspective it is a sign of emotional maturity to understand not to be afraid of loneliness. Depending on the culture, embracing both is hard for many.

We must first learn how to be alone to learn how not to be defined or shaped by others. Only then, will we know that our emotions and our actions are only but our own. Then to not lose our sense of purity because of bad experiences because when broken, bad experiences can make good people do bad things.

Emotional maturity can create a good environment. Therefor it is also about toughness. To fall down and being able to get back up is collectively beneficial. The toughness to constantly get back up and shaping a better environment can shape more people to be good.

So emotional maturity is based both on being emotionally self-aware, & being mentally tough.
This is what prevents our minds from shattering. It prevents us from falling into madness.
Unfortunately, since emotional maturity is something that builds up over time,
some people go through traumatic experiences at times they aren’t ready for.

Some people end up broken beyond repair,
and as in the words of Leonardo Da Vinci: ‘The deeper the feeling, the greater the pain.’
It is therefore how through ‘madness’, people that are not emotionally mature
and are emotionally fragile, may find themselves lost and eventually broken,
which sometimes leads them into a reckless way of life
that shares and even spreads their hatred or madness.
As opposed to people that understand and know how to build and pick themselves back up,
whom reflect this by sharing their love and wisdom to those in need.

So when dealing with these broken kinds of people, for our own sanity,
we can accept their love and fragmented wisdom, but not their hate and madness.
Because if we are sensitive enough to absorb their hate like a sponge,
we will be soaked in their madness, and eventually the pressure can break us.
So these broken people can be dangerous for others that are not emotionally mature.
Like a virus, the broken may end up breaking others.
Because that’s what they do, they don’t know any better. […]

That being said, it is good to emphasize that how people treat us
is often a reflection of who they are.
And that we must understand that sometimes it is not something personal towards us,
rather an outcry and result of someone who is lost and cannot understand him or herself.

As in the elegant words of William Shakespeare, ‘The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.’
When we know what we are made of, we know what to expect.
Such is how our emotions are understood. […]

Sometimes in life we are afraid of the situations we aren’t ready for.
But sometimes we will never be ready for them.
What is important is to embrace them as they come, not let them break us,
and make the best out of them.

[VIDEO ENDING]
"When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways-
either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits,
or by using the challenge to find our inner strength."
– Dalai Lama XIV.

Understanding ourselves plays a huge role on how we treat others.
Let’s clarify What is Intelligence. It seems simple enough, but is it?”

WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?

[S1E09] BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this episode, Metanoia engages in an in-depth depiction of what intelligence is, and provides an example of how everyone is smart in their own ways.

Do you know what kind of Smart are you?

What’s the difference between knowledge and intelligence?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering.
Idiots are always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life."
– Jaggi Vasudev.

In a nutshell, intellect is capacity, and knowledge is quantity.
But what does that mean?
Well, in regards to knowledge, the more information we accept the more we know, hence knowledge is quantity.
It is important to note that everybody is ignorant in their own ways, and that ignorance is a choice.
Therefor by choosing to decline new information, in other words to ignore it, we are basically declining more knowledge.
Which in turn affects our ‘capacity’ to know more, in other words our intellect.
This is how knowledge quantity is related to intellect capacity,

Let’s explain this better:
as in the words of Aristotle, ‘Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.’
Some people know they don’t know enough, so their insecurities make them question their realities.
So it is through these doubts, curiosity or imagination that we are able to learn more.
These insecurities are the foundation of intellect.
Hence intelligence is capacity. […]

Basically intelligence is the ability to think outside the box of what we know.
So, when given the opportunity to acknowledge something new,
only the intellectual will accept.
For the smartest of people, are those that are open-minded.
To accept that there is more to the universe than what meets the eye,
and to accept that not everything is certain is an intellectual belief.

Therefore, to be open to new ideas is to oppose ignorance,
and as we know ignorance is the opposite of learning, hence the opposite of knowledge,
which means, that intelligence is reflected as the capacity to learn more.

[VIDEO ENDING]
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."
– Albert Einstein.

On a side note, there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom.
To be intelligent, as mentioned earlier is to be capable of learning more.
To be wise, just as being intelligent, is to accept that there is more to learn,
but more specifically it is based on pure awareness.
As Lao Tzu eloquently wrote, ‘The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.’

Thanks for watching!– But before we go to the next video on ‘What is Manliness?’
to truly find out what differentiates a boy from a man, girl from a woman, and a child from an adult.
If you’re interested in learning more about the different types of human abilities
or the different types of ‘intelligence’ as according to Psychologist Howard Gardner,
look up his fascinating views on the 7 Different Types of Intelligence to find out what kind of smart are you.
[Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory: The 7 different types of Intelligence] …
Do you know what you’re good at?”

