Pronoia

Dear Matt,

Cultivate your pronoia. Believe that everyone wants U to get exactly what U want. Believe that the whole world consists of one vast conspiracy to help U self-actualize.

People orchestrate your failures so U learn valuable life lessons and gain confidence to succeed at your desires. When U miss a train the timing lines up so U meet new friends. When it rains U appreciate the sun the next day.

When U lie in the grass suntanning and the bugs bite, U know mother nature sent little helpers to give U acupuncture.

Believe, as Buddhists practice, that everyone else reached enlightenment. All they do, they do to teach U lessons so U can reach enlightenment. When the people form long lines, they do it to train your patience and tolerance. When people leave U dishes to do, they do it so that U will have a fun diversion from your work, so that U will develop skillful grace with your hands, so that U can relish in the purity and simple joy of it.

U should know that modern day distractions test your concentration. That financial hardship paves the way to steely resolve.

U should marvel at how people playact in order to pretend that they truly acted something out of malice, and not to help U out in ways U can't even comprehend.

Whenever U see people whispering to each other and looking over, U know they just plotted how to help you.

Imagine and weep with joy at all these enlightened friends constructing this enormous, elaborate obstacle course just so U may join their ranks. To build cities full of diversions, high speed transportation, all this preparation for centuries upon centuries just so U could experience and enjoy your life.

Truly U seem like the most splendidly spoiled person who ever existed.

And, of course, knowing all this, U can't help but wish to repay the kindness everyone shows U. U will labor, behind the scenes if needed, to improve the lives of others. U will express gratitude at the entry of each new person into your life. U will see each moment as an opportunity to repay your cosmic debt to the fantastic and varied friends with whom U share this existence.

U will find joy in every moment, simply contemplating how magnificently just so the world seems. Every detail seems just right the way U find it. And U will smile, and your heart will overflow with emotion. How did U come here? Why does something exist and not nothing? Because they love U.