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7) Developing Principles (or Ten Commandments that make sense)

The following is a list of principles I created long ago. I think of them as my "ten commandments" since they seem to make much more sense to me than the Biblical versions.

The first four address moderating the biological drives that make our species the world's greatest source of mass creation... and mass destruction. I try to live them.

1. Question religion or any beliefs conflicting with our best intelligence. But always be open to change and the possibilities of the unknown.

2. Question patriotism or any call that asks us to abandon our reason in the guise of loyalty.

3. Consume as little as joyously possible. Question acquisitions to assure that they truly contribute to happiness in the context of individual and social responsibility.

4. Produce no more children than you can reasonably care for. Bearing children when not prepared spiritually, emotionally, or materially, is a form of child abuse.

5. Practice temperance and know the difference between use and abuse. Everything has an appropriate time and place. It is our duty to understand limits and context to avoid hurting others or ourselves.

6. Pursue justice. It is the foundation of any civilized society. Justice is fairness rooted in the principle of equality for all under the rule of the law. It also would seem to mean that rewards and punishments should be commensurate with the activities they address.

7. Seek and honor the truth. Seek the truth with your best intelligence, and honor it starting with your own word.

8. Resist bigotry. Negate the atavistic voices from within and from others that call for judging people based on characteristics unrelated to behavior or performance.

9. Do not harm innocent Life. Killing should be a last resort default for self protection (or the protection of others) when no reasonable alternatives exist.

10. Work for the good of all Life including your own. Strive for holistic joy including the welfare of others and other forms of life. Remember that no one is an island and the actions of one inevitably affect the welfare of others.

We have the means to live happily and harmoniously while providing the greatest good for the greatest number. We lack only the will to effectively harness our reasoning powers. If we honor the knowledge passed to us numerous times in numerous ways by the teachers we say we revere, we will find our will.