WHAT IS MANLINESS?

[S1E10] BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this episode, Metanoia follows up the series by combining knowledge on perspectives, madness, emotional maturity, and intelligence; to explain what differentiates a boy from a man or a girl from a woman.

How Mature are we really?
– Is society ran by children?

“‘Men’ sometimes shame others for not being ‘manly’ enough.
It is important to note that sex is a spectrum,
and people can be very male-like, or very female-like regardless of gender,
so for those who like to shame guys for not being ‘guy enough’ or girls for not being ‘girly enough’;
that has nothing to do with how ‘manly’, rather ‘mature’ which is what this video is about, someone is.
Sex and gender have a lot to do with hormones, and diets do too believe it or not, but that’s a topic for another video.

For the purpose of this video, I will keep using the word ‘manliness’, although I am referring to ‘maturity’,
which affects both men and women.
But what exactly is being ‘manly’, and does it affect women the same way?

[VIDEO INTRO]
“There are three classes of men;
lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain."
– Plato.

So considering the differences between a child and an adult, a man is he who is aware of what he touches.
Because when we were younger, we didn’t knew any better. We sometimes made mistakes, we played around and jumped around all over, including in dangerous places without being aware of the possible consequences.
Therefore real men are not blind brutes, they know better either by experience or by cleverness.
Otherwise, what is there to distinguish them from children?

Contrary to popular belief, although abilities do help distinguish what kind of man someone is,
men are not measured by the amount of abilities they have,
For not everyone can have the same amount or kind of abilities.
What if someone is born with an illness or something that prevents them from doing certain things,
would that make that person less ‘manly’ because that individual wasn’t born perfect?
Nonsense– that would be irrational and unfair, and we know nobody can be 100% perfect.
However, men can be distinguished by toughness.

It is no secret that life isn’t all peace and joy.
It is therefor how being tough, rolling up ones sleeves, and having the will to get back up
distinguishes a child from a man.
A child may become reluctant as he struggles to understand something he cannot.
‘A man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace,
making the best of circumstances.’ (Aristotle.)

So in general, a man is he who has enough awareness,
and he who is tough enough to get back up and continue fighting.
Hence wisdom and courage play a large role in defining a man,
However, such perks do not identify a good man from an evil one.

As in the words of J.K Rowling, ‘it’s our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities’.
And we must ‘try not to become [men] of success. Rather become [men] of value’. (Albert Einstein)
‘Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.’ (Albert Einstein)

So how do we measure the goodness of man?
Well in the words of Plato, ‘any man may easily do harm, but not every man can do good to another’
and since often times the ability one has to help or harm others is directly based off on the power to do so,
then ‘the measure of a man is what he does with power’ (Plato).

That being said, ‘those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it...’
(Lanayru, LOZTP).
Because power often grants people the ability to get what they want, whatever that may be,
so by having power one can be more susceptible to fall into greedy temptations.
Hence power and greed are correlated and both can easily corrupt weak people that aren’t ‘man enough’, […]

By acknowledging who falls into the temptation of greed,
which revolves around materialistic possessions and basically using people for their own gain,
‘[we] can easily judge the character of a man
[as] by how he treats those who can do nothing for him’ (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe),
‘You can easily judge the character of a man
by how he treats those who can do nothing for him’. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.)
As ‘it is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them’ (Epictetus).
Or as better explained by Aristotle, ‘I count him braver who overcomes his desires
than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self.’
It is therefore how ‘a man’s measure is his will’ (Ali ibn Abi Talib).

So in conclusion, manliness or AKA maturity is commonly misunderstood.
Truthfully a man is identified by his courage, wisdom, and most of all measured by his will over power.

Responsibility cannot be given, it can only be taken;
it is therefore how a boy becomes a man out of his own will,
and manlihood is a process that is sought, not given.

[VIDEO ENDING]
"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?"
– Confucius.

Alright! So now we know a lot about ourselves, and about the people around us.
We just covered psychology 101 in just a few videos.
For the last 2 videos of this season, we’ll be talking about Life.
but first, let’s try to understand what exactly is Art on the next episode.
Isn’t it interesting that we of all living beings on this planet are the only ones with many different forms of Art?”

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I was not created to be occupied by eating delicious foods like tied up cattle.”
– Ali ibn Abi Talib.

"The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily.
This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom."
– Plato.

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment
rarely sat back and let things happen to them.
They went out and happened to things."
– Leonardo da Vinci.

