Find a guiding principle for a better world
The rules are all made up. Until you realize this, you will not have any idea why the world is in the state it is in. The thing is that these rules were never written down, they were just made up as mankind went along. In some societies that resulted in chopsticks, in others the fork and knife, and in still others the communal bowl. Whatever society you live in, it has rules. They are not written down, and they were made up a long time ago without any conscious thought about them. Some would call this culture.
The problem with culture is that most of the rules are so deeply hidden that people don’t even realize they exist until they are confronted with a member of another society who does not follow their rules. The resulting culture shock can lead to disgust (don’t use your left hand in countries where the water method is the major source of TP), anger (in some places, two fingers do not indicate a number), or in the best of circumstances, a shrug and a dismissal of the behavior as a cultural faux pas on the part of a well-meaning visitor.
While this seems like it would be problem enough to call attention to social norms, there is a greater problem. Rules, written and unwritten, are meant to be broken. There are no rules that everyone follows. People kill, steal, and wave with one finger (next time use all of them!). People commit all kinds of offenses because, even when they know the rules, the rules do not apply to that individual at that particular time. Americans are especially convinced that they are the exception to every rule. It is one reason that ethics cannot be legislated. There is no sense of right and wrong, just a strong sense of entitlement, power and being above the law, rules and the culture of good taste and sound judgement. This sense has destroyed presidents.
It has time to come to a new way of living. Finding a guiding principle that will help you live a good life will also help to make up for the lack of legislated rules that would inevitably fail. The Golden Rule, found in almost every religion in some way or another, may be the best start. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Note this does not state “do unto others as they do unto you.” Nor does it say “do unto others after they have done unto you.” It also does not say “do unto you because others will not do what you want.”
It says to “do to others what you want done to you.” Other than for those who enjoy having pain inflicted upon them, this seems to be sage advice. By treating people the way that you want to be treated, you are setting the best example and creating a model that people can follow. It isn’t always easy to follow this advice. Sometimes, people make mistakes, but if you have a guiding principle, it won’t matter what the rules are or are not. You will be able to make the right decision while safeguarding your corner of the world from the despots and dictators who would use fear and deception to enslave your mind and control your actions.
When you are hungry, would you want someone to feed you? When you are hurting, would you want someone to console you? When you are bored, depressed or just apathetic, would you want someone to be there to help you through those emotions? Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you could be a very powerful healer for our world. If we practice that with fervent skill, we will find our fears will dissipate, and we will create a world where love reigns overall.
The problem with culture is that most of the rules are so deeply hidden that people don’t even realize they exist until they are confronted with a member of another society who does not follow their rules. The resulting culture shock can lead to disgust (don’t use your left hand in countries where the water method is the major source of TP), anger (in some places, two fingers do not indicate a number), or in the best of circumstances, a shrug and a dismissal of the behavior as a cultural faux pas on the part of a well-meaning visitor.
While this seems like it would be problem enough to call attention to social norms, there is a greater problem. Rules, written and unwritten, are meant to be broken. There are no rules that everyone follows. People kill, steal, and wave with one finger (next time use all of them!). People commit all kinds of offenses because, even when they know the rules, the rules do not apply to that individual at that particular time. Americans are especially convinced that they are the exception to every rule. It is one reason that ethics cannot be legislated. There is no sense of right and wrong, just a strong sense of entitlement, power and being above the law, rules and the culture of good taste and sound judgement. This sense has destroyed presidents.
It has time to come to a new way of living. Finding a guiding principle that will help you live a good life will also help to make up for the lack of legislated rules that would inevitably fail. The Golden Rule, found in almost every religion in some way or another, may be the best start. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Note this does not state “do unto others as they do unto you.” Nor does it say “do unto others after they have done unto you.” It also does not say “do unto you because others will not do what you want.”
It says to “do to others what you want done to you.” Other than for those who enjoy having pain inflicted upon them, this seems to be sage advice. By treating people the way that you want to be treated, you are setting the best example and creating a model that people can follow. It isn’t always easy to follow this advice. Sometimes, people make mistakes, but if you have a guiding principle, it won’t matter what the rules are or are not. You will be able to make the right decision while safeguarding your corner of the world from the despots and dictators who would use fear and deception to enslave your mind and control your actions.
When you are hungry, would you want someone to feed you? When you are hurting, would you want someone to console you? When you are bored, depressed or just apathetic, would you want someone to be there to help you through those emotions? Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you could be a very powerful healer for our world. If we practice that with fervent skill, we will find our fears will dissipate, and we will create a world where love reigns overall.