A grey and lugubrious winter day outside. Disconsolation, despondence and grievance within. Yet the birds still sing, the time still ticks and the heart still beats. A requisite of life, to experience certain things, whether we like it or not.

In knowledge we find wisdom, in love we find strength.

Despite being full of life, you come to realise the fact that you are also dying. We are all dying. All on a timer, counting down, taking us towards our inevitable end. How can you not have compassion, empathy and love for others who are dying?

You fall down a well. The first friend says it’s your fault. The second friend listens and spreads the news to others. The third friend throws down a rope and encourages you to pull yourself up. We never find out who are friends are until we fall.

Many misconstrue love and happiness as if one led to the other. If good morals lead to suffering and bad morals lead to treasures, anyone pursuing love for happiness should prepare themselves for divorce. Love is a continuous struggle, not a happy ending.

If you don’t have a plan, you’ll be dammed.

People say that “religion is the route to all evil” yet I’ve only ever lost friends to politics.

People don’t generally like the taste of socialism, the same way they don’t generally like the taste of their meat when it’s referred to as an animal.

Maybe the problem with our politics today is that we rely too much on old ideas to fix current and future problems. The world doesn’t need to be as black and white as socialism vs neo-liberalism. We should be searching for new ways to live.

If you want life to teach you a lesson, then do something stupid. If you want to teach life a lesson, then do something great.