Chapter 4 - Recent Insights

Printer Friendly Version - Entire WPN text with Minimal Graphics - click here

We suggest several ways to get the most out of this Peace Education Manual:

1) Which 7 verses in each chapter are your favorite? Why?
2) Which 5 verses in each chapter apply most to your current life situation? Why?
3) Which 3 verses in each chapter do not apply to your current life situation? Why?
4) Which verses in each chapter do you disagree with? Why?
5) How do you rate each chapter on a scale between 1 (dis-like), 5 (like) & 10 (really like)? Why?
6) If you were to add to this peace manual, what insights would you add? Why?
Would they be mostly Mental insights, Emotional insights, Physical (health) insights, Spiritual insights, or Enlightenment insights? Why?
7) Which type of insights are most important to you? How much could you benefit from learning more about the other types of intelligences currently available to the human race? (what types of intelligences do you see in our future?)
8) Between 1 & 100, how would you rate this peace education information: 1 being poor, 50 being average & 100 being excellent? Why?

. . Table of Contents - Printer Friendly Chapters
Chapter 0 - Peace Building Outline, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 0 - click here
Chapter 1 - Front Page, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 1 - click here
Chapter 2 - Ancient Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 2 - click here
Chapter 3 - New Insights / Enlightenment Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 3 - click here
Chapter 4 - Recent Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 4 - click here
Chapter 5 - Not-so-Recent Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 5 - click here
Chapter 6 - Stages of Life, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 6 - click here
Chapter 7 - Good Day / Bad Day Checklist, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 7 - click here
Chapter 8 - 10 Rules for Success, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 8 - click here
Chapter 9 - The Seven Stages of Grief, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 9 - click here

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - July 17, 2011
These first 9 chapters linked above are the only ones that have education numerals assigned to each verse for "International, Congressional, Local, Classroom, Family, Freinds and Individual" reflection, discussion, education and printing purposes.
Chapters 10 thru Chapter ?? to be included with numerical index online soon. We appreciate your patience.
The rest of this web page consists of the entire World Peace Newsletter website, with minimal graphics (printer friendly) without the assigned numerics to each verse. We hope both these versions prove helpful to you.

Recent Insights:

4.1- Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from meditating on knowledge. Real success comes from applying wisdom (not just knowledge) in our day to day lives. In summary, knowledge comes from the left/logical side of our brain, knowing comes from the right/intuitive side of our brain and the two halves of our brain constitute our mind. Our mind has a tendancy to talk to us incessantly. Our mind also has an ego that stops our higher self, our spirit, our true being, from gaining control over our mind and body. Once we learn to quiet the mind, our higher self has the chance to guide us towards enlightenment (which equates roughly to living in the moment, the present, the here and now).

4.3- One of the keys to happiness is to learn how to use our left and right brain together to create balance. The left (logical) brain must "partner" with the emotional/intuitive right brain. By looking at this "vase-face" picture, you can feel the shift from left (vase) to right (faces), and back again.

4.4- A few quick ways to shift to the right (creative/intuitive brain) is to observe flowers, artwork or play with children (enjoy time), start humming or singing, listen to music, enjoy the company of friends, family or animals, or start drawing, photographing, or painting.

A quick ways to shift to the left (logical brain) is to look at your watch (recognize time) or perform mathematics in your head.

4.5- Those that spend all their time predominantly in one hemisphere are very likely to have mental, financial, and/or emotional problems. Only by utilizing the two halves together can we hope to rise above the mind and attain the wisdom which will lead us to peace, happiness and joy. Notice how it all starts with one step after another? First we must understand the mind and shortly thereafter we have a chance to rise above our egos and free ourselves from suffering and confusion. Now that's enlightenment! :)

4.6- There are two main ways to solve a problem - Remove the cause, or Dampen the effect. Example, sewage in a river. Remove the source of the sewage, move up-river, or "treat" the sewage.

4.7- Learn to enjoy life before you obtain wealth. If you are unhappy before you become "rich" then money will not bring you happiness.

4.8- Yard by yard, life can be hard. Inch by inch, life's a cinch.

4.9- Someday "Gross Domestic Happiness" may be equally important to "Gross Domestic Product" numbers.

4.10- Insanity is inherited. We get it from our children. (:

4.11- Improve the things which are in your power to improve and recognize that some things are beyond your current capacity to change in the physical world (but may be changed in the "mental" world ruled by our perception of life).

4.12- How happy are you? How often do you smile? How many times a day do you laugh? How important is happiness to you? Do you blame others for your unhappiness or do you take responsibility to make sure you find a way to happiness? The point is that it is up to you to take control of your life and find what you need. Seek and you will find. Fail to seek and misery is likely to be your companion. Speaking of companions, are your friends upbeat and positive? If not you might want to seek some. (more on finding happiness)

4.13- Why do some people have pleasant dispositions and others have negative dispositions? How do you switch from negative to positive? Recent research suggest that the brain can be rewired through meditation and other stress-reduction techniques. People who learn to handle stress tend to live longer, happier, healthier lives. Many of these "low-stress" individuals probably discovered good coping skills through good parental guidance, religion, self-help media and elightenment training.

