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He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had tried and failed.
-- William James
 

 

Friday, July 7, 2023

The way things are

To improve reality you must first accept and adapt to the specific reality that already exists. You cannot change reality by hiding from it, or wishing it away, or pretending it’s something different than it is.

You have dreams, desires, detailed ideas of how you would like the world to be. Yet the only starting place you can ever have is where you are, the way things are.

Shouting down, ignoring, or demonizing those who speak the truth will not make the truth go away. Only by accepting and working within what is true and what is real can you make any progress.

It is admirable to put passion and energy into moving toward an ideal. To do so you must carefully and honestly navigate through territory that is not ideal.

That means understanding and having some degree of respect for those who do not share your ideal. It means working to find common ground and then working further to expand upon that common ground.

The current reality has its roots in times and circumstances that existed long before you were ever aware of them. Your success at creating positive change depends on your willingness to humbly accept that truth and operate within the way things are.

— Ralph Marston

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