A profound discovery that emerged from decades of daily writing was the realization of how essential it is to read, study, and learn as much as possible, from philosophy, science, art, nature, history, survival, movement, to physics, psychology, and beyond. We must absorb the wisdom of others. The deeper my awareness becomes, the clearer it is that ignorance makes life harder.
If our generation forgets how to make a fire, how will we stay warm or cook food? We would need to rediscover that essential skill at great cost. If we do not understand the root of an illness or an injury, how will we treat or prevent it? If we do not know what causes a lunar eclipse, we may tremble in fear at the shadow of the moon. Ignorance does not protect us. It blinds us. The old saying that ignorance is bliss is a cruel joke on the lazy mind. Perhaps ignorance feels peaceful in the seconds before a volcano erupts, but wisdom would have known when to leave.
We do not have the luxury of mental laziness. We cannot afford to ignore knowledge that can help us live and grow. Every culture in history has depended on lessons carefully passed from elders to the next generation. The wisest societies go even further. They push forward. They encourage new minds to think freely, to create, to observe, to remain kind, and to live with compassion and non-harm. These values never expire. They are the foundation of peace and progress.
Right now, millions of children across the world are suffering abuse. Some are harmed by strangers, others by those who were meant to protect them. This tragedy is not new; it has existed since the dawn of humanity. That truth alone is reason enough for good people to keep speaking, revealing, and healing.
Abuse is not limited to the physical or the sexual. It also takes the form of emotional neglect, isolation, trauma, poor diet, lack of education, and the absence of parental focus and presence. It lives in the silent transmission of fear and anxiety passed unconsciously from parent to child until it becomes a way of life.
These words are not offered in judgment but in service, to inform, to awaken, and to encourage the work of self-improvement.
If we are parents, we must find the courage to see where we have caused harm, even unintentionally. We are not seeking perfection. We are seeking improvement. We must study our personal and collective history clearly, without exaggeration or denial, so we can pass on what is useful and stop repeating what is destructive. The wisest students are eternal learners. They study nature and breathe. They study architecture and breathe. They study technology and breathe. They study ancient philosophies and breathe. They study themselves, their parents, their ancestors, and their mistakes, and breathe.
Study every day. Read something meaningful. Choose what you feed your mind as carefully as you choose what you feed your body. Avoid the cheap, the angry, and the shallow. If you read gossip or scroll endlessly through empty chatter, realize that you are studying addiction and distraction. Even that has value if you are aware of it. Learn to rise above what does not bring peace.
If watching a comedy show relaxes you, breathe while you watch. Pay attention. Make even your entertainment an exercise in mindfulness. Laughter is medicine. Comedians are often philosophers in disguise. They teach through humor, helping us face truth with less fear.
Study alone is not enough. We must act. There must be balance between learning and living. Keeping your home clean, caring for your family, and tending to your body are sacred practices. They build self-respect. They are meditation in motion. Reading about virtue matters less than practicing it.
Do something every day. Breathe deeply before rising in the morning. Offer gratitude in whatever form feels natural. Move your body. Create something. Write something. Sweep the floor. Organize your space. Bring order to the small world within your reach.
When you find time to read and write for longer, cherish it. Reading nourishes the mind the way water nourishes a tree. Collect good books. Keep them nearby. Remember what touches your soul.
Reading can lift a person from despair. It can awaken compassion in someone hardened by pain. It can bring peace to those who feel lost. Conscious study is one of the highest forms of gratitude. It is how we honor the rarest gift of all, the gift of awareness, the ability to learn and to evolve.
Time is precious, but consciousness is more precious still. To be aware of our life while we are living it is the greatest study of all. Read. Learn. Breathe. Live.