4.14- Mental intelligence vs Emotional intelligence - Which is a better indicator of success? Mental intelligence may have a higher correlation to school and financial success but emotional intelligence is more important when seeking the ultimate prizes in life - happiness, peace, love and joy. The point is to be smart enough to know that you need both types of intelligence in order to truly succeed in life. Left brain thinking without right brain support is a little like playing soccer with only half of your team on the field. (" ... more on emotional intelligence)

4.15- Is the mind capable of healing the body? Have you heard of Psychneuroimmunology? - Psycho immunology, Faith Factor, Colitis, Breast Cancer

4.16- When a person labors not for a livelihood but for wealth, that person is a slave.

4.17- "He does not possess wealth; it possesses him" - Benjamin Franklin.

4.18- Have you heard the phrase: "No deep resentments are justified"? It means that by harboring resentment against others, you are really stopping yourself from obtaining peace. Get rid of the resentment, even if you think it's justified, and get rid of some troubling anger (and maybe a troubling ulcer.). The person you hold resentment against may be unlikely to change their ways but you can change your thoughts and feelings if you can find a way to solve "your" problem.

4.19- It has been said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. That is not to say a rich man cannot enter heaven but rather that he must be penitent.

4.20- Be careful of making friends with angry people lest you learn their ways and become like them (and suffer their fate).

4.21- On September 11th, 2001, we saw the dark side of humanity, although it is clear that this was an attempt to announce to the world the suffering and perceived injustice that was/is being felt. In the year following such a violent and destructive act, we saw the bright side of humanity as nations came together despite religious and political differences. One can only hope that trend continues.

4.22- Without hope there is only despair. Without love there is only hatred.

4.23- You are what you think all day long. Do you think good thoughts or bad ones?

4.24- Most religions teach us that there will be a day of judgement.

4.25- Perhaps the most important thing in life is what you do with your time. What path are you following?

4.26- There is more to faith than just believing in something. Your actions must reflect your faith or you really haven't faith at all.

4.27- Think of anger, fear and hate at one end of a scale and peace, love and joy at the other end of the scale. Where do you currently weigh in?

4.28- We've all heard the phrase, "Seek and you shall find". The real question is, what causes you to seek in the first place? How do you learn how to seek?

4.29- Whoever has no rule over their anger is like a city broken down with no walls, which is likely to be the fate of those filled with such hatred and anger. Can you think of any examples of such individuals or groups?

4.30- The earth becomes a more wonderful place when good people make an effort to turn our world into a paradise. What are you doing to create heaven on earth?

4.31- Remember to stop and smell the "roses" along the way.

4.32- "To get wisdom is better than gold, and understanding is more valuable than silver." - The Bible

4.33- "Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late." - Benjamin Franklin.

4.34- Goals are dreams with time-lines. Have you established time-lines for your main dreams?

4.35- A vision without a plan is a dream. A plan without a vision is a nightmare. "unknown Japanese author"

4.36- Most people dream of success, some plan for it and then work their plan.

4.37- Those who are slow to anger are stronger than the mighty. Those that rule their spirit are greater than those who rule nations.

4.38- The more anger you have inside, the more likely you need help finding ways to get rid of the anger. Anger is usually a sign that tells you that YOU have problems. Angry people tend to blame others for their anger. The real problem is partly/mainly inside you. Admit it and you are half way to solving your problem(s).

4.39- People sometime think that just because they are from a small town or raised in poverty they have little to contribute to society. It has been said "If you think small then your limits have already been established". The speed of the leaders determines the rate of change of society.

4.40- Remember to help the poor. There was once a day in which you needed help.

4.41- When you reflect back on your life, are you happy with the way you've lived it? When you reflect forward on your life, are you happy with the way you are going to live it? If not then you are going to need to change some things. You can't change the past but you can take control of your future. Make sure to have peace as a main element in your life. By focusing on peace, half of your battles will seem trivial. The search for peace and the search for happiness go hand in hand.

4.42- When arguing with others, especially your spouse and friends, remember that just because you think you are right it doesn't give you the right to abuse them verbally.

* Recent news suggests that exercise is as effective at fighting depression as drugs. Yet another good reason to include exercise as part of our daily routine.

4.43- Whoever is diligent in the opportunity at hand soon finds wider openings. Whoever fails to use today's opportunity finds less chance for advancement tomorrow. [also known as: "whoever has something will be given more and whoever has nothing will be deprived of the little they have."]

* Copyleft - The giving away of copyrightable material so that the world gets the maximum benefit. It's happening now with the Open-Source software revolution and with websites like World Peace Newsletter.com

4.44- Be sure to play your music before you leave this earth. Find your passions and learn how to "sing".

