The Courage to be Happy: True Contentment Is In Your Power

by Ichiro Kishimi

What person today would not take being told ‘You are a common, ordinary human being’ as an insult? What person would be comforted by hearing ‘That’s individuality, too,’ and take you seriously? PHILOSOPHER: If you feel insulted by these words, you are probably still trying to be a ‘special me’. Consequently, you seek approval from others. Consequently, you seek to gain admiration and draw attention and continue to live within the framework of problem behaviour. YOUTH: Stop it! Stop messing around! PHILOSOPHER: Look, instead of placing worth on being different from people, place worth on being yourself. That is true individuality. A way of living in which, instead of being yourself, you compare yourself to others and try to accentuate only your difference is just a way of living in which you deceive both others and yourself.