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“And I told him, I said: "One day you're going to miss the subway because it's not going to come. One of these days, it's going to break down and it's not going to come around and everyone else will just wait for the next one or will take the bus, or walk, or run to the next station: they will go on with their lives. And you're not going to be able to go on with your life! You'll be standing there, in the subway station, staring at the tube. Why? Because you think that everything has to happen perfectly and on time and when you think it's going to happen! Well guess what! That's not how things happen! And you'll be the only one who's not going to be able to go on with life, just because your subway broke down. So you know what, you've got to let go, you've got to know that things don't happen the way you think they're going to happen, but that's okay, because there's always the bus, there's always the next station...you can always take a cab.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“If we find ourselves missing the art of living, we must suffer from a lack of fulfillment, joy, and meaning in life. By opening the closets of our minds, igniting the wicks of our curiosity, and unlocking the abandoned doors to our dormant passion, we revive an inspired and creative way of life. ("Waiting for Eureka")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

“What does it mean to be cultured? Who is the cultured person? The cultured individual is not defined nor determined by status in society nor by wealth; but the cultured individual is determined and defined by his or her sense for the art of life. And what is the art of life? The art of life is the reflection of the mind and the soul upon the world, upon other people, upon the respect and understanding of other people and upon the things that are in this world and beyond. There is a joy that is always sought in beautiful things. Being cultured is being conscious, reflective, understanding, feeling, aware. Knowing how to feel, to listen, to understand. A desire to find or to create joy in many thingsâ€� that is the art of life. And these things define a cultured person.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“Shocks and Joys"
The biggest shocks in life were:
That freedom is a lie
Choosing chains carefully is more important
than chasing illusions�
That family and relatives are but a hit or miss biological coincidence�
That life isn’t short as they claim
for those who understand the game�
That there is no friend in need,
but indeed, need is the only constant friend�
The biggest joys in life were:
The smell of a freshly baked loaf of bread
A sip of water
The depth of a word
The taste of a fresh fig
The silence and tunes of nature
The unexpected scent of a rose that tickles the nose
after having fallen in the abyss of despair�

[Original poem published in Arabic on March 9, 2023 at ahewar.org]”
― Louis Yako