As I walk this strange world we live
in I find myself sometimes lacking in faith. Not in God or Jesus, or
really any other deity. I lack faith in myself, not for any one
reason but a multitude of them, all put forth just a bit of doubt or
negative self thoughts which when combined together can on occasion
cause my depression to get really bad.
It's in the times between that I find
myself thinking more and more these days. The times between anxiety
attacks and bouts of depression that leave me wishing more that I was
dead than alive. So in the midst of all these things I think, at
great lengths until my mind and its small village of individuals all
agree or we throw our collective hands up.
One of my largest issues was trying to
decide now where to derive my values. I am lost to conventional
religions because I know to much and have seen to much to simply
accept what they propose. So in my search I came to the conclusion
that if a man cannot stand upon what he believes to himself to be
right and just then he is not serving himself or any other man but
rather sin.
As I walked and thought to myself I
came to a general consensus within about all the usual things, thou
shalt not kill is so vague that it seems that all of the Judeo
Christians just said fuck it to that one. I mean how easy is it to
understand THOU=YOU SHALT=SHALL NOT KILL= NOT KILL. Its left so
clearly unclear, right?
Basically I looked at what was
generally considered to be just and right in the world and then I
considered how often it happened, so I added a rule in there
somewhere about helping people when you know they need it and cannot
ask. But overall I thought I did pretty good. Its not written in
stone or codified in some dusty basement at the research department
of an Ivy league school but for ME it means just as much.
Having a set of values all your own
means a lot and it is nice to have something to live for. If I cannot
have faith in a god then perhaps I can at least have faith in myself
and my fellow human beings.
Never one to leave the argument alone
I continued to think and refined my thoughts and ideas and I found
myself examining more where my ideas for what is right and wrong came
from. Then the frightening idea that most of my core values came from
my mother occurred to me. The more I compared my “core” values to
those of most people on the planet, or what I grew to call the
societal norm, the more that I found them to be wildly divergent in
some ways and alarmingly similar at other times.
So it was in the vein of this
introspection that I was watching random things on you-tube one night
and I ran into a video by a gentleman that is an outspoken
representative of the logical folks on this planet.
While I will include the link for this
video I wish to make a point for your introspection so following is a
list of... commandments if you will and basic rules to live by. All
of them things that I found to be my own core values now without ever
having read or heard of them. The core here being that there is a
great deal of commons sense involved.
- Stupidity
The top of the list for Sins. The Cardinal Sin. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Humanity must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid. - Pretentiousness
Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not. - Solipsism
Can be very dangerous. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, you must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point. - Self-deceit
Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit! - Herd Conformity
It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many. - Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies
Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society. - Counterproductive Pride
That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of thumb is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it. - Lack of Aesthetics
This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential tool and must be applied for greatest effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.
These are just examples I found in one
source that I found when reading. The simple sense within these basic
declarations of how we can and should live life is undeniable. The
reference to both lesser and greater magic is a reference to certain
psychological tools that are available to every person on this world.
They are not evil or bad, they simply ARE aspects of what it is to be
human.
When we go through our day to day
lives searching for meaning and hiding from our issues. We live in a
haze so thick and complete that coming out of it feels as if you have
emerged from a long sleep. We lose our minds and wander lost looking
mostly for the same few simple things. Love, happiness, a place to
lie down and sleep at night safe and warm.
While we wander we do things that do
not truly represent who we are. It is the actions of an automaton
existing in this world rather than living. Breathing eating and
walking but dead and lost in a sea of pain or fear. Doesn't matter
what your issue is when you are lost you are lost and that's all
there is to it. No one can get through to you and save you from
yourself, our minds fight us every day to maintain perfect control.
Maintain the original programming.
This is what makes choosing a path in
life so hard. When you are growing up you are shaped and molded into
what you become. Sometimes we have choices, but most of the time we
are pushed and shaped so hard by the first few years of our lives
that we have already been told by someone else whats right and wrong.
Who's right and wrong. What to be, who
to be, how to be it, it all comes down to 99% of the knowledge you
obtain by the time you are three years old is all you will USE to
live your life until the day that you die.
Knowing how messed up this world
already is slowly trickled down into this realization and I
understood. We as humans are acting more and more like the blind
leading the blind. We all have issues in some way, yet we were all
born innocent in truth. No one has been born on this world truly
evil, what makes us evil or good is how WE choose to react to what
life dishes us out. Our tribulations and pains are shared universally
by other humans on this planet either alive or dead YOU are not alone
in your issues.
It only seems that way because because
the things that cause darkness within us. Hate, doubt, fear, these
things blind us to the silver linings. They make us see black instead
of white, up instead of down. These emotions will control your mind
and make you see only darkness.
Humanity is not evil or wrong. We are
all of us born unique and good. We are not inherently evil for being
born nor are we somehow in debt to anyone for our existence. We do
not come to this place and this time in the universe to be punished.
No one living is only alive because somewhere along the lines they
did something bad and thus deserve to be punished.
Rather than write down a dusty old
book full of my own personal rules I chose three simple things to
live by.
Love
Love everyone you meet if you. When
you meet someone with love in your heart and you accept them
regardless of who they are, you open to them a realm of possibility.
The possibility that they too can love and be loved back without
rebuttal or retribution.
Duty
Duty means to me at least doing the
things that need doing sometimes even if you do not wish to. Duty is
being willing to stand by what you know in your heart is right. With
love in your heart duty becomes a much lighter burden that is more
easily fulfilled.
Respect
This above all seems to be the thing
that we are losing the most. Love allows us to see the sides of
people most others do not. This means that if we do anything in this
world it should always be done with respect so that we do not upset
the balance of things and lead to hardship.
These things all seemed so obvious to
me after I thought about it and so I accepted them into my life as my
standard. Am I romantically in love with the whole world, no. Do I
love everyone at least a little bit every single day now, yes. It has
made a change in my life that has been astounding. I see people
differently now and I am more comfortable than I ever thought would
be possible.
Not all that glitters is gold and this
world is not the most horribly doomed place in existence. That place
is reserved for broken hearts and lost souls. I love you all as much as I can, be safe and happy where ever you are.
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