The Commandments (of God) #7

Thou shalt not steal.

This is a LARGE commandment.

Of course, we teach our children not to steal - we tell them that the candy bar they lifted from the corner store is STOLEN and - if we care - we make them return it, admit their wrongdoing, apologize and accept whatever consequence the shop-keeper deems fit! If all goes according to plan, our children will not grow up to be professional thieves.

There are other forms of stealing/theft that do not get taught in a formal manner.

1) The theft of another person's time. 

 - when we demand huge chunks of someone else's time in frivolous ways, we are stealing from them. Even if they would normally know how to extricate themselves from a time-wasting situation, we may manipulate the interchange to appear needful and serious in order to prevent their departure. Being this "needy" requires more than the time and attention of a good person/friend, it requires professional help. Should you, upon reflection, realize this is the case, get that help!

2) The theft of another person's reputation.

This is where gossip becomes a most insidious form of theft. More damage has been done through the transmission of malicious gossip than through actual, physical theft. Gossip is rarely based on truth and has destroyed lives and reputations, and led people to depression and (albeit perhaps, infrrequently) to suicide. 

3) The theft of another person's intellectual property.

A friend or co-worker has an amazing idea, writes a stellar report or sketches out an unusual and useful gadget. You undercut your friend/co-worker by taking the idea, copy of the report or purloined sketch to a superior or even worse, to a publisher or manufacturer. This is unacceptable. There is no way to rationalize this behaviour. THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS THEFT!!! It has happened to me, and I hope it never happens to you ... and yes, I quit that job.

These are just three examples of how one simple statement - "Thou shalt not steal" - can and ought to be applied to our daily lives. I'm sure you can think of more. My intention is to encourage you to think, not give you everything already chewed and digested! :)   

Just a thought ...

The Commandments (of God) #6

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Pretty clear right up front. Don't do it!

The dictionary definition of adultery is : the act of having intercourse with a person you are not married to. If the person engaging in this activity is a woman, she is an adultress (remember "The Red Letter"?) - if a man, he is simply fornicating. Women are, to this day in some countries, subject to death by stoning for adultery. It is difficult to find an instance of any similar punishment meted out to a man for the same offense.  

The institution of marriage is widely thought to be spiritually mandated. In fact, marriage was instituted to protect wealth and property (primarily of men and the church) and to ensure (to whatever degree possible) that a man's heirs were indeed the fruit of his own loins! Misogeny? Probably!

If there is a spiritual component to the idea of adultery, it is probably this : idolatry, covetouness and apostasy are considered adultery in some books of the christian bible. Check out Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea.

In Isaiah and Ezekiel, an apostate church is considered an adultress (that would be most of the churches on the earth today, and interestingly, female).

So where does this commandment leave us in these modern times? It would seem that, unless one is Roman Catholic and believes the Pope in Rome is the living representative of Jesus Christ on earth, we are ALL adulterers of one stripe or another.

This post will not attempt to detail the pain and destruction caused by the act of adultery in human relationships. Perhaps that discourse belongs under the heading "Thou shalt not kill" (a person's spirit)!

Just a thought ...

The Commandments (of God) #5

Thou shalt not kill. (In Judaism, it reads "Thou shalt not murder".)

On the surface, this is just what it says. Taking the (physical) life of another person is wrong.

There are other ways of "killing". You can kill a person's spirit also. A careless remark, a harsh criticism, ridicule, unkindness - in fact, any type of abuse - is "killing". 

If there were legal means to take to trial and convict people on the many forms of killing (spiritual, emotional, psychological), how many of us would be walking around free, I wonder?  

Just a thought ...

The Commandments (of God) #4

Honor thy Father and Mother, that thy days be long in the land which the Lord gives thee.

I have known the christian commandments most of my life, and consider them an excellent guideline for good living. Of them all, this one is probably my favourite. I particularly like the second part - "that thy days be long in the land which the Lord gives thee".  
Both my parents were alcoholic. When they weren't drinking, they were the most awesome human beings it has ever been my privilege to know. They were smart, educated (mostly "self"), informed and evolved in their attitudes and thinking. And they drank.

