Category: 📁 World Ideas

If Buddha was content doing nothing, then "Why is Buddha so famous?"

• If Buddha thought that living a life in which you don't need to do anything, make any improvements, or strive for any purpose was most rewarding or the best way to live, then why is he so famous and how did he produce many teachings which are so well-known?
• Could it be because he followed his passions, sometimes strived to make things better with his ideas, found ways to potentially be of service for others, spent time doing and working on things he enjoyed, and even gained recognition from others for his work?
• If Buddha was truly happy and content with just existing, meditating, and sitting in nature all of the time, then I wonder if we would not know him at all, let alone recognize him as such a famous and great writer, teacher, and philosopher.
• I wonder if he may have really enjoyed his purpose or role as a teacher and philosopher, and spent a good deal of time learning and teaching how to live a better life, which resulted in him creating and writing many teachings on enlightenment and other ideas.
• I admit my ignorance that I am not a master scholar of Buddha's teachings. Of course I understand he taught many different ideas including the Middle Way of finding a balance, and I know that he didn't actually teach everyone to just "sit in nature all day".
• This was simply inspired by my ignorant image of him sitting in nature all day being content, and wondering if he might not be so famous if he did not follow his own passions and get some enjoyment from or even attachment to the purposes, roles, practices, or habits he did in his life.

February 18th, 2026

Have A Positive Attitude

The lives of two sisters and mothers with very different attitudes shows the incredible power of humans and the mind to drastically influence and affect their life and the lives of those around them, negatively for the worse or positively for the better.

A Negative Attitude

• One sister lives in an idyllic and spacious two story home with fences and a nice backyard
• She has one healthy son and a kind hard-working husband who provides everything for her
• She has no job and does not have to work because her husband makes all of the money
• She is very negative, pessimistic, depressed, hateful, fearful, hurtful, frowny, and angry
• She is afraid of almost everything including all living beings, and even nature and plants
• This sister thinks negatively despite an easy life, appreciates nothing, and hates life

The Negative Result

• One sister constantly criticizes and complains to salespeople, doctors, and anyone she sees
• She constantly yells at her husband and doesn't appreciate him or give him any affection
• She constantly berates her overweight son, doesn't love him or accept him or his passions
• She is resentful towards her deceased mother and feels her childhood was very difficult
• She doesn't thank her son at all or want to touch the flowers he got her for Mother's Day
• This sister thinks negatively, acts poorly towards others, so she feels depressed and upset

A Positive Attitude

• One sister lives in a small, run-down, upper floor apartment which she adorns with plants
• She has two healthy daughters and she no longer has a husband or anyone who helps her
• She works hard as a hairdresser and makes all the money to support her and her daughters
• She is very positive, optimistic, content, grateful, hopeful, helpful, smiley, and happy
• She is peaceful with everything and everyone, including upset customers, and loves nature
• This sister thinks positively despite a hard life, appreciates what she has, and enjoys life

The Positive Result

• One sister listens to her friends, her customers, and enjoys providing a service to everyone
• She loves her daughters, who enjoy being around her and are talkative and playful with her
• She supports her daughters, who exercise and help her any way they can around the house
• She is respectful towards her deceased mother and feels that her childhood was enjoyable
• She appreciates the small things like a glass of wine with her plants after a tough work day
• This sister thinks positively, acts kindly towards others, so she feels content and happy

Hard Truths - Rotten Tomatoes

December 4th, 2025

I wonder if it is better and simpler to make sure you always date your notes, and to only take dated notes instead of trying to organize them for reference.

I wonder if it might be better if we encouraged women and eventually made it a common practice for women to keep their last name when married and throughout their whole life, and also possibly have girls take the last name of the woman and boys take the last name of the man.

What

• Women simply keep their last name if they get married, and all life
• Men also still keep their last name if they get married, and all life
• Girls take the last name of the woman or one chosen parent?
• Boys take the last name of the man or the other chosen parent?

