Maturity is knowing that when your mood is down you should not trust the way you see yourself - Yung Pueblo

give like earth
be flexible like water
protect yourself like fire
be boundless like air

as she looked into her past, she noticed that the road she had traveled was no simple straight line. her journey toward fully loving herself and the world was full of forward and backward movement, twists, turns, detours, and even some pauses. at times, she doubted her progress, her potential, and even her power to change. but today, with the wisdom of experience at hand, she knows she could not have gotten to where she is without every movement she has ever made. (experience)

On the surface, it may look like this is our true nature, because it is currently rampant throughout the world. But the reality is that greed is a conditioned habit that is easily mistaken for our true nature. The selfishness of greed is deeply rooted in the mind, but it is a pattern like any other — it can be observed and released. What was once widely understood as human nature — being greedy, fearful, and even hateful — is not our nature at all. These traits are human habits, conditioned behavior that was imprinted onto us by past generations and past experiences.