Principles - of life and death

A disciple is a person who follows a set of principles.

What are your principles?

Do you have any? Or are you just stumbling through life taking what it throws at you and falling into positions, friendships, having children, going into debt ... as it comes?

Principles can be very broad or very narrow depending on the action we're talking about.

A broad principle is one that helps us understand life as a whole.

Is life a series of lessons for the soul, or am I just a bunch of chemicals randomly thrown together? Do my actions have any meaning? Should I conjure up visions of our purpose on earth or leave it to others or chance? Do I think I have meaning? Do I have right to pursue happiness and live in freedom? Or should I forego my pleasures for the greater good? Who determines the greater good? Are there actions that are right in themselves, and what makes them so? Is there a God and if so does God care what I do? Does the past have any meaning for me? Should the future? What is the nature of reality - is it a figment of the imagination or is it a hard rock upon which we founder when not looking carefully? What is death? Indeed, what is birth and sentience, conscience and consciousness? Do we need a government at all? What is justice or fairness? Do rights make sense?

A narrow principle is one that helps us understand what to do in a certain situation. Etiquette helps us smooth our passage through society - don't eat with your mouth full, don't drum your fingers while someone is talking, don't interrupt.

Except, I don't like negatives...let's rephrase that otherwise we get into a vicious logical circle: I prefer positives. So - don't eat with your mouth full becomes: when chewing food, chew the food and let the saliva do the work, i.e., respect other people's views of your actions.
Don't drum your fingers while someone is talking becomes pay attention to what others are saying, they may be saying something useful or about you! i.e., respect and listen.
Don't interrupt becomes what you have to say is critical and may be the things that the other person is saying too i.e., respect and be patient.

The broad principle behind much etiquette is respect for others and how we are seen by them. When we enter the day with an attitude of 'I don't care how I look' don't be surprised that other people may be offended or find your appearance distasteful.

Then there are the principles of every day personal action - these need to be in harmony with the grander principles. When they are not, you feel it, your whole body and demeanour say some thing's up and some thing needs to change.

Let's take a principle that's quite popular today: "There are no principles, we'll just make it up as we go along."

Okay, you're ill, you fall into ill health and have no energy and no desire to move; your body is fatigued all the time and you're pale and lethargic. Do you say, oh well, there are no principles, whatever happens to me is random and I can't do anything about it, because life and all its events and actions are random. Nothing makes sense and nothing I can do will help it to make sense.

Or do you pop into the doctor's? Do you start reading up on why you may be so lethargic? Do you start thinking about what go you into this state...several nightlong parties, a heavy work load, alcohol, smoking, poor diet, stressful marriage, redundancy...and then when you join the dots things make a little more sense?

Logically, the argument that there are no principles is a fallacy, because the statement admits at least one principle: there are no principles, as a principle (vicious logical circle). But if there's one, there may be others ... But life and experience shouts loudly that there are principles of good living as well as principles of bad living. Similarly, there are principles of good thinking, and principles of bad thinking.

Good principles are those that are life affirming, life supporting, and life enhancing. They are the good food for our actions, they keep us strong and healthy, mentally sound and focused, and on track with what we're striving for. They are loving, friendly, ethical, fair, just, creative, enjoyable; they are free and voluntary.

Bad principles are those that are destructive and detrimental to life, they hinder, harm, thwart, hold back, impinge; they keep us weak and ill, mentally addled and unfocused, random in our actions with ourself and others; they are unloving, unfriendly and unsociable, unethical, unfair, unjust; they keep us unfree, servile, enslaved mentally or physically to other people and their opinions, they imply fear.

So what are your principles? To love and give love, or to avoid people and to shun the love they may have? In any given moment there's a principle to be used (or learned). Life tests us and tests our commitment - do we run at the first sign of awkwardness, or do we hold fast?