John Aguon

“To know our own self is bliss. To see themselves clearly, a person must plunge themselves into the world they inhabit. We enhance our personal perspective by acquiring knowledge of the world. The more one knows about living through vivid personal encounters in the world that they occupy, the more that a person will come to understand him or herself. Self-knowledge requires an honest accounting of a person’s experiences, frank admission of their furtive desires, and gracious acceptance of reality without surrendering their willingness to work to improve oneself and comfort other people. By attaching images to their real life experiences and secret dreams, a person learns rightly about the world. By writing about what adversities they experienced, a person can consciously go about integrating new ideas into their way of living.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“It was the very thing that had me conclude that when it comes to matters of the heart, you can never be quite sure whether you are being courageous or crazy and therefore, you must be willing to be both at any time.”
― Alex De Ciantis, The Art of Unbecoming: An Unexpected Journey from Brokenness to Healing

“A person’s zealous act of rebellion leading to their expulsion from a pampered private sanctuary is the first step in self-articulation. Passion requires a struggle. Only by risking committing grievous error can men and women claim authorship for their own destiny. Only the vigorous pursuit of our destiny allows us to discover our authenticity. When we learn to stop resisting our innermost calling, when we accept a lifestyle that makes us experience joy by pursuing our passions and the commonplace acts of being, we discover our pathway to bliss. We must listen to the demands of our spirit; we must break free from self-imposed barriers and cultural impediments that obstruct us from achieving the final manifestation of our spiritual being.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“The second gift––patience––helps us deal with not knowing how long this is going to last.”
― Laurie Nadel, The Five Gifts: Discovering Hope, Healing and Strength When Disaster Strikes