Opinion

Would you say that your relationships are fragile or solid? Perhaps you imagine that your friendships will be conflict-free. When problems emerge, as they inevitably will, you take it as alarming evidence that your friendship or relationship is fundamentally defective.

Are you aware that you have chemical messengers inside of your brain that control your feelings and even experiences? They are known as neurotransmitters. The “happy hormone” dopamine rewards you by creating that feeling of happiness and pleasure.

Do you even know what is truly hurting you? If not, then how can you ever put it right? If you lack insight into your own uneasiness and unhappiness, it can torment your inner life. It can manifest as fear, anger, worry, or even regret.

No doubt you have all been taught the rules of science at one time or another. Speaking of science: Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? The food was out of this world, but there was no atmosphere. Think like a proton. Be positive. But seriously, have you ever been given tools on how to become emotionally healthy? How often do you look inward or reflect on your attitudes and choices in life? Can you read her moods? How well do you communicate with him?

Are you aware at what point in your life you misunderstood your own self? There is a cost for lacking self-knowledge, sweet friends. Speaking of misunderstandings, I always thought that when the waiter asked, “soup or salad?” they were talking about some sort of “supersalad.”

Do you consider yourself a good person? Are you caring, compassionate, considerate, and forgiving? Perhaps you deny or are wholly unaware of your capacity to at times be bad? Can you recall a time when you were uncaring, insensitive, or perhaps even cruel? How do you act when you are inconvenienced or hungry? Hmm. Oh, and by the way, rice is great if you’re really hungry and want to eat 2,000 of something.