Shit from shinola

As I age, I am learning more and more about human behavior. My own, and that of others and one thing I notice, is that I can spot B.S. a LOT faster than I used to. Sometimes that B.S. is my own. Sometimes it's someone else's.
The following is a list of a few "rules of thumb" I happen to go by.

1) People who have a lot of wealth, generally don't talk about how much money they have. They don't need to. Usually folks who walk around bragging about how much cash they have, don't have it.

2) People who are truly powerful, don't wave their power around, talking about it and trying to prove it. They don't need to. When a person is truly "in their power", it's not something that they need to prove.

3) People who are well liked and respected by others don't talk about how popular they are, how much everyone loves them. They have no reason to, and the fact that they don't spend their time talking about it is part of the reason they are liked.

4) People with a big penis (or button, you choose), unless they are a porn star, generally don't go around talking about how big it is, because frankly, they don't need to either.

5) People who are truly intelligent don't try and convince anyone of their intelligence. They do not need to do that, it's evident.

6) People who truly want others to be safe, happy, cared for and loved, don't talk about how great they are at caring. They simply CARE, and their actions show it.

7) People who respect ALL of their fellow brothers and sisters don't have to go around telling the world how much they "respect all people", because their treatment of them says it all. 

8) People who are truly grounded, healthy, clear and awake, simply ARE THAT. People who spend their time talking about, tweeting and snap chatting about how awesome they are, don't tend to be all that awesome.

9) People who want to be light, ARE light. They don't talk about how brightly they shine. They just shine.

10) People who are truly spiritual, don't need to shout out to the world about how spiritual they are. They demonstrate it through the way they move through the world, through their practice, through who they are.

11) People who go around posturing and patting themselves on the back for being such a giver, generally are not all that giving.

12) People who walk around letting everyone know how enlightened they are, generally aren't all that enlightened.

13) People who earn their seniority, their title, rewards or the respect of their peers, don't have to brag about it, buy people's loyalty, or constantly talk about how they "won" or how everyone respects them. They don't need to. It's earned and needs not be advertised.

14) People who are truly gifted and talented, who are really good at a skill, at anything really, don't usually need to tell everyone how talented they are, convince others that they are "good" at stuff. They just ARE good at it and the proof is in the delicious meal, the beautiful art, the music, the invention, the performance, the writing, whatever.

15) People who are constantly pointing fingers at others, calling them a liar, for instance, are probably lying themselves. Projecting onto others is the oldest trick in the book. Gas-lighting, deflecting, out right lying, then flipping back to the other person and calling them dishonest, it's textbook behavior. And it's indicative of a damaged mind.

There is a pattern here. And I am talking about everyone from our neighbor, to our family, to strangers on the street and especially, those representing our country. And yes, the man in the White House right now.

What I have found in my life is that people will most often show you who they are, through their word and actions combined, through the way they treat others and through the way they BE in the world with one another. As with most things, it's clear and positive words and actions, not boastful bullshit, that show us all we need to know about ourselves and another. 

Words DO matter. Words can help, they can hurt terribly, they can clarify. And when someone says cruel things, that is an indication of who they are deep down. It's them speaking their own broken, painful, self-hatred. I truly believe that when a person speaks harshly and cruelly of others, when a person makes racist remarks, when a person feels he or she is somehow "better" or "superior" to others, it's a reflection of how tormented they are inside, how much they truly dislike themselves. And when they boast, brag, or hurt those around them and try to convince others of their brilliance, their genius, their power, their dominance, their "right-ness" - that's generally and indication of a deeply wounded soul that needs healing.

Just my two damned cents.