With and Without

Do you know what life is like to be with? How do you even know if you're living with? Before those questions are answered you must first understand the concept of living with and living without. The definition of living with is defined as one's ability to maintain the most essential of needs for true human existence, these essentials are broken down into five (5) fundamentals:


1) Compassion - is defined as an ability to not only understand the situation of another individual by metaphorically placing yourself in the same situation.


2) Confidence - is well known to many people but very misunderstood as well. Confidence is the drive that allows a person to perform a task or assignment under varying conditions,


3) Knowledge - is more than having information, but the ability to correctly interpret and utilize said information


4) Kindness - more than an extension of compassion, kindness is what allows us to be charitable and go beyond the call of duty. Compassion without kindness is possible as you can correctly place yourself in someone else's shoes but not feel anything for them.


5) Determination - is the overall driving force behind anything that we do, without it nothing is accomplished as we will not want to even make a basic attempt to commence a task.





So now that you know what living with is supposed to be, ask yourself, how many of these five (5) items do you honestly possess? I'll make life a little easier for you since you're still unsure and break them down even further. People with real compassion are those who allow themselves to suffer in the same situation as another for the purpose of lending assistance to alleviate the person's suffering. To have true compassion for someone, you must be able to utilize emotions to cause healing. Compassionate people are those who are able to see the troubles of the heart and act to ease those troubles willingly and without needing rewards in return. So if you want to know if you are compassionate, ask yourself, when was the last time you did something for someone without asking for reward or favour in return? At this point in time you should consider that people who live with this trait are some of the happiest people on earth and some of the more fulfilled. They are the ones who seem contented with what's before them and ask only that they can help more. Charity is no strange word for these people and even if it means that they must suffer a little for someone else to gain then so be it! So ask yourself seriously are you living WITH compassion?

So you're now sure about the first step, but what about your confidence level? Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the word, real confidence is always subject to interpretation. While the general meaning of the word is agreed upon, behavioural scientist have made a more focused definition and it is from this perspective where we shall look. A person's confidence is their ability to perform a given task with the understanding that their capabilities and talent is able to accomplish the said task without fear or failure. Confidence allows you to commence a project or initiate a conversation comfortably and sensibly. So how much confidence do you possess? Do you believe that you can accomplish all that you seek to do? Do you believe that you're able to even live up to your basic expectations? Are you even remotely sure that you can live with yourself and accept the talents that you were blessed with, or do you spend too much time wishing that you had the talents and abilities of someone else? Answering these questions honestly will go a long way in knowing whethere you truly live with or without, but just in case you're confused think of it this way, bandits who steal for a living are not confident in their ability to live an honest life nor their own ability to put their minds to work.



Knowledge is by far one of the most coveted of all human desires. In every aspect of our lives we try to learn as much of what we need to for various reasons so that we can in turn apply what we learned to accomplish a task, this transition from learning to practical is what knowledge is all about. Given that definition, ask yourself, how much knowledge do you possess in your life? Do you believe that the knowledge you have now is of any benefit whatsoever? Most of all are you confident that you even have the knowledge to succeed in life? Then there's kindness, a trait that I know for a fact many people lack because of the evil that we see in this world today. People who live with kindness are those who see no fault in assissting another human being in a time of need without expecting a reward in return. Compassion and kindness are very much connected but it is kindness that leads to compassion and compassion that drives kindness. One without the other is only half of a story so it is almost grammatically incorrect to say you are compassionate but unkind. Think about the last time you did something kind for someone other than yourself, whether it be family, friends or even a random stranger. A world with more selfless kindness is a world blessed by the almighty indeed, it's too bad that most people can't answer this question honestly.

Finally there's determination, to which if we lack it then we have no motivation whatsoever to accomplish our goals. Determination is our drive, it's the backbone to all of our motivation and comes only from within our beings. Living without determination is more than living in fear of the world, it's being trapped within a prison within ourselves that we built and threw away the key. Determination in even the smallest amount can mean the difference between happiness and a life of despair. Think you have determination, well ask yourself this, if you were on the street with no where to live would you still seek to make something of yourself in life?

If you've even made it to 2 out of 5 of these must haves in life then consider yourself to be living with, although barely. Strive hard to be better people and empower yourself by living with and not without.

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