A Cognitive Jog

Another Sunday night, another weekend concluded. A million thoughts are floating around in my head; some nostalgic, some hopeful, some too difficult to explain with any detail or intricacy. I have a lot of questions.

I was watching Larry King today on CNN and there was a panel of people discussing the importance of positive thinking, which would lead to positive thoughts, which would then inevitably lead to good karma. You get back the positive energy you exude, and when someone else is making the decision to be cruel or unkind to you, that is their karma, not yours. It is your decision to then either allow their negativity to be mirrored within yourself or to ignore it, learn from it, and grow as an individual.

The panel also touched on the importance of letting go of the past. Because if we are continually living in aforementioned moments of our lives that have affected us negatively, we will never be able to make progress. That being said, it was discussed that it is also important to make mistakes, because as you all know, without the bad, there would be no satisfaction.

Forgiveness is key, because you never know the initial spark that was ignited in someone to make them do something hurtful. When I say hurtful, I mean in any way. Maliciously, unintentionally, subtly, outwardly, etcetera. Without forgiveness, you cannot let go of pain. But it's all cyclical, isn't it? If you are like me, then you might have the tendency to hold onto pain, because "misery loves company". This does not mean I am miserable, but I, like anyone, have moments where I need to vent my frustrations to people close to me. But by venting my frustrations that means I am seeking not only advice, but attention. Yes, I would like you to sympathize with me because I am only one person, and feeling bad for myself doesn't make me feel any better. But if YOU can at least pretend to understand, or even better, if you can relate to me, then I am no longer alone in my seemingly lonely thoughts and emotions. Therefore, holding onto pain (although I realize is not the healthiest thing to do) connects back to the person that I am now, at this moment, sitting in my chair typing into the (relatively) unknown. Talking to no one and everyone at the same time.

Guilty people seek punishment. Forgiveness is key. You get what you give. You should learn to let go of your past and forgive yourself rather than waiting for others to forgive you first. I suppose it wouldn't be until that happened would you be able to begin any kind of path to self-acceptance and discovery.


There are roses like these lining the streets of Gyeongju. Sometimes I pick one and put it in my hair. I wonder how hard it is to grow them...? There are so many rose bushes sprinkled around the city that I don't think the bushes themselves would miss any of their rose sisters which I've plucked and have used for vain purposes. Right? Hmm. I am having a really hard time ending this post cleverly.