Part 6: The Highest Wisdom
True Love, Radical Trust, and the Power to Act
We arrive at the summit. This final part integrates the deepest principles that make the journey meaningful: the art of love without possession, the leap of faith to trust life itself, and the unshakable integrity of radical self-honesty. We conclude with the essential truth that wisdom without action remains a dream, empowering you to turn all you’ve learned into the engine of your daily life.
Jump to the Following Sections
Table of Contents
The Art of True Love
(If you love a bird, do you keep it or set it free? The ultimate test of connection.)
Trust the Universe
(You don’t create the air you breathe. Why do you struggle to trust what provides it?)
Misunderstanding Love Can Lead to Suffering
(The tighter you squeeze, the more slips through your fingers.)
The Power of Directness and Honesty
(Avoidance is a slow poison; honesty is the antidote.)
Directness is an Act of Respect
(Being indirect wastes the most precious thing you both have: time.)
Honesty is the Foundation of Self-Trust
(Every time you tell yourself the truth, you build a fortress within.)
Benefits of Your Trustworthiness
(It’s the currency that buys loyalty in love, respect at work, and peace within.)
Power of Right Effort and Right Action
(Your subconscious maps the journey, but only your conscious effort starts the engine.)
The Art of True Love
We have all heard the phrase “True Love,” yet few of us truly understand it, and even fewer practice it consistently. We often treat love as a conditional arrangement: If you love me, I will love you back; if you don’t, then I can’t.
We are conditioned from childhood to believe that love is conditional. When we were young, our parents praised us for eating our vegetables and were displeased when we didn’t—teaching us, early on, that affection often comes with strings attached.
Yes, loving someone unconditionally is extremely difficult. What does it truly mean? It means loving them regardless of what they can offer us—and even if they harbor hate, we can train our hearts to accept them as they are: as fellow human beings, navigating their own suffering, just as we navigate ours.
Can we truly do this? Yes—if we learn to let go and release our need to control how things should be and instead embrace what life offers, whether we like it or not.
If you keep a bird in a cage, feed it, and care for its health, is that true love? That is ordinary love. You may care with good intentions, but that love remains selfish and conditional. The bird may sing for you, keep you company, and bring you happiness. But what about the bird? Is it truly happy?
I don’t believe so. Just as you would not wish to be locked in a jail, the bird, too, has feelings—and like you, it prefers the sky to a cage.
So, the ultimate way to love the bird—or anyone—is to set it free. Let it find its own happiness. If it truly loves you, it may return. That is unconditional love.
This does not mean you stop caring. It means you care deeply that you understand another’s need for freedom through your own reflection, and you value their happiness as much as your own.
The easiest way to begin practicing unconditional love is to start with animals. They often suffer more silently than humans, and they cannot talk back or easily stir our emotions. By offering them loving kindness, easing their suffering in whatever way we can, we can gradually extend that same compassion to our family, our friends, all of humanity, and even to those we consider adversaries.
Yes, letting go of someone we love can feel impossible and deeply painful. But if our partner is unhappy and seeking fulfillment elsewhere, the most compassionate choice we can make—painful as it is—is to honor their journey. To bow to their wish for freedom, even when it breaks our heart, is to love them beyond our own need to hold on.
You might ask, why do this? Because when you allow your partner to be free—like the bird—and let them find their own happiness without being selfish, you will experience a profound inner satisfaction that words cannot describe. You will feel a quiet happiness in knowing you honored their truth and helped ease their suffering, even though it caused you pain.
This deep, selfless fulfillment nourishes you in a way that feeding your ego never could. And in time, it builds an inner strength—and a quiet trust that the universe, in its own way, will always provide what you truly need.
Of course, you will never experience this happiness and freedom if you stop trying—if you let painful emotions rise and cloud your ability to think clearly. Remember, painful feelings are like passing clouds; they do not last forever.
But if you allow them to pass without pulling you under, you will discover a quiet, steady happiness and a deeper inner strength—one you may not have known was there all along.
And you cannot understand this happiness by listening to others—you must experience it for yourself. Just as I could never explain what sex feels like to someone who has never had it. To truly know, you must live it.
When two people are bonded by true love, that love becomes endless, extending into infinity, and even beyond life itself. We will explore how this is possible in another chapter of this book.
Trust the Universe
I have repeatedly asked you to trust the universe without giving any explanation. You might wonder, “What, trust the universe?” It might sound like wishful or magical thinking. And yes, it may seem magical—until you truly understand it.
What is the most important thing in your life? It is not love, happiness, health, or wealth. It is Oxygen. You cannot live without it for even a few minutes. Yet you do not have to create it, buy it, or earn it. Nature gives you this essential gift freely, without condition—whether you are kind or cruel, wise or foolish.
