Much modern misery comes from unaddressed problems

In spite of easier and more abundant material prosperity than ever before, modern people seem to be more miserable than at any other time in history. Much modern misery comes from unacknowledged truth. When it comes to your emotional experience, the way the world is matters, but not as much as how you choose to respond to it. While so much of what happens within and outside of you is not your choice, you always get to decide how to act on and react to everything in and around you.

Modern people increasingly respond to what they do not like by ignoring it or lying about it. So many problems that individuals face today are the cascading and compounded consequences of failure to acknowledge painful pieces of truth now long forgotten.

You can’t be ashamed of the truth without removing yourself from the path to greater blessings.¹ You can’t be as successful in contending with reality while living lies as you would be were you to acknowledge the truth. You can’t solve a problem beyond your comprehension of its cause. You can’t learn from mistakes until you correctly identify and effectually address the shortcoming that caused them.

Unexpected negative outcomes can be a powerfully noticeable sign that you have overestimated your capabilities. Those who willingly attribute to themselves value beyond their merit suddenly experience surprising and extreme negative consequences. Unexpected consequences are an indication that you do not correctly understand cause and effect in the domain in which you encounter them. The most common approach is to treat the problems that arise through unexpected consequences like once-offs, where if you can just get through it, you’ll be back to normal. The appearance of an unexpected outcome always indicates a shortfall in your understanding of yourself, others, and the world. Always adjust your beliefs, desires, and actions when given sufficient reason to.