Why

• Women wouldn't need to feel they are changing their identity
• Women would have a consistent name and identity throughout life
• Women could also potentially carry on their name with girl children
• Men who do not want children may be less pressured to do so
• No more extra work, paperwork, or changes to have to deal with
• No long hyphenated names that we would have to deal with

July 29, 2025

I think formulating an ideology and creating ways of living based solely on practical habits or action instead of theoretical beliefs or dogma may be beneficial and essential to further maintain and improve our overall wellbeing and happiness.

On Beliefs, Theories & Dogmas

Beliefs, theories, dogmas, and myths can often be harmful as they can be used to promote rituals based upon mere suspicion, and therefore they may not be practically helpful.

• I think we should reserve belief only as a tool to believe in ourselves to do something
• Beliefs, theories, and dogmas may be harmful and unhelpful in making life better for all
• It may be worth striving to focus only on knowing things instead of believing in things
• Decoupling beliefs from practices within church and communities may be important

On Practices, Habits & Actions

Practices, habits, actions, and plans may shape our positive wellbeing and happiness if we proactively create good practices, or our negative suffering and misery if we do not.

• As for ideology, I might broaden its definition to include not just beliefs, but practices
• Whatever we call it, I think creating habits and practices to make life better can succeed
• It may be worth focusing not on what is right or true, but what is good or better for all
• Focusing on practices, habits, action, and values may be worthwhile and important

April 22, 2025

I wonder if we should use bullet lists for all or most of our writing, and particularly to make concise, argumentative list essays that present a single plan, idea, practice, or habit with points describing the action or steps the author suggests.

Names

• List Essay or Bullet Essay
• Brief or Bullet

What

• Can a bullet list of points be an essay?
• Should we write more ideas and plans as argumentative essays in bullet list form?
• We could call this simplified and brief style of writing a "List Essay" or "Bullet Essay"
• Argumentative essays with a single idea would work particularly well as a list essay
• Any idea, plan, practice, habit, policy, strategy, or rule could work well as a list essay
• Any and all types of writing may be simpler, better, and read easier as bullet lists too

Why

• Many books, essays, texts, articles, and literary works are way too long
• We need to focus on brevity and simplifying our information and important actions
• Maybe we should shorten our ideas and other information and just get to the point
• It is easier and quicker to skim a list of lines and points than long paragraphs or essays
• An idea should often focus on what and why changes are to be made more so than how
• A bulleted list encourages the author to describe their idea or information much simpler

How

• Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs, hopefully which will fit on a single line
• Shorter sentences might be preferred, but sentences of any length would work
• Possibly make groups of 6 points or less separated with headings for further simplicity
• Create a What section with a simple description of your idea, plan, action, or habit
• Often create a Why section to outline the reasons for the idea or explain your argument
• Optionally create How, Steps, or Rules sections to further detail your plan, idea, or action

April 8, 2025

Meditate every day because it improves your wellbeing and your mind by helping you to become more relaxed, focused, and aware of all the unnecessary thoughts in your head, which can make you happier and more relaxed and focused on each day you meditate.

What

• Sit down and breathe slowly and deeply for some amount of minutes at least once a day
• Attempt to clear your mind of thoughts and focus on one thing, such as your breathing
• Focus on your breath, body, surroundings, or close your eyes to focus on one thing
• Don't worry if thoughts creep into your mind, just try to let them go, breathe, and focus
• You can also try saying a mantra like "I'm grateful for today. I'm hopeful for the future."
• You may also spend time focusing or contemplating on single projects, goals, or dreams

Why

• Breathing deeply may provide oxygen to the brain which is key for our brain functioning
• Relaxing our mind may allow it to make new connections, which occurs when we sleep
• It may help us become more focused, improve our concentration, and get things done
• It may help us become more relaxed, improve our happiness, and feel naturally calmer
• It may help us process our thoughts, be more creative, and improve our critical thinking
• It may help us slow down and recognize that the thoughts in our head are not our reality

April 1, 2025

Ask open-ended questions by remembering the acronym WHI and starting with why, what, how, and in what way, in order to become a better listener who encourages longer and more revealing answers from people.

