The First Pillar

The answer you seek lies in learning to combine the power of reason with the passion of emotion. If you let reason alone control your choices, you lose the power of intuition. If you let emotion control your choices, you will be a slave to every minor tragedy.

One may not be aware of the impact of one’s choices, but they can have a cumulative effect.

If you let reason alone control your choices, you lose the power of intuition. If you let emotion control your choices, you will be a slave to every minor tragedy.

I’ve always believed that truth is found by using logic and reason to sort through the facts and eliminate the contradictions. I guess the question then becomes, what do you do when you don’t have all the facts?

I should warn you, though, that even good intentions could lead to unintended consequences. As you gain more awareness and control, you should not lose focus of your end goal. Otherwise, it can lead to over-confidence and even corruption. [...] That's why it's important to stay connected with those close to you who share your principle values. They can help ground you and stay focused, even from a great distance.

I knew life was not perfectly simple and luck was involved, but it was undeniable that hard work paid dividends and being lazy was not generally a good idea. I also believed that having hope and a general sense of optimism made one more likely to be aware of opportunities and take advantage of those opportunities when they existed. After all, a serial pessimist would have no reason to take a risk if he thought failure was the likely outcome.

You see! If you come in contact with great power, you must not be overwhelmed by it. The secret to controlling great power is the same secret that you must apply in your daily life when you are faced with great challenges. You must calm yourself and quiet your mind. Learn to filter the distractions and focus on the key elements that really matter.

The only thing that could be done now is to stay focused on the task at hand and try not to get distracted by the utter grandiosity of the moment.

One of the foundations of truth in the universe is that courage is required of any truly great species, and not just any courage. A lust for death and a willingness to die does not constitute courage. Courage is when you are willing to sacrifice your short-term desires for a greater purpose. Courage is when you are willing to live and endure suffering to achieve a greater end.