"The biggest coward is a man who awakens a woman's love
with no intention of loving her."
– Bob Marley.

"I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me."
– Joshua Graham, Fallout: New Vegas Video Game).

WHAT IS ART?

[S1E11] BRIEF SUMMARY:
Metanoia goes in-depth on defining the complex subject of art and hints out its important role in the growth of society and human evolution through its perspectives and social connection.

Are you an Artist?

From paintings, to poetry, music, dancing, and so on, what exactly is Art?

[VIDEO INTRO]
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
– Pablo Picasso.

Simply put art is emotional expression blended with creativity.
But what is creativity, or what is creative expression?

Well, creativity is best measured by evaluating how appealing something useful is.
So how appealing, and how useful something is depends on perspectives.
As a general example, a living room filled with artistic candles can be both appealing and useful.
For the candles have a practical purpose of providing light, or aromas, and can be appealing by its shape or color.
If the appealing item is not useful, then there isn’t much creativity in its design.
It would be just art, which mostly focuses on capturing an emotion or memory.

So you see, being creative and being artistic are sort of the same thing but they are not.

Creativity is focused on practical use, and art is focused on emotional expression.
As in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘love of beauty is taste, [but] the creation of beauty is art.’

So for example, things like paintings, poems, music, and sculptures,
are things that set a tone of ambiance or mindset that focus on capturing an emotion.
They often have no practical purpose in terms of utility, but they can be beautiful.
However, to clarify, that doesn’t mean that artistic things can’t be creative.
Sometimes they are two of the same.

So basically that is the difference between art and creativity.

Remember the episode on emotional maturity?
Well, artists are usually pros at understanding emotions because they are very perceptive,
because they can’t be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.
And as in the words of Osho, ‘a certain darkness is needed to see the stars’.

[VIDEO ENDING]
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
– Edgar Degas.

What do you guys think about art? Let us know in the comments below,
and tune in for the next video on ‘What is Life?’
to understand how the beauty of life can be seen through art forms,
and how the Earth without Art is just ‘Eh’!
[EARTH]

WHAT IS LIFE?

[S1E12] BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this season's finale, Metanoia concludes his legacy by expressing his thoughts on what he believes the meaning of life should be.

What do you Live for?

On this video, we’ll be talking about life and sense of purpose.
So what is the meaning of life?

[VIDEO INTRO]
"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born
and the day you figure out why."
– Mark Twain.

To start off, as in the words of Confucius, ‘life is [actually] really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.’
People often say that life is short, and although it is relative and it varies by perspectives,
in reality humans have quite a very long lifespan in comparison to most animals.
The truth is, as the genius Leonardo da Vinci said, ‘life well spent is long’.
The problem is that it gets complicated through stress, and constant work.
People in some countries, like the United States work an average of 40 hours a week or more.
So when it comes down to it, we tend to waste about one third of our day working,
and a little over a third doing essentials, such as eating, taking a shower and sleeping.
Only a small fraction of that time is spent on enjoying life.

Unfortunately many people don’t have enough hobbies either.
Hobbies are great in making our lives meaningful.
It gives us something to look forward to, whether it is to write, paint, exercise or playing games,
these artistic, creative, or competitive activities and social interactions are what makes life more memorable.

Having goals affects this as well.
The more we accomplish the more we feel like we actually did something valuable with our time.
The problem is when we don’t do anything, that’s when life seems short.
Because subconsciously we notice we have wasted our time on other things…
So in truth, life only seems short to those who haven’t spent enough time enjoying it.

So that begs to question, what is our purpose in life?
Is it to be lazy, call off from work and spend the day doing whatever pleases us?
Well, not exactly. We need balance from work and fun.
We must try to develop ourselves as people, to improve personally and have goals.
These are things that drive us into having a more meaningful life,
so each and every one of us must figure out what it is that drives us.
Once we do, we must act on it.
We must have work related goals, personal related goals, and fun hobbies in between those to balance it out.

However, we must not hurt others in the process of enjoying our lives because we are all in the same boat.
As the Native Americans say, ‘we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children’.
And as the Greek say, ‘a society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in’.
As artists, there is beauty in the things we create, but there is no beauty in the things we destroy.

Hence the purpose of life is to give life meaning by creating things, and to live and let live.

[VIDEO ENDING]
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.
And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."
– Dalai Lama XIV.

Hopefully by now Life to you my viewers will seem much more clear.
Hopefully most things will make sense, and hopefully I have inspired y’all in something.
I truly thank everybody for watching this start to finish, or a few videos here and there.
Let me know what you guys think of my first season on the comments below,
any suggestions for future videos are welcome as well,
so if you want me to do a video on something contact me or leave a comment on the video.