• WHI? - Why? - What? How? In what way? - Yes/Open
• WHO? - Who? - When? Where? Would you? - No/Closed
• Asking open-ended questions allows others to share their thoughts
• Asking open-ended questions allows you to become a better listener
• Why, what, how, and "in what way" encourage long open answers
• Who, when, where, and "would you" encourage short fixed answers

March 25, 2025

I wonder if we should show respect for those that are currently weaker or younger than us, and shake hands after we win instead of gloating or putting others down at the end of a competition.

Dear Anonymous Athlete,

Thanks

• You should be very proud of yourself for everything you have achieved in your life
• You have had an exceptional career as a basketball player due to your hard work
• You have made your own life as well as your family much better in many ways
• You have brought joy to many people who enjoy watching a fun competition

Gifts

• You are also lucky to have been given some incredible and uncommon physical gifts
• You are lucky to have been given an amazing opportunity and life partially by chance
• We should realize we could easily have been born as someone else without such gifts
• We should consider treating opponents and others as we would our young children

Respect The Weak

• Unwritten rules like not scoring at the end of the game can be confusing to understand
• I think the reason for this unwritten rule is not so both teams stop trying at the end
• The weaker team losing should always keep competing until the very end to catch up
• The stronger team should show some mercy, not run up the score, and shake hands after

Competition Can Be Good

• Competition is good because it makes all of us better, even the weakest and youngest
• Competition is good if the older and stronger show respect for the younger and weaker
• Competition can be bad if the stronger and older do not show some level of respect to those that are currently weaker or younger than them for competing and taking part, which could cause some people, who are not lucky enough to be as intelligent or strong, to give up and not want to compete or contribute to society at all
• Competition can be bad if the strong rub it in the face of the weak or young at every opportunity and never come to realize or learn to understand that the goal should be to ultimately pass on their superior skills and knowledge to future generations through competition and to make us all better in the process

Quote

• "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box." - Italian Proverb

March 25, 2025

I think we should rename and change the pronunciation we use for the letter "w" from its three syllables of "duhble-yoo", to a simpler sound of only one syllable, just like every other letter in the alphabet. I suggest "wee".

What

• Pronounce the letter "w" as "wee"

Why

• All other letters in the alphabet are a single syllable
• Saying the letter "w" becomes shorter and simpler
• Spelling out words becomes shorter and simpler
• Reciting the alphabet becomes shorter and simpler

Options

• wee
• woo
• wey
• voo
• vey
• vi

March 11, 2025

When it comes to completing tasks, finishing projects, reaching goals, achieving dreams, or doing anything else in this world, I think you need to know what steps to take.

I believe we need to focus on exactly what to do, and less on how or why to do something. These are what I have found to be the 8 most important actual steps you need to take when trying to complete any project, accomplish any goal, reach any dream, or make any change in your life. We're talking the nuts and bolts of exactly what to do to get things done. Whether it is a dream as huge as climbing a mountain, a goal as big as writing a book, a weekend project like painting the deck, or a task as small as getting milk at the grocery store.

Introduction

Make separate lists of tasks and goals you want to get done.

Dream big dreams. Believe all things are possible. - Unknown

I have tried many different methods, advice, tips, and tricks to reach your dreams and achieve your goals. I have used trial and error from many amazing writers to find out what really works. The result is that I have found these steps to be the most essential actions to take when trying to reach a goal, complete a task, or make any change in your life and in the lives of others. These are the 8 key steps which have allowed me to set and achieve goals and dreams. I believe and hope they will work for you as well.

Continued... >

I wonder if society would be better if everyone was encouraged to create an official and separate public name to be known by for their work as opposed to their life, with completely different profiles and names online for each role.

What

Separation of life and work by name. Offer and encourage the creation of an official government work name of a person's choice, likely allowed anytime after a person turns 18, or legal adult age. This name would be a work, craft, professional, and business name, separate from a person's life, social, family, and personal name they were given by their parents at birth.

Why

To encourage balance in all of our lives and to provide better online discussions and focus of work and interest groups, through natural categorization and separation of topics. A person could focus on their work or crafts only under their work name and profile, and could discuss personal events and social issues under their life name and profile. You could think of it as separation of life and work, as opposed to separation of church and state.

