Creed in Progress

I try to model a way of living to my students and for my children.  Plus I believe in keeping it simple.  In attempt to crystalize my way of life, I've started rewriting these personal rules.

1.  Fight another's loneliness.  What to step up and be an hero? Make them smile.  Look into the eyes and connect.  We will all have days of desperate loneliness: you and me included.  Loneliness that appears to have even a chance of becoming unending makes people violent to relationships, themselves, and to others.

2.  Stand up for yourself.  Refuse to be mistreated.
Call it out simply, directly, and the soon the better.  Niceness is only an option but be cognizant of rule 1. Some possible things to say:
You are  acting ________.  
I'm not interested in this _________ in the future and so it needs to stop now.
This behavior is unacceptable and needs to change if we are going to continue _________.

3.  Listen to yourself.  Listen deeply to your words and observe your actions.  Listen quietly to what makes your soul slightly resonate.  Move so your words and actions come from those quiet resonant moments.   Use those moments to have long term goals.  Working on those long range goals give meaning to the daily grind.
    (A slight P.S. on listening deeply to oneself:  Its alright to learn scary things about yourself.  We can work it out together. Self discovery sounds like it shouldn't be do terrifying but it often can be. Its worth it long term.)

4.    Commandment 11:  Don't be a prick.  So you know it.   So what.  Repeat steps 1 -3.
      "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."

What do you think?  Would you recommend something different?

Kindness is Water

"The important thing, that which we cannot live without, is kindness.  Kindness is water, religion is like tea.  It's a great luxury. it increases the savor of life, and is wonderful if we have it.  But kindness is the starting block of every life.  We should ground ourselves in the people around us before immersing ourselves in text and notions of the absolute."

-Pico Iyer, paraphrasing teachings from the Dalai Lama

How to create

Despite the tired old claim that Necessity is the Mother of Invention,
it's usually Observation and Imagination that deserve the credit.
                                                   
   -- The Te of Piglet, pg. 160

 Not tolerating intolerance is not the same thing as intolerance itself.