Worried but optimistic..............

............from this interview with Walter Russell Mead:

 As it turns out, the greatest danger to human beings is not the natural world; it’s not the polar bears, the great white sharks, and the tigers. The biggest danger is us and the very technology that enables us to survive, or manage, these natural catastrophes. So we are now in this totally new era. During the Enlightenment, we thought that we were escaping all of that, that we were moving toward a world of security and abundance. And now that we’ve reached it, it turns out there isn’t any security there after all.

Althouse.........................

 

via

Within............................

      Where does intrinsic security come from?  It doesn't come from what other people think of us or how they treat us.  It doesn't come from the scripts they've handed us.  It doesn't come from our circumstances or out position.

     It comes from within.  It comes from accurate paradigms and correct principles deep in our own mind and heart.  It comes from inside-out congruence, from living a life of integrity in which our daily habits reflect our deepest values.

     I believe that a life of integrity is the most fundamental source of personal worth.  I do not agree with the popular success literature that says that self-esteem is primarily a matter of mind set, of attitude—that you can psych yourself into peace of mind.

     Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values and in no other way.

-Stephen R. Covey,  The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

About security......................

     Most people never feel secure because they are always worried that they will either lose their job, lose the money they already have, lose their spouse, lose their health, and so on.  The only true security in life comes from knowing that every single day you are improving yourself in some way, that you are increasing the caliber of who you are and that you are valuable to your company, your friends, and your family.  I don't worry about maintaining the quality of of my life, because every day I work on improving it.  I constantly strive to learn and to make new and more powerful distinctions about ways to add value to other people's lives.  This gives me a sense of certainty that I can always learn, that I can always expand, that I can always grow.

-Anthony Robbins, Awaken The Giant Within

Alive.................................

“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public or partisan opinion, when the mood of Beethoven's or Bach's music becomes the mood of your whole life … when your thinking is in harmony, and no longer in conflict, with your feelings … when you let yourself be guided by the thoughts of great sages and no longer by the crimes of great warriors … when you pay the men and women who teach your children better than the politicians; when truths inspire you and empty formulas repel you; when you communicate with your fellow workers in foreign countries directly, and no longer through diplomats...”

-Wilhelm Reich

Security................................

"Genuine security arises from actual, first-hand knowledge that one is both capable and worth of achieving happiness (through conscious, responsible action) and, once having attained it, that he deserves it."

-attributed to Michael J. Hurd

About security............................

You have to understand that there are no guarantees in life, there is no absolute security, and there is usually no simple path to financial success.  It is going to take some effort.  For the  mind to chase after security is ludicrous:  It will never get it, and the irritation of constantly seeking security destroys what stability there is.
     It is simpler, therefore, to agree that one doesn't need security.  One doesn't even need a system that favors one.   All that is ever needed is what one already has, which is creativity and energy.  You don't have to become immortal to be safe.  All you have to do is to acknowledge that what you are right now is enough to keep you safe and more that enough to keep you in abundance for the rest of your days, in spite of circumstances.  You just need you, comfortable inside yourself.

-Stuart Wilde,  The Trick To Money Is Having Some

On certainty and security................

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” 

-John Allen Paulos

On overreactions...............

     How then do terrorists manage to dominate the headlines and change the political situation throughout the world?  By provoking their enemies to overreact.  In essence, terrorism is a show.  Terrorists stage a terrifying spectacle of violence that captures our imagination and makes us feel as if we are sliding back into medieval chaos.  Consequently states often feel obliged to react to the theatre of terrorism with a show of security, orchestrating immense displays of force, such as the persecution of entire populations or the invasion of foreign countries.  In most cases, this overreaction to terrorism poses a far greater threat to our security than the terrorists themselves.

-Yuval Noah Harari,  Homo Deus:  A Brief History of Tomorrow

Never is a long time.................

The key......................................

We all want security in times of change.  But there is no such thing as absolute security - none at all.  Many think it will be money, but in fact once you have money you just worry about looking after it.  Here is the key:  true security is in you - that you are using your talent, you are using it well and consequently you are being well paid for it.

-Nicholas Bate, as culled from here

Be careful what you wish for.............

Freedom vs Security..................

When did The Onion.................

..................................................start posting real news stories?

Strength undefeatable...............

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. God Himself is not secure, having given man dominion over His works! Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Faith alone defends. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

-Helen Keller, as culled from Let Us Have Faith

You want security....................................?

“It is when we all play safe that we create a world of utmost insecurity” 
-Dag Hammarskjöld

Real risk..................................................

"Some people think self-employment is risky, but the real risk lies in deriving your security from an external source."
-Chris Guillebeau, as excerpted from here

Personal Finance 101................................

"In personal finance, you have to develop good habits early, and learn that life isn’t about how much you spend."

"In finance, you have to focus on what you can control.  You have reasonable control over ordinary spending.  You have less control over what you earn, and almost no control over accidents and investment returns.  Thus the first bit of advice is to live below your means and save."

-David Merkel, as excerpted from this blog post

More thoughts on security........................

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The core.................................................

"The more radical possibility - the one that takes us to the core of the 'negative' approach to happiness - is that there might be something more fundamentally problematic about the goal of security;  and that real happiness might be dependent on being willing to face, and to tolerate, insecurity and vulnerability."
-Oliver Burkeman, The Antidote:  Happiness For People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking