The pessimist calls the glass....

....half-empty. The optimist describes it as half-full. So what does the realist say? That the glass contains 50 per cent liquid and 50 per cent air? Well, surely. But that glass, if it has recently been drunk from, may well be drained dry before long. While if it is in the hands of a bar tender, being held under an upturned bottle, it will surely be full very soon. 

Every full glass will eventually become empty again and every empty glass is surely destined in time to fill once more. Faith is not misplaced.

Leaders who serve will serve as good leaders.

Thai, Japanese, English....

....American and Mexican. Indian, Greek, Malaysian, Chinese or Italian. Yet no matter which restaurant you eat in, there is one thing you will never find much of. Food for thought. Caterers like to be non-controversial. A little daring and innovative perhaps, but ultimately safe. The stomach likes what it knows. 

The brain, too, claims this - yet it urgently requires a fresh, unusual input. If it is not challenged, it atrophies. If you are learning something, be glad.

Illusion is the first of all pleasures  (Voltaire)

Sometimes, when the world....

....of emotion becomes too intense and the sphere of the intellect too demanding, we take refuge in the realm of the practical. Let's forget our feelings. Let's ignore our thoughts. Let's just get something done. Let's bury ourselves in a useful task. Let's tick off items on our 'to do' list. After all, actions speak much louder than words. 

Is that way of thinking just a cop-out? A way of running from something that ought to be faced?

In dreams begins responsibilities.  (W B Yeats)

Some people, it seems.....

.....collect opinions, with the same enthusiasm as others collect Air Miles or Shopper's Reward points. They just can't get enough. If there is any chance of making a judgement or taking a strong point of view, they leap right in to nail the colours of their beliefs to the mast of prejudice. It keeps conversations exciting but it works against wisdom. 

When you need real discrimination, the last thing you want is a passionate reaction.

Be obscure, clearly.  (E B White)

Some people are not....

....always very civil or polite. Others are too nice. Almost suspiciously so. Some people are remote. Others empathise more than they possibly should. It is never easy to strike a perfect balance. Even if one aspect of someone's character seems wonderful, you may find some other side to their personality irritates you. 

We have to be careful about making big, lifetime decisions on the basis of passing, intense reactions.

Many are called, but few get up.   (Oliver Herford)

Some people see themselves....

....as guardians of morality and legality. If there is a law, they want to uphold it. If there is a standard, they want to live up to it. They even get so excited about requirements and regulations, protocol and procedures, that they almost completely forget about the individuals to whom these apply. 

Don't people matter more than principles? Aren't there exceptions to every rule? What matters is that you give your heart a fair hearing, regardless of what else is being debated.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.   (Frederick Douglass)

Some wounds never heal....

....Some ailments never fully clear up. We must learn to live with the challenges that they pose and try our best to turn these, somehow, into constructive, even positive, factors. 

The idea that things could be worse is not just some flimsy form of self-deception intended to make discomfort more bearable. It is potentially the seed of some tremendous tree of inner strength and wisdom. 

Much the same can be said of old emotional injuries and upsets. Quite often past problems become future opportunities.

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.  (Tom Stoppard)