I honoured my parents ... admired my Dad for his genius and sense of humour and my Mom for her incredible talents ... she sang, played several instruments, and was a home-maker extroardinaire. There was nothing my Dad could not build, or conceive of building.  I never "talked back" to either of them. I loved them both so much and I miss them both terribly. And they loved each other.

There are many ways to honour one's parents. Always speaking to them and about them respectfully is one; staying out of the kind of trouble that can land you in jail; educating yourself, working at something worthy and adding value to the family name; treating others with kindness and compassion, thereby honouring the morals and values they taught you. 

I realize there are many people who may not have had what they consider an ideal up-bringing. That really is not a reason to shame your parents or deny yourself the opportunity to become all you can be. It is never too late to honour your parents. 

As for myself ... well, I plan to live until I am, at minimum, 120 years old. It's the least I can do ... it will give me plenty of time to pass on all the best I received from my parents to my grandchildren, great-grandchildren and on down the generations! What will you do to honour your parents in the time you have been given?

Just a thought ...

    

The Commandments (of God) #3

Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

O.K. - which or whose Lord? As I stated in the previous post, there is only one "God", with a thousand names. Just a few of those names are (depending on your spiritual orientation) : God, Jehovah, Jaweh, Allah, Baha'Ullah and Dionysis. Again, depending on your spiritual orientation, your holy day may be any day of the week, or even specific times of the year.

I like to think that every day is a holy day. Having said that, I also feel that setting one day aside each week to ponder nature and the Universe is a worthy goal. This is the day you could reconnect with the natural world - hug a tree, sit beside a creek/river/ocean, walk in the park/woods/forest.

DO NOT : mow the lawn, shovel the snow, paint the shed, pay bills or shop.

Write a gratitude list, visit the sick or take a meal to a house-bound person. Make or buy cheery cards and leave them with home-made cookies at every one of your neighbour's homes. Cuddle a baby. Call a friend or family member you haven't spoken to for a while. Tell each person you connect with that you love them ... and why.

Smile!!

Take a ritual bath -  scented with natural herbs, infused with milk or a bag of oatmeal tied under the faucet (great for winter skin!) - to relax and rejuvenate your spirit for the rest of the week. Express gratitude ... yes, again! ... for hot, running water and soft, fluffy towels.

Just a thought ...

The "OCCUPY" Gambit

People around the world spent the last several weeks "occupying" spaces on or near the offices of big corporations in large cities. This was supposed to bring attention to the fact that 1% of the population possesses and controls almost all the worldly wealth. The "occupiers" ostensibly represented the 99% who do not share in that wealth.

Well ... I do not share in that wealth, but they don't represent me. I am fully aware of the reasons I am not one of the 1%. 

1) I didn't INHERIT any of it.
2) I didn't DO anything in my life to ensure that I GOT part of it.
3) I didn't go into an area of enterprise that would have guaranteed me part of it.
4) Luck.5) I didn't win a lottery.

You see, my parents (although not exactly poor) did not leave me a huge inheritance, in trust or otherwise, that I could either squander or have knowledgeable "handlers" increase the value of.

I did not run with ideas I felt would improve lives. I did share those ideas with others ... who then ran with them. I did not write the books that might have helped people struggling with daily pain (physical and emotional). As the years went by, others wrote those books.
  
I did not become a doctor, a lawyer, a financier, an accountant, an internet entrepeneur or an opportunist who would bilk any of the preceding out of their wealth.

There are those who will tell you that you make your own luck, and that is true - to a point! If you have done everything "right" as far as an education, research and twenty-hour work-days go and you are not part of the 1%, then elusive luck does factor into your lack of accumulated wealth. Sorry, but them's the breaks. 

I did buy a ticket! :)

The point is ... those who have, get! As my mother always said, "The rich get richer, and the poor get children". We each made/make choices daily that determine whether we accumulate wealth or decimate it! Warren Buffet does not drive a new car and never has.

Just a thought ....