>>>>If anyone has actually been waiting for this... which I doubt... sorry it took me more than a week.

Something many people do not do is look inward. This could be a voluntary action, or something forced in order to concentrate on one's outward image. It is something people do eventually, though. This inward inspection, whether it starts as a glance and escalates or becomes full-fledged automatically, WILL occur in a sensible person's life.

This can be something dreadfully hard to accept. Why should I look inward? Can't I just be happy with the way I project my persona to others? No, this is a plea for continuing ignorance, WANTING to stay in the dark. After all, ignorance is bliss, yeah? No, this is a foolish thought. When one is ignorant, they need not care for what goes on around them. While this seems dandy, not caring is the worst thing you can do. But I shall save that for another discussion. Right now, looking INWARD and not OUTWARD is the important thing.

As I said and will discuss further at another time, it is foolish to wish ignorance of what goes on around you. This implies you do not care for others, and want to stay in your own little bubble. And yet, what if what you do is never care about what is inside that bubble? Not caring for yourself is a terrible thing; you lose your sense of personal value. It is even worse than hating yourself; because even then that indicates that you wish to recover from what ails your soul. Not caring to look inward and discover yourself puts you at risk of throwing yourself into situations that do not benefit you in any future.

And so, we look inward. The process is a tough one. While some people may find it like flipping a switch and saying: "Ah! so THAT'S what is in here!", others will see their inner self in a fit of despair-rent self-realization, like a curtain being ripped from bottom to top, revealing a room full of sick, mistreated patients. The less trained doctor will not be ready to take care of them, and it may turn him away from ever wanting to heal again. To avoid this doctor's fate, we must be well-prepared to look inward. One step is finding a steady cornerstone to lay your foundation on. That is to say, have something or someone that always brings you happiness to think of. If you meet something dreadful in you, this foundation will keep you going. The next thing is to be prepared to find that dreadful something. If you meet it, you need to keep in mind that you are a human, and that creature lurking in your heart can be banished. Thus can we be sure to keep sanity while we look inward.

Another important step is to become humble. If you see yourself as being a good person, more righteous than others around you, in fact, you must not become high-headed. While this is quite a happy thing, and is certainly nothing to be upset about, it may make you into a person that people will avoid, calling you a know-it-all and a holier-than-though jerk. Keep your wits about you, acting like and believing you are better than others is a far greater sin than thinking you are, perhaps, lesser than others. By lesser, I do not assert that you are a worse person. By lesser, I mean that you think as the humble do, in an almost subservient way, while still maintaining equal footing with others.

Large, LARGE part of looking inward is finding your limitations. The folly of the younger generation is the sense of immortality we seem to exude. Be buff up our egos, and just say that it won't happen to us. We'll see tomorrow, no matter what. This is another foolish thought!! Loom inward, and find your limitations! If nothing else, come out with a better sense of what you can and cannot do. The saddest part of watching another falsely proclaim their inability to be hurt by their choices is seeing them die due to their choices.

Thus, I implore you to look inward. It is a part of maturing. Even if what you find seems nasty, don't let it get you down! In fact, be joyful! You faced yourself! You are now a braver person for it, far braver than those who put on a façade and intimidate others with what is up front in the shop of their souls. Keep your treasure in back, along with all your flash and glamour. The person who can surprise others with a deep shop will surprise others more than the one who's shop is superficial. You have looked inward, and know what is best for you. Go into the world, knowing your limitations, and you will not be disappointed. You have looked inward, and now can see what is best for you and your future.

May God Bless all of you.

Well, I still have more than 28,000 characters left. I won't use them. Be good now, and tune in about a week from now for anoher discussion. I'll announce the subjet soon.

PS: If you are somehow offended by the "God Bless" part, don't be. Think of it instead as my way of saying "Best Wishes to you."

Also, this pic isn'tthe way I wanted it to be. I'll try and fix it.