I think this could also allow people to have a personal identity and role in life that is not linked to their profession, by keeping their original given name as their life name. It may allow everyone to see other individuals in the world as a human being first, having their own worth and value in life regardless of their specific profession, level of wealth, or employment status.

Also, I do not mean that this would be mandated as a rule of law, whereby you could not discuss life issues under your work name, or work issues under your life name. Neither am I saying that a person must create this second work name if they do not wish to do so. I am only suggesting this separate work name as a possible solution and guideline for a way of living that could possibly improve everyone's health, wellness, work, productivity, social life, and personal connection with others.

September 29, 2021

I watched the movie The Double last week. After watching it, I went to read about it and came across a question from someone on Stack Exchange Movies.

So I started out writing my thoughts about whether or not James was real, as well as an idea I had about what was going on in the movie. I ended up re-watching it and writing an explanation for what I think was happening in the movie. I definitely recommend the movie so go check it out sometime if you haven't. The movie is kind of about self-improvement, as I think the main character is struggling and trying to improve his life. He runs into some serious personal problems trying to make his life better. However, I really just wrote this because I wanted to. Enjoy.

Who is James in “The Double (2013)”?

I saw the movie The Double this morning, a very strange movie. I didn't understand the exact plot of the movie. I've read the plot in IMDB and Wikipedia too, but I don't get it. Can somebody explain this movie in simple English? My main question is "Who is James and does he really exist?"

Continued... >

Thinkist is a made up word that the founder of Life Thinkist came up with. The term thinkist was coined to describe a person with a certain set of philosophies about life.

In my mind, someone who is a thinkist is a person that is interested in improving their life, getting things done, setting goals, and learning to be happier. Without hearing the definition before, you might know if you are a thinkist or not, or maybe if you are starting to become one. Basically you are a thinker. And you use your thoughts to help you achieve what you want in your life.

Who Are Thinkists?

The word is also used for the website and to describe the people that might use the website or be interested in the type of tips, information, ideas, news, and apps that are talked about on the website. One idea was that people who use the website might even call themselves thinkists.

Improve your life, get things done, achieve what you want, and learn to be happier.

Continued... >

When it really comes down to reaching goals, or doing anything else in this world, I think you need to know what steps to take. There is so much information out there about how to set and achieve your goals and dreams. But I believe we need to focus on exactly what to do, and less on how or why to do something.

So with that in mind, these are what I have found to be the 7 most important actual steps that you need to take when trying to accomplish any goal, reach any dream, or make any change in your life. We're talking the nuts and bolts of exactly what to do to get things done. Whether it is a dream as huge as climbing a mountain, a goal as big as writing a book, a weekend project like painting the deck, or a task as small as getting milk at the grocery store.

Introduction

Dream big dreams. Believe all things are possible. - Unknown

I have read some important books on reaching goals including Think and Grow Rich, The Alchemist, The Magic of Thinking Big, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Atlas Shrugged, and Getting Things Done. I have gathered a lot of information from all of the books and countless articles I have read on the subject. I've been pretty obsessed with this stuff and enjoy reading and learning about how to reach your goals, achieve your dreams, get things done, and improve your life.

I have tried many different methods, advice, tips, and tricks to reach your dreams and achieve your goals. I have used trial and error from many amazing writers to find out what really works. The result is that I have found these steps to be the most essential actions to take when trying to reach a goal, complete a task, or make any change in your life and in the lives of others. These are the 7 key steps which have allowed me to set and achieve goals and dreams. I believe and hope they will work for you as well.

Continued... >

I love reading and learning about the following subjects and feel I've learned a great deal about them.

• Life Improvement
• Goal Setting and Habits
• Productivity and Task Management
• Lifehacking and Software
• Simplicity and Minimalism
• Happiness and Positivity
• Physical and Mental Health
• Simple Finances and Independence

There are a lot of great websites and resources out there for learning about these topics. Essentially places for learning about how to live life. One thing I've noticed is that there is so much information out there that it can be hard to find the good stuff. That is a gap that Life Thinkist hopes to at least help fill.

