It is not that something different is seen, but that one sees differently. It is as though the spatial act of seeing were changed by a new dimension. Let your body relax, close your eyes, focus your attention inside, and ask that critical part—the one you identified as callous—what it is afraid would happen if you stopped your ruthless judgment. Some think that is they criticize others; nobody can hurt you. These people incorrectly think that by hurting others they are protecting themselves against emotional assaults and humiliation. Human emotional expressions are a carryover from a more primitive stage of human evolution. Notice how tigers, monkeys, dogs, and humans all bare their teeth in the same way during emotional rage. That is why in some culture it is considered offensive to smile. Emotional expressions retained during the course of human evolution allow for communicating feelings to others as a means to assist survival. For instance, a tiger might growl at you in an effort to get you to back off, letting you know it feels threatened, and is going to defend itself before you have a chance to attack him. Emotional expressions give us valuable hints about what others are feeling. It would be difficult to live, work, or play with others without such messages. #RyanPhillippe 1 of 5

Many adult facial expressions are influenced by learning. As a result, some are unique to certain cultures. Among the Chinese, for example, sticking out the tongue is a gesture of surprise, not of disrespect or teasing. And in Victorian culture and Middle Eastern culture, spitting in someone’s presence is a sign or extreme disrespect and a lack of hygiene. If a person comes from a culture other than your own, it is wise to remember that you can easily misunderstand their expressions. At such times, the social context in which the expression occurred helps us interpret what others are feeling. Despite cultural differences, facial expressions of fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and happiness (enjoyment) are recognized around the World. Contempt, surprise, and interest may also be universal, although researchers are less certain of these expressions. Facial displays and gestures that express complex emotions can be difficult to judge accurately. For instance, a father ditched his Sun and smiled at him and he followed this lady who had been stalking his son. He did this to let he know she was a threat and that he was watching her, as the father never smiles. He is actually known for looking stern or grumpy even when he is happy. #RyanPhillippe 2 of 5

Faced with the fear of losing his family, Ben Crawford, felt uncomfortable by the idea that his son was becoming too Americanized. When Ben arrived at the house, his son was excited to see him, but he slapped him for disobeying his orders and thinking he was cute, but got caught cutting class, when he knew he was not supposed to be walking around outside by himself. I was surprised that this harsh callous man knew exactly how to take care of his son. Then Ben put his arms around the boy to show him that he loved him. Ben actually wanted his son to play at beautiful camp garden where he could play and frolic with the ponies while he watched over him. In this sense he has taken his son out of danger and has a feeling of control over him and the environment. Responses are reinforced that lead to mastery of threat or control over one’s environment. People who undergo such training become more resistant to learned helplessness. This might be a way to immunize people against helplessness and depression by allowing them to master difficult challenges. #RyanPhillippe 3 of 5

To cut through illusions, we have to get disillusioned—the more thoroughly the better—so long as we do so at a pace that allows for proper digestion of the shifts we are making. Before us stretches an array of digestive assistance: there is a pill of sedation, and there is the pill of thrill, and then there is the pill that wakes us up in the midst of our dreaming and scheming. We do not require a prescription for these, since the inevitable challenge of life do a great job of providing them. Disillusionment is commonly taken to mean a kind of disappointment, a sense of being let down, but they very structure of the word speaks of something much more fundamental: being free from illusion. This of course, might sometimes feel far from pleasant, hence the darker connotations of disillusionment. A crucial challenge is to stop treating disillusionment as a problem or something negative, and use it as an awakening force. See through the illusions, and this will in conjunction release its hold on you. If a challenge is not delivered with at least some compassion, it will tend to overpower rather than empower, and will generate either submission or rebellion. #RyanPhillippe 4 of 5

Mastery training can occur informally when people learn to cope with challenges. For instance, 18- to 21-year-old trainees on a transatlantic sailing voyage showed marked improvements in their ability to cope with stress when they were stuck dealing with and maintaining a specific environment. Things as small as choosing what to eat for lunch or being allowed to decorate one’s room can be enough to counteract feelings of helplessness. Therefore, the value of hope should not be overlooked. As fragile as this emotion seems to be, it is a powerful antidote to depression and helplessness. As an individual, you may find hope in religion, nature, human companionship, or even technology (www.thedeedle.com ). Wherever you find it, remember its value: Hope is among the most important of all human emotions. Having beneficial beliefs, such as optimism, hope, and a sense of meaning and control is closely related to personal well-being. We thus become disenchanted, no longer spellbound by our conditioning. And fare more able to skillfully approach our edge. This is a kind of sobriety, a catalyst for waking up a great opportunity. The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. #RyanPhillippe 5 of 5