So, if the universe already provides what you need to breathe and live, why doubt its ability to bring you what is truly meant for you?
All your heartbreaks, mistakes, disappointments, and painful moments are not wasted. They are the building blocks of your inner strength, your understanding, your compassion, and your wisdom.
Heartbreak teaches you how it hurts—and in doing so, it helps you recognize the hurt in others. This is how pain expands into empathy, and how your own suffering becomes a bridge to someone else’s healing.
Each painful chapter of your life builds your inner strength and teaches you a lesson. Without struggle, you cannot truly appreciate peace; without valleys, there are no peaks. Embrace your past as a wise teacher and honor the lessons it has offered.
Every moment of suffering is an opportunity—to grow, to awaken strength, to deepen compassion, and to guide you back toward the inner peace that has always been within you.
Misunderstanding Love Can Lead to Suffering
We sometimes believe that controlling our partner is the way to secure our relationship and our happiness. We want to control how things should be, how others should treat us, and how they should love us.
But life rarely follows our demands. People disappoint us, relationships change, and problems arise without warning. When reality does not match our expectations, we are left feeling frustrated, angry, disappointed, helpless, sad, or afraid.
Trying to control everything causes suffering. We simply cannot control the changing weather, the shifting hearts of others, or the unpredictable turns of life. The tighter you grip, the more slips through your fingers—like holding sand in your hand. Squeeze it, and you will lose it.
The trees do not resist the wind—they bend with it, allowing it to pass through. We, too, can learn this: to allow life to move through us without resistance, without trying to control what the universe brings.
True peace does not come from controlling others. It comes when you stop letting others—or your circumstances—control you. Do not let what happens around you poison what lives within you.
We cannot control the external world, but we can master our internal one. We can choose how we respond—our thoughts, emotions, and actions. In doing so, we learn to trust ourselves and the unfolding of life. We come to believe that everything happens with purpose, and in time, the universe will gently deliver what is truly meant for us.
The Power of Directness and Honesty
Having discussed how to be honest with our internal world, we now turn our focus to being honest with our external world.
We often fear being direct and honest. Yet when we truly understand their power, we realize that our fear was misplaced—like mistaking a rope for a snake.
Directness and honesty aren’t about being blunt or harsh; they’re about clarity, efficiency, and profound respect.
Directness is an Act of Respect
When we communicate directly, we make it easier for the listener to understand us without guesswork. Beating around the bush or hiding the truth often shows a lack of respect—for both ourselves and others. Directness and honesty also help clear away mental and emotional clutter.
When you are direct, you provide clear information so others can make their own decisions. It’s a way of saying, “I respect you and our relationship too much to waste your time with confusion or half-truths.”
For example, let’s revisit that difficult conversation about having feelings for someone else. In that situation, it’s tempting to avoid the direct truth. You might instead list other relationship problems or complain about smaller issues, rather than saying what you truly mean.
This indirect approach helps no one. It leads to circular arguments, wastes both your time, and leaves the real issue untouched. In the end, you’ll still feel the same emptiness and frustration—because the core of the matter was never addressed.
To avoid this situation, find a way to get to the point directly and kindly. You don’t have to be harsh or say, “I want to leave you for someone else.” You can still be honest, respectful, and compassionate. You might simply say, “I’ve been having feelings for someone else, and I need to talk about what that means for us.” Even if your partner becomes upset, they will likely respect your honesty—and you will feel the relief of having spoken your truth.
Honesty is the Foundation of Self-Trust
Before we can be honest with others, we must first be honest with ourselves. This self-honesty is the bedrock of integrity, a theme we’ve touched on before in becoming mindful of our communication.
Each time you tell yourself the truth about your feelings, intentions, and mistakes, you build trust within yourself. That inner integrity then radiates outward, and your word becomes your bond.
Why are we afraid to be honest? Most of the time, it’s because we fear how others might judge us. We worry they will see us as selfish, rude, or uncaring—and that they might stop respecting us altogether.
Again, we are all unique individuals, and others have every right to judge us according to their own understanding. But that is their concern, not ours. Since we too are unique, our own responsibility is to communicate our truth clearly—regardless of how it is received or judged.
Of course, this does not mean we should be rude or dismiss their concerns. If we can make reasonable adjustments to address what matters to them, we should do our best to find a solution.
But in any honest conversation, the most we can offer is our truth—expressed with clarity, respect, and compassion.
When you choose honesty, people begin to respect and trust you more deeply. That respect and trust, in turn, resonate within you—building a quiet, steady inner strength. This feeling of being seen and believed in is far greater than the hollow weight of living out of alignment with yourself.
