We should figure out what a safe yet stimulating social environment could be like in the future. Creative individuals confront life and suggest that it is possible to be both extroverted and introverted at the same time. In fact, expressing the full range from inner to outer-directedness might be the normal way of being human. What is abnormal is to get boxed in at one of the ends of this continuum, and experience life only as a gregarious, or only as a solitary being. #RyanPhillippe 1 of 10

Certainly temperament and socialization will push us in one or the other direction, and after a while it becomes easy to fall in with these conditioning forces and learn to relish either social interaction or solitude, but not both. To do so, however, curtails the full range of what humans can experience, and diminishes the possibilities of enjoyment in life. Know that the love of God is wonderful and let your faith cast aside all doubt. Your faith shall go forth to meet others and confidence is your character.  #RyanPhillippe 2 of 10

You are not required to accept a passively boring life. Individuals can shape their psychic energy so as to get the most out of their experiences. About 15 percent of the population are never in flow, that means that just in this country tens of millions of people are depriving themselves of what makes life worth living. Of course, in many cases one can well understand why a person may experience flow rarely, or not at all. A deprived childhood, abusive parents, poverty, and a host of other external reasons may make it difficult for a person to find joy in everyday life. #RyanPhillippe 3 of 10

One the other hand, there are so many instances of individuals who overcame such obstacles that the belief that the quality of life is determined from the outside is hardly tenable. Some of the most vocal disagreements to what I have written about flow came from readers who claimed to have been abused, and who wanted me to know that contrary to what I had reported, it was perfectly possible for abused child(ren) to enjoy their lives. #RyanPhillippe 4 of 10

Examples are too many to mention. One of my favorites involves Antonio Gramsci, the philosopher of humanistic socialism that had such a strong influence on the development of European thought in this century, and on the eventual demised of Leninism-Stalinism. Born in 1891, to a destitute family on the poor island of Sardinia, Antonio had a deformed spine and was sickly through childhood. Their poverty became almost intolerable when his father, arrested on false charges, was imprisoned and could no longer support his large family. #RyanPhillippe 5 of 10

In an unsuccessful attempt to cure his back, Antonio’s uncle would hang the child by his ankles from the rafters of the hovel in which they lived. Antonio’s mother was so sure that the child was eventually going to pass away in his sleep that every night she set out his one good suit and a pair of candles on the dresser so that the funeral preparations would take less time. Given these facts, it would have come as no surprise that Antonio Gramsci grew up full of hatred and spite. Instead, he dedicated his life to helping the oppressed, by becoming a subtle writer and brilliant theoretician. He never compromised his humanitarian values. #RyanPhillippe 6 of 10

Even after Mussolini had him imprisoned in a medieval jail so that he would die in solitary confinement, he Antonio kept writing letters and essays full of light, hope, and compassion. All of the external factors conspired to twist Antonio Gramsci’s life; he must take all the credit for achieving the intellectual and emotional harmony that he left as his heritage. I entertain the hope that in our venturing we shall get addicted to wonder and know the joy of constantly feeling something a little new. Grief can take care of itself, but to get full value of a joy, you must have someone to divide it with. #RyanPhillippe 7 of 10

We have all been down, bummed-out, unhappy, restless and fretful, sad and tearful. Depression is an extreme of this. It is painful and no one likes it, but it is still a normal response. Feeling depressed usually means we are angry or blocked at some point. Rather than denying the feeling, we would be healthier to use the natural time out that depressions creates to work it out. If a person feels angry, but cannot let the emotion out, he often turns it in on himself and gets depressed. I know sometimes, too, I feel like giving up became of things that are going on, but I pray. #RyanPhillippe 8 of 10

When depressed, a person might get headaches when he would rather hit somebody else on the head. He gets sad and tearful when he would much rather make someone else feel that way. However, for whatever reasons, the typical cause of depression in most of us is held-in anger or resentment. The price we pay for avoiding the pain of being fully alive is that we are excluded from the pleasure as well. The way to love other people is to express what we feel—anger and love—without aiming to hurt feelings. Open, but reverent communication is how to make love in our lives. #RyanPhillippe 9 of 10

Look out and see; look up and know your freedom. Do not be cast down nor dismayed; be uplifted within and know that your salvation has come. Behold the wonders of the Universe and natural marvels of Earth. Look out and see that you are a good individual and people love you. Prepare yourself to accept and believe in life; to know and live. Let life enter and live through you, your heart, and mind. Rejoice that you are perfect and whole. You are in complete harmony with the World and cannot lose nor misplace anything. #RyanPhillippe 10 of 10