The External Is A Shell – Focus on the Internal

Whether we are talking about relationships, or effectiveness in therapy, or true happiness. The thing you must remember is that the external: beauty, muscles, body, money, material wealth, and so on – is all a shell. The shell might look good, but the real important thing we must know is what the fuck is inside the shell?

A beautiful shell which carries rotting flesh and cancer is not something you want to turn into a necklace and carry around your neck. But a plain shell, with healing magic inside – now that’s something you want to hold on to and never let go of. And if that shell is beautiful too, that’s a plus. But it’s not about the outside its about the inside.

This is so crucial: I see this failing and mistake in so many places. It’s why relationships don’t work. Why therapy fails. Why people find themselves doing the same things over and over again hurting themselves and others. They do everything: therapy routines, gym, drinking water, ‘couples therapy’ and everything else except look inside their own soul or the soul of the person they are trying to be with.

Character is everything. Character is destiny. This is true across fields and categories. Even in mental health its true. If a person is a liar, they will have bad mental health – more so than a normal nice person will. Not to say good people don’t suffer mentally – but bad people they suffer all the time, and every day their own actions make them suffer more.

In any case, my friends, if you want to fix your life. Or find a good person to spend your life with. Find good people to work for , or with, look not at the external but the internal: are they a good person? Do they have solid principles they live by? Do they lie or tell the truth? Are they kind? Are they honest? Are they a cheater? What do they value? Do they value children, family, truth, virtue? Or do they instead value money, fame, popularity, looks ?

Be completely honest with yourself – and moreover ask yourself these things too. This is crucial. One of the greatest philosophical commands is to know yourself. So know yourself. And fix your character first and everything else will follow. Virtue is the foundation and the soil that all other good flows from. If your character is shit, then you will not grow a beautiful (truly beautiful) life, but rather will grow weeds, and flies and not know where they are coming from.

If you are alive you can change and heal too. It’s never over. And I especially hope too that my brothers and sisters in the streets read this and recognise it. The streets are so toxic, and poverty becomes entrenched not because of lack of money – but because of lack of good character. This is the truth. It’s not because we lack funds that people stay poor and end up in jail – it’s because father isn’t home, he’s a gambling or drug addict. Or we decide to hurt someone to get money rather than just tolerate hunger more and work for it. It’s cuz mother lies and cheats people where she can. And so on.

But if you have virtue – the streets can’t keep you. And you will escape hardship. And moreover the little money you do have will become enough for you. Trust me brother – I’m speaking from experience. I’ve had multiple times in my life where my bank balance drops to single digits. I don’t give a fuck. I still feel grateful and blessed – why? Because my soul and heart are rich and full. And I have people around me who truly love me, that have a rich heart and soul too. Thus I’m wealthy beyond imagination.

In any case – I hope that this gives some good advice and perspective. God bless us all.

Z