Benefits of Your Trustworthiness
For example, suppose your boss pressures you to finish a project by a strict deadline, and you know you cannot complete it on time. Instead of saying yes just to please them—or out of fear of losing your job—you can choose honesty and say directly, “To be honest, I don’t believe I can complete this project by the deadline.”
By being honest, you remove the pressure on yourself and manage your boss’s expectations upfront. Saying yes when you know you cannot meet the deadline, it creates unnecessary stress and ultimately leads to disappointment. This does more damage than honesty would.
When you are truthful, you give your boss the chance to find an alternative solution—and in doing so, you may earn their respect for preventing a future problem before it arises.
And if your boss says, “No, I’ll fire you if you don’t get this done on time,” again, respond with honesty and directness. You might say:
“I understand the pressure this project is under. But if I agree to a deadline, I know I can’t meet, I’ll only disappoint you—and I don’t want to do that. By being honest now, I’m giving you time to consider other options.
If you decide to let me, go, that is your choice. I can’t control that, and I have to accept it, even though I wish it weren’t so. Whatever happens, I hope you find someone for this role who values directness and honesty as much as I do.”
Don’t worry about the outcome. If your boss chooses to let you go, let it happen. Trust yourself and trust the universe. Perhaps this will open a new door for you, one that leads to a boss who is more receptive to your perspective and who values directness and honesty. The universe will not abandon you. Have faith in its unfolding.
And if you are a business owner, your directness and honesty can carry significant weight in every interaction.
When you are direct and honest with your customers, they will sense your integrity, trust your word, and feel comfortable doing business with you. This trust naturally leads to loyalty and repeats business.
When you are direct and honest with your employees and treat them with respect, they will take pride in working with you. They will feel more comfortable, focused, and valued in your workplace. This leads to greater productivity, stronger teamwork, and deeper loyalty, resulting in lower turnover and greater overall success for your business.
In relationships, honesty and directness create a smooth path forward. When you communicate clearly, your partner can trust you without doubt, and trust is the foundation of any lasting connection.
Directness shines a light directly on the issue. You cannot fix a problem you refuse to name. In business, this saves time and resources. In personal relationships, it resolves conflicts and builds intimacy more quickly. It is the straightest path to a solution.
Through honesty and directness, you create a life of clarity, integrity, and genuine freedom—where trust grows, stress fades, and success becomes a natural result of being true.
Power of Right Effort and Right Action
We’ve explored many ideas in this chapter, but knowledge only grows through practice. If you want to learn something new or improve an area of your life, you must put what you’ve read and understood into action—consistent action.
Dreams require motion—nothing is achieved without consistent effort and action. This is the vital role of your conscious mind. While your subconscious can guide you 90% of the way, it depends on your conscious will to complete the final 10%. Remember, you cannot clap with one hand. In the same way, you cannot reach your destination without both minds working in unison
From physics—Newton’s First Law of Motion—we know that a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force. This same law applies to our lives as well.
When a train is stopped, it requires a great amount of energy to start moving again. But once it’s in motion, it needs far less energy to keep moving—because momentum carries it forward. This same principle applies to everything we want to achieve in life.
Wanting or dreaming about something is easy. But putting in effort and energy is often not—because the conscious mind resists work at first. It prefers laziness; that’s the easier path. However, when you consistently give your energy and do your part, you build momentum. That momentum will then carry you forward until you reach your destination.
I have wanted to write this book for a long time—and I’ve procrastinated for just as long. Finally, when I decided to sit down and start writing, the process became easier. Still, there were many struggles along the way. Sometimes I wrote for a week and then took a break for a year or more.
Recently, I decided that enough was enough. I needed to get serious about finishing this book. Fortunately, this time my determination feels solid. Now I write every day, consistently. If I keep this momentum, I’m hopeful I’ll finish soon.
If you want to change something in your life or achieve a meaningful goal, be serious about it. Don’t give half your effort and wait for the universe to hand it to you on a gold platter. Give your total effort and energy until you reach your destination.
You deserve to progress, even in your imperfection. Do not let guilt or self-criticism hold you back. Your inner voice may say you’re not doing enough, not smart enough, or that you should be stronger, more organized, more disciplined, or that you should have started sooner.
Remember: the lotus flower does not wait for perfect water. It grows through the mud. So can you.
You do not need to understand everything, wait for the perfect time, or master every skill before you begin. The only requirement is to move forward.
Use the power of your conscious mind to get the job done—no matter how difficult it seems or how many times you fall back. Make this coming new year better than the last.
We have finally come to the end of this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, even at length. My hope is that you feel inspired to take greater control of your life— your thoughts, your emotions, and your actions—and to see life from a deeper, more philosophical perspective.
If anything in this chapter has touched your heart, plant that seed in your subconscious mind. Give it consistent effort, and one day it will grow into a giant tree.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
