INSIGHT FOR A WORLD WITH ALL THE ANSWERS

All the things I should know were once in an encyclopedia on a library shelf. Now they’re a google search away or passed down information, hoping to be remembered from mouth to ear. Does the internet, school, TV and written word have all the knowledge we need? What is worth sharing unto humanity? As the world faces a pandemic, we globally ask ourselves – what are the necessities for living, and what principles are essential for life?

HEALTH IS WEALTH: THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LOVE

According to bestselling author and love therapist Gary Chapman, the “Five Love Languages” humans utilize to give, receive and show love while seeking connection in romantic, work or platonic relationships are:

1) Words of Affirmation – Vocalizing affection and admiration for another

2) Acts of Service – Kind gestures to ease someone’s workload, which can be shown in multiple ways

3) Receiving Gifts – Christmas can come any day of the year when giving an unforeseen surprise

4) Quality Time – Making memories together through shared experience

5) Physical Touch – Depending on the recipient, it can be friendly, playful or intimate

LIVING A JOYFUL LIFE BY WAY OF TOLTEC PHILOSOPHY

In “The Five Agreements,” author Don Miguel Ruiz shares vital Toltec wisdom for the modern world to navigate limiting beliefs and behaviors. Following these rules can lead to a fulfilling life, free from pain and melodrama.

1) Be Impeccable with Your Word – Speak with integrity about yourself and others through the power of speech, striving for truth and love

2) Don’t Take Anything Personally – People’s words and actions are a reflection of themselves. Stay immune to avoid unnecessary suffering

3) Don’t Make Assumptions – Have the courage to ask questions instead of creating false scenarios that may victimize or demonize each other

4) Always Do Your Best – Mental and physical health changes day by day, but the best version of yourself is controlled by you in each moment

5) Be Skeptical, but Learn to Listen – Question yourself and others to understand inner and outer intentions

CLEANSING THE FOUR ROOMS OF YOUR SOUL

Author Rumer Godden says, “There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time. But unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.” These commonalities are essential, and often overlooked.

FUNKY NUTRIENTS TO FERTILIZE YOUR PLANTS

It’s therapeutic taking care of the leafy creatures keeping us alive and providing the oxygen we need to breathe outdoors and inside our homes. Water, air, soil and sun are all they need, but here are a few uncommon beneficial oddities you may not have heard of:

Leftover rice and pasta water is packed full of starches, minerals and nutrients. Refrain from dumping them down the drain, and feed them to your plants instead. The water remaining from boiled eggshells provide calcium, while the water from boiled banana peels, strengthens plant stems and fights off diseases. The last tidbit is not readily available for all, and may take some aback, but when diluted with water – menstruation blood is a noteworthy source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for outdoor plants. Women have felt a sense of connectivity to the earth after the experience.

HAVE I BEEN POOPING WRONG?

It’s a strange shame that something as important as pooping could be disposed of and executed so improperly. For ideal efficiency, the correct posture is a squatting position – elbows on knees, with knees above the hips. The western toilet, simulating a 90-degree seated position, leads to constipation or hemorrhoids. Elevate your feet seven to nine inches off the floor with a footstool, creating less strain for optimal gut health.

ANIMALS SEE REALITY DIFFERENTLY

According to author Deepak Chopra, each living beings reality is a projection of their own consciousness. A honeybee sees flowers in ultraviolet radiation, while snakes see infrared radiation and bats hear in echo ultrasound hearing. Each has their own abilities, cockroaches can eat anything and outlive an apocalypse, while lizards and starfish can regenerate limbs, and cold-blooded lobsters can come back to life after being frozen.

ODD FACTOIDS ABOUT FOOD

A chicken egg is an unfertilized embryo, which makes it a menstruation scramble you’re having for breakfast. Honey is actually bee vomit, and Doritos potato chips can be used as tinder to start a fire.

HANDS, WORDS & MUSIC STIMULATION

The top spoken languages in the world are English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish and French. Ending this plethora of uncommon knowledge with a Japanese proverbial principle, to see no, hear no and speak no evil, to thy fellow man.

The value of writing mustn’t be overlooked through the evolution of keyboards and touchscreens. The art of cursive and penmanship has grand allure, it stimulates different neuron activities in the brain. As does reading, and learning to play an instrument. Never underestimate the importance of art, music and uncommon knowledge.

CONSERVATION: MINIMIZE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Minimizing our human impact is a challenge in the face of convenience, tradition, price and habits in an environment packaged in plastic. Making efforts to use less of this paradoxical product, which is both a liability and necessity, leads to discovering healthy alternatives and modifications to crude customs. There’s a surplus of images and documentaries on ocean pollution, climate change, wildlife mortality and the food industry to see how over-indulgent and desensitized we’ve become to our spoils. Travel, age and awareness spotlighted my selfish ways in unexpected places I didn’t think had much leverage – my toiletries kit.

I reflected on stories my father told me about his youth in a small village in Mexico, where he used corn husk instead of toilet paper, fruit trees for shampoo, and burnt tortilla charcoal as toothpaste. I juxtaposed those natural resources with my selfish American ways. Eliminating plastic became more apparent, and learning uncommon DIY alternatives:

1) Household cleaning products made with citrus rinds, baking soda and vinegar concoctions

2) DIY plastic-free swaps in personal daily hygiene – from hair bars, deodorants, bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste tablets, glass mouthwash bottles and biodegradable products

British Army officer, and founder of The Girl and Boy Scouts Association, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, eloquently said it best, “Try to leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time, but have done your best.” Learning new ways to balance human need amid consumerism is fundamental knowledge.