August 20, 2022 by Brian Weiner No CommentsChanging The World One Thought At A Time., Lessons From The Mountain

Love is nothing without action. Trust is nothing without proof. Sorry is nothing without change.

Love is nothing without action. Trust is nothing without proof. Sorry is nothing without change.

There is a subtle veneer in receiving a platitude of no substance. So many throwaway phrases are used in life without any definitive value or emotion residing behind the comment.

Can you count how many times a person has told you that they are sorry when you know that they don’t have any remorse whatsoever, nor do they have any intention of doing things any differently the next time? How does it make you feel when you get that “throw away ‘sorry’ banality?”

Often times, words are spoken, but have no consequence, and as a result, it devalues both the word and the person communicating it for all future occasions. The next time they make such a representation, your “BS” meter fires up and you summarily dismiss what they have said as yet another platitude.

So, when someone says, “sorry,” it is equally reasonable for us to expect there is some degree of remorse that they are feeling for whatever it is that they are apologizing about and, predicated upon the circumstances, there would be some demonstrable act of contrition which would further demonstrate the veracity of the sorrow that they are expressing.

If you are genuinely sorry, let the other party know. Add a sentence or two that shows you have reflected on whatever you have cause to be sorry about and that your reflections have given way to a new frame of mind towards that moment and all future moments going forward.

If somebody tells you that they love you, it is reasonable to expect there will be appropriate demonstration of such, through their deeds, actions and behavior. In similar thought, if someone expresses to you that you can trust them, it would be equally reasonable to expect that the trust they are suggesting you bestow upon them is warranted through their actions and behaviors under all circumstances.

I fully believe that you should say what you mean and you should mean what you say on all occasions. There are so many choices of words, giving way to so many shades of subtle variances of what is being communicated, why not pick the right word and communicate what you are truly expressing, rather than use a blanket catchphrase and ultimately communicate nothing?

Happy Saturday!

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Written by Brian Weiner

When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!