I will be working on season 2 for a while, however I made a bonus episode for this season to tie along with it,
so tune into my bonus video on ‘What is Meditation?’ for more,
and remember, I don’t do this as a profession so if you guys think I should keep on doing more videos,
help me out by sharing my videos and subscribing to my channel to make it a possibility.

‘Till next time, and thanks for watching! ;)

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

[S1E13] BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this bonus episode, Metanoia provides a short description and a quick example of what meditation is with hopes to inspire more people to attempt it.

How often do you Meditate?

“As a bonus episode to connect the video of What is Life,
to the next video on the upcoming season 2, we’ll be talking about meditation.
What exactly is it?
It’s not what many people think…

[VIDEO INTRO]
“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness
or pure consciousness without objectification,
knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.”
– Voltaire.

As mentioned on the previous video on What is Life, it is no secret that many of us spend an awful lot amount of time under stress by working a lot and processing thoughts. Some people think that meditation is to be mindful of things,
to think and reflect on situations, when in reality it is the exact opposite… Well, sort of.
And because Meditation is like art, it can be done in many different ways.
There are over 30 different types of meditations, and for example
Transcendental Meditation is one of the most common ones.
Overall, minus the few exceptions of ‘mindfulness meditation’,
most meditation types are based on controlled breathing, relaxed but straight posture, and the act of not thinking at all.
Since our brain is constantly thinking and processing information over 15 hours a day,
and meditation is basically giving our brain time to rest,
it’s easy to imagine how scientists are beginning to discover the various health benefits of meditation.

So, how do we actually meditate?
For beginners, such as myself, because unfortunately I haven’t spent as much time meditating as I would like to,
experienced meditation practitioners suggest beginners to start off with a simple ‘count to ten meditation’.

So here’s how we do it:
[Sits down]
First we sit down comfortably however we like.
There are many different ways to do it, each with different pros and cons,
so as beginners, let’s just do what comes natural to us.
It doesn’t really matter as long as we have a straight posture to keep us awake.
We align our legs however we like, and rest our hands however we like as long as we feel comfortable.

Once we feel perfectly comfortable, the meditation beings.
As we close our eyes, we will take the first 3 deep breaths to release tension.
An easy way to do this is to imagine breathing in clean air with positive energy
[Breath in. Pause]
and exhale polluted air with negative energy.
[Exhale. Pause]
Repeat 2 more times.
[Inhale.Exhale.Inhale.Exhale.]
So now that we have our bodies significantly less tense, we can focus on ignoring our thoughts.
This is where the ‘count to ten meditation technique’ comes in.
Just as we did with the first 3 breaths, we will do so again but not as deep, slightly quicker and still relaxed
as we count to ten and then repeat.

During the session, since it is our first time attempting meditation, it is normal to get distracted.
Every time we start wondering about something, we must kick that thought out of our minds
and restart the ‘counting technique’.
We must take our sessions with patience as it will take some practice to get it right without being distracted.
[Breath in. Breathe out. Repeat]

So that is an example of what meditation looks like.
As we meditate, by not having any thoughts and just being there appreciating the energies around us,
eventually our brain will get, in a matter of speaking, high.
It is as if your mind falls asleep but your body is wide-awake.
This mentally high sensation, I would say, feels like the numbness of the brain,
in other words, to be comfortably numb is to reach the climax.
It is this sensation that brings pure bliss and serenity.
That is the beauty of meditation.

[VIDEO ENDING]
"You exist in time, but you belong to eternity-
You are a penetration of eternity into the world of time-
You are deathless, living in a body of death-
Your consciousness knows no death, no birth-
It is only your body that is born and dies-
But you are not aware of your consciousness-
You are not conscious of your consciousness-
And that is the whole art of meditation;
Becoming conscious of consciousness itself."
– Osho.

It is worth knowing that a meditation session for experienced practitioners can be as little as about 7 minutes.
For beginners such as myself, it took me 30 minutes the first few times,
eventually 20 minutes, and at the time I can do it in about 10-15 minutes.
What I mean by this is to reach the climax.
Therefor don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel the effects of meditation immediately. It takes time.

I hope this instructional video has inspired you to attempt meditation.
Again, I do notify I am not a pro at this, however many meditation videos are very long and I wanted to do something short and more accessible to bring more awareness of the benefits of meditation.
If you want to learn more, browse around the internet about its benefits and different styles or techniques.
Thanks for watching!”

“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”
– Rumi.

“Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.”
– Plato.