One main goal of Life Thinkist will be to find links to the best articles out there. Life Thinkist may not provide really long commentary other than maybe a paragraph or a sentence to many links and articles. It's a place to come to in order to find the great news and resources out there on life improvement written by many great writers. We still may provide some longer features written here because I also have some ideas myself that I may sometimes feel inspired to write about. But these longer features will probably be infrequent, and the main goal will be to provide the best news and links that are out there.

Continued... >

Why would you choose to use text files for notes and lists instead of using a notes app? There are a number of advantages to writing your notes in simple .txt files using a text editor.

Keeping notes and lists in text files might not be everyone's cup of tea. But here are a few of the key reasons why I have kept a lot of notes, lists, tasks, journals, and other information in regular old text files.

1. Open Anywhere and No Data Lock-In

What's great about using .txt files for notes and lists is that you can open the files literally on any device. You don't have to worry about having the app or web app to open your files and read your information. You don't have to worry about your information being locked into a file format, operating system, or website that you can't get it out of. With Evernote, you need to use their apps and their apps only. They hold your data hostage, and if they decided now not to offer a free version, you'd either have to pay whatever they said to pay for it or be out of luck with all of your data.

Continued... >

Maybe I don't value law as much as most people do or understand how and why patent or other laws work. But all I can think about after hearing of the $1 billion verdict awarded to Apple is that I don't think Apple should have chose to sue Samsung in the first place.

It may help them to survive and prosper over the short term and allow them to feel justified that it was proven that someone copied their design. But in the end it just doesn't feel right to me how they handled it, and regardless of the law, I don't think it was the right thing to do.

They come across as a big company that is greedy and willing to criticize other companies and people who are trying to compete and create companies and products that allow people outside of Apple to earn a living. Even if everyone is stealing from them, I just don't feel that going to the extent they have will be rewarding in the long haul for them or for others. I guess, really what I'm saying is that the patent system is flawed. But even though Apple is playing by those rules, suing other companies may not be the best strategy.

You can now bet that other companies will go after Apple whenever they can. It will turn other companies and people against them and create more of a 'It's everyone against Apple' attitude. It may make other companies more likely to partner with competitors like Microsoft or Google, just when Microsoft needs a boost. It may make it harder for Apple to work with companies and get good prices on hardware.

Some good advice that I've read before is that you generally should never criticize, condemn, or complain about others, or about anything really. And even though they feel they are protecting themselves, all I can think about is it seems to me like Apple is criticizing and condemning Samsung. While that may be within the law it just doesn't feel like the way it should have been handled. And suing other companies may not be the best strategy or attitude to have for a company like Apple, or for any other company.

Samsung ordered to pay Apple $1-billion for patent violations

September 1, 2012

While some physical contact will always be accepted, I don't think there should be any deliberate hitting or body checking allowed at any level of hockey including the NHL, and so deliberately body checking or hitting other players should be banned.

Introduction

Being able to deliberately hit someone as hard as you can should be completely taken out of hockey at all levels. In fact I think this idea is way overdue. To me, it's almost like stating the obvious at this point. I'm surprised I haven't heard more people suggest that body checking should be completely removed from hockey. Here's why.

1. Hitting Is Barbaric

Physically hitting someone else when you can hurt them is both barbaric and cruel. I just looked up the definition for cruel and the first definition said "willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others." To me, it's pretty clear that you are knowingly causing distress to someone when you hit them in any way. But I don't care what the definition is, it just doesn't seem right to me to hit someone else. I don't care if it's part of a sport, or if they've agreed as part of the game to let them hit you. It's just not civilized to hit someone else in my opinion. To me, it doesn't really matter if it's your wife, a co-worker, a friend, or someone you play a game against for money. Hitting people is bad. Boxing is barbaric. Football is barbaric. Hockey is barbaric. The more we can move to a society where hurting other people for sport is not accepted, the better off we are in my opinion. In boxing and football, it's hard to get around the idea that you have to hit someone, but hockey could completely remove hitting, and still keep the main part of the game as it is. There is no reason hitting can't be completely removed from NHL hockey.

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