4.45- The cup can be half empty or half full, depending on your point of view. Which point of view dominates your waking thoughts; the negative or the positive?

4.46- A smile a day keeps the doctor away. (:

4.47- Is the mind capable of healing the body? Only for those that believe.

4.48- There are at least three barriers to learning and achievement. Determine if any apply to you and find ways to overcome them. 1) Suggestive barriers put into your head by others or yourself. 2) Logical barriers that slow you down because of excuses like, "No one can do that, it's impossible". 3) Ethical barriers. These are things like "If I achieve too much success it might be unethical". How you earn success and how you share it with others is what reveals your true personality.

4.49- Enlightenment has been defined as having a mind that is open to anything but attached to nothing.
Do you agree? Is it possible to be attached to nothing?

4.50- When you are truly inspired (in spirit) things have a tendency to work in your favor. An example of this is someone who loves what they do regardless of the financial rewards it may bring them. When the rewards become more important than the journey, trouble likely lies ahead.

4.51- How do you discover your passions? We may not have a solution to this question but we sense that the search may be almost as important as the answers. The sooner you start looking for your passions, the sooner you will find them and begin to live a richer, fuller life.

* Understanding is a wellspring of life.

4.52- Information wants to be free similar to the way electricity wants to be free. Will the internet free up information (also known as "electrical energy" or thoughts) for the masses? The Open-Source revolution is now in full stride and has become a shining example of how the world wide web is allowing people to share with each other on a global scale.

4.53- Over-working can be more harmful than under-working. Be careful not to become a workaholic. You must remember to stop and smell the roses.

4.54- Sometimes it is better to cease fighting a losing battle than to continue. Although quitting is often associated with failure, knowing when to quit and when to use a different approach to solve a problem can be a sign of genius.

4.55- Learn to live within the "system" while maintaining control of your "essence". If you lose sight of who you are, the system will overtake you.

4.56- It has been said: Those of great minds discuss ideas, those of average minds discuss events, and those of small minds focus on other people (gossip). We all shift through these "classifications". How much time to do spend in each category?

4.57- There are two main ways to solve a problem. (1) Remove the cause or (2) Dampen the effect. Now consider a third way - Change how you think and feel about the problem. The point is to look at the problem from different perspectives. Many people fail to realize that they CAN change their thinking.

4.58- The positive stress from success can be almost as damaging as the negative stress from failure/depression if not dealt with properly. Get plenty of rest and be sure to spend time with family and friends.

4.59- In the story about the cricket and the ants, the cricket played all the time and did not prepare for the rainy days ahead. By adequately preparing, the ants were able to enjoy the rainy days along with the sunny days.

4.60- Wisdom that is not shared is wasted. Where do you find wisdom? Conventional wisdom suggests that we utilize universities, community colleges, study groups, libraries, the internet, churches, talking to our elders and by reading the most published book on the planet, The Bible, particularly the book of Proverbs.

4.61- In the search for the truth you may find that some of the beliefs that you hold dear are wrong. Having an open mind is more important than clinging to every one of your beliefs. Think of the people that thought the earth was flat, or those that thought it was the center of the universe.
Use your intuition and let your conscience be your guide. The truth can set you free.

4.62- If you pause to reflect on some of the best times in your life you might discover that you had a good balance between work and play during those periods. In order to return to the "best of times" find a way to balance your life.

4.63- Keeping life stimulating is a key to good health and longevity.

4.64- The support groups we have can make a big difference in our lives especially when times are tough.

4.65- The digital age is making it so that people around the globe can communicate instantly and inexpensively. Many people think that communication is the key to a good relationship. Maybe the world wide web will help the nations of the world to communicate better and get along better?

4.66- The speed of light may be the only constant in the universe. Everything else changes! Mr. Einstein observed that matter could be converted into energy just as energy was converted into matter (and anti-matter) when the universe was created.

4.67- Admitting when you are wrong is a key to attaining emotional maturity.

4.68- The satisfaction gained from achieving a goal is proportional to the effort used in getting there. Fear is probably the main factor that stops people from achieving their goals. Our inability to take a leap of faith is closely tied to our inner fears.

4.69- The means we use to reach our ends are almost as important as the ends we've chosen. Ill-gotten gains seldom (if ever) bring long term happiness.

4.70- The only person that can make you happy is yourself. Others can help but like many solutions in life, the answer must come from within.

4.71- Sometimes a teacher, like a good parent, must be forceful and demanding but most of the time they need to be patient, nurturing and understanding. Even the wisest pupils were once ignorant.

4.72- Mourning the loss of someone special helps us ease the immediate pain. Dealing with the emotions in the weeks and months afterwards helps us move on with our lives.

4.73- A heart that has never been broken is incomplete.

4.74- Half the battle in completing a worthwhile goal is getting things started.

4.75- What does the global village mean to you?