"Thousands of candles can be lighted by a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." That is a quote by Buddha. It is amazing how many beautiful things you can find if you look for them! I have always felt that I am well read. I have read hundreds of books and articles a year since before I was a teen. Even so, since starting to look up quotes for my blog posts, I have still gotten a new appreciation for a quote that I have always believed: " A wise man knows how little he truly knows." Okay, so I am paraphrasing Socratic ignorance there, but I think you see what I am getting at. The more I read, the more I see how little reading I have actually done.
Like happiness, wisdom doesn't decrease with the sharing. I love to read quotes because they force me to think about what the author is actually trying to say. One of the negatives about reading quotes, though, is that it is so easy to take a single sentence out of context, when you don't see what else the author was saying in the moment. It is easy to latch on to one sentence, perfectly said in a paragraph full of drivel and false ideas. With all of the writing I do, I would love to have something I have written quoted on a quote page. Better yet, I would like to have something quoted that actually means exactly what I was trying to say. I think Socrates must sometimes roll over in his grave with the way people misinterpret what he was trying to get across. Socrates had a tendency to be long winded. It seems he believed that there was no sense saying in a sentence something that could be better said in a half-hour sermon. Still, people (including myself) can find a single sentence that he uttered that can convey an idea that we like. That's why he is quoted constantly. Meanwhile, I think Buddha likely rests in his grave rather easily. The quotes attributed to Buddha are usually short and simplistic. To the point and beautiful. Like the quote above. Personally, I think the quotes attributed to Buddha must have come from a number of different authors over centuries. Otherwise, talking to Buddha must have been like talking to a box of riddles, or someone who was perpetually stoned. I wonder if anyone ever got a straight answer out of Buddha that was comprehensible without stopping to think about it. Think about it: "Hey Buddha, what would you like to eat?" "On life's journey faith is nourishment." "Okay then, nothing for Buddha, he's going to sit over their and chew on his words for a while." Truth be told, Buddha was a vegetarian. He believed that "The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion." I don't know. I believe I am as compassionate as the next person, and yet I still love a good steak. God obviously didn't give us sharp teeth to eat bananas...and tigers were not put on this earth to eat popcorn. But I digress, Happiness and wisdom are two things that can be shared without diminishing our own use of them. Help people to learn what they do not know. You will find that you too, will learn in the teaching. Share a smile, oftentimes you will get one in return. Tell a joke, and everyone will laugh with you, yet cry and you'll typically cry alone. In the end, I guess the best advice is to share what you would like shared with you, and you will see the sentiment grow. Meanwhile try to lessen other people's pain (as you would like done for you when you are hurting), and you will help to spread goodwill in your immediate vicinity. Finally, remember that while you can light a candle with a candle, you can also light the drapes on fire! Spreading happiness is always a good thing, but spreading wisdom to an evil fool is likely not a good idea.
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