I guarantee that a seal candidate who does not put his mind to succeeding, will not succeed. So, the converse is much more likely to hold true.
First, note that I specified cause and effect relationships, not intentionality. Just because humans often associate the wrong cause with the effect does not mean that the effect does not have a cause that can be discerned and explained.
The metaphor of "living in darkness" does not do justice to actual darkness. The entire equating of light with good and darkness with bad is contrary to reality, and harmful on many levels. I wonder if it also fuels racism (whites > blacks). If we equate the subconscious to darkness because of its obscurity, the comparison is more apt, but there should be no evil associated with this. The contents of our subconscious are important, and not to be dismissed or vilified.
Realism is nothing more than seeing both the bad and the good of a situation. In short, seeing it for what it really is, i.e. reality.
These two quotes fail primarily in their generalized form. It is mostly like this for some people, myself included. Controlling what you think you can in the moment is good, but just a piece of that overall puzzle. It is in that perspective shift that the real solution is often found, in understanding how the entire situation can be changed by touching that one small thing you can in fact control. This lies at the root of Ni.
Coriolis wrote on (15) "Everything happens for a reason," (All numbered letters are Coriolis)
(A) "...cause and effect relationships, not intentionality." and (B) " Just because humans often associate the wrong cause...effect does not mean...the effect does not have a cause...discerned and explained."
"I can see cause and effect in action as an active ingredient of the known laws of the universe. The problem I have with this is people have corrupted this saying as a positivism. Worse still is when they unsympathetically and lacking empathy and insight use the phrase, "Everything happens for a reason," This is a mark of insensitivity. When some one says this to another in pain it is dismissal of another person's pain. Science studies were conducted about whether or not a person believed in a fair universe.
The study showed that those who believed in a fair universe were more judgmental and less understanding toward their fellow man. Those individuals who believed in a fair universe often, in their subconscious judge the recipient of adverse situations with notions such as, "After all if somebody gets a bad rap in life it must be because of something they did or didn't do." It is for this reason I remain in conflict over this particular quote.
Coriolis wrote on, (17) "When it is darkest, men see the stars.†Ralph Waldo Emerson
Coriolis wrote, (C) "...metaphor of "living in darkness" does not...justice...actual darkness."
Define dark, please. We knowing it to be a metaphor to describe some things which are indescribable should acknowledge it being as just descriptive.
(D) "...entire equating...light with good and darkness with bad is contrary to reality....harmful..."
This is an interesting different take you have. I've described down some that in keeping in sight political correctness, I could supplant dark with another term. I am so curious, what word choice would you suggest?
(E) "I wonder if it also fuels racism (whites > blacks)."
Equating black with bad and becoming a part of racism has been the case in the past. Perhaps thie prejudicial opinion of black as being bad still remains on a subliminal level of consciousness.
(F) "...equate the subconscious to darkness because of its obscurity, the comparison is more apt, but there should be no evil associated with this."
Coriolis I in no way think or describe the unconscious as to darkness. The unconscious is not darkness but rather unexplored territory. The subconscious is like a wild frontier waiting for new discoveries to be made. In fact from our unconscious are produced our creative thoughts and leaps forward through insight to new plateaus of understanding. The unconscious does a marvelous job of connecting tangents that may seem to be unrelated yet crystallize into a pattern. Hence new discoveries are born and he advancement of science.
(G) "The contents of our subconscious are important, and not to be dismissed or vilified."
As Articulated above, I do concur. It just seems you take issue with the term darkness to describe a mood. "I have journeyed through many travails in my own lifetime and have felt despair in my life. I could easily interject another adjective in lieu of dark. I could say I've drowned in the depths of despair. I know of serious mental health afflicted individuals that metaphorically live in darkness. For some it is like hell on earth.They are not able to appreciate the beauty of the world because of their affliction.
Now this is not to say not to hold on to hope. It's just when one is caught in a maze seemingly without exit that time's can be dire. No person knows another fully or for that matter completely. Experiences by the individuals I describe can only be surmised by one's who have gone on a similar path." LightSun
Coriolis wrote on, (27) "Train your mind to see good in every situation." Buddhist Saying
(H) "Realism is nothing more than seeing both...bad and the good of a situation."
I strive to be pragmatic, positive, stoic as well realistic. Societal problems of domestic violence, incest, etc., I admit to not seeing any good. It is a case for solutions to be found. So at best it is informative plus a call to action. But with the great evils of the world, it is just a simple judgment of it being bad.
(I) In short, seeing it for what it really is, i.e. reality."
I of course concur, "Reality is just that, reality." I can't see good in the examples I gave.
Coriolis wrote on, (28) "Everything comes to you in the right moment be patient." Buddhist Saying and (29) "I do not fix my problems. I fix my thinking. The problems fix themselves."
(J) "...quotes fail primarily...generalized form." and (K) " It is mostly like this for some people, myself included. Controlling what you think you can in the moment is good, but just a piece of that overall puzzle.
It is in that perspective shift that the real solution is often found, in understanding how the entire situation can be changed by touching that one small thing you can in fact control. This lies at the root of Ni."
"I developed insight seemingly from tangential and different areas of knowledge at times that come out of the blue. The light bulb moment, if you will. I have used a host of metaphors to explain the gift of insight and putting pieces of the puzzle into place. I have used a mosaic in description. Insight is akin to pieces of the puzzle that seemingly manifest in a pattern once enough variables fall into place. I've often used this metaphor in describing humanity as only pieces of a much larger crystal or diamond.
"Each person lives in a different as well unique phenomenological universe. People live in different perceptual realities and live by different truths. We can only see slivers and angles of both truth and reality based on our limited perceptions. Obviously not everyone can be right. In fact no one is totally right unless they are stating objective fact. It is when we enter the subjective realm of belief and opinion that tension arises.
This is why we fight instead of each of us listening to the others viewpoint and seeking to understand their perspective. I have an analogy that all of us are part of a giant crystal or diamond. Each of us seeing angles of the truth but none of us seeing reality in all it's entirety. I myself use metaphorical language and term it 'The Eye of Odin based on Scandinavian lore. We must acknowledge each individual has a different perspective reality that is just as real to him or her as your own version and perspective of what reality or truth in essence is.
It is by meeting on common ground, respecting individual differences and communicating with respect that we can pool our resources and thereby increase our understanding of reality and the world we live in.
We need to pool our resources and capabilities into a cohesive whole in order of getting rid of distortions and errors that may exist in our personal belief system. One must know themselves first or at least have a preliminary and honest knowledge of themselves. Using Plato’s allegory it is like we are in a cave.
What we think we see is only a shadow of a larger looming truth. We hunt and seek the shadows always striving to find the entrance to the cave and see reality clearly in its entirety. We are searching for the brilliance of truth. It is as if the life mission to cut away at illogical untruth. Each of us is different with different capabilities, as well as different attributes and with a different life mission. It is all part of the whole. Perhaps the most successful will be those they can see other people's world view and synchronize."