A 16 Guidelines view on
Principles
If we were each given a blank sheet of paper, how many of us would be able to list the principles that guide our lives? Day-to-day living makes so many demands that sometimes it feels more than enough just to react as best we can to whatever happens, hoping it will all turn out OK.
Yet most of us have plenty of principles, even if we’re not aware of them. What is it that angers us or gets the fire churning in our gut? Getting upset is often the sign that a principle we hold strongly has been breached. It touches on something that says “No!” We may be surprised by the passion and strength that is alive in us.
Principles give us strength. They provide the foundations from which we find the power and energy to make a stand about the things that matter to us. They keep our aspirations on track. Like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, they give stability and help us move forward in a purposeful way. What can we each do to be true to our principles, and use them skillfully to build a happy life?
Principles
To develop sincere and stable inner values, and avoid harmful influences
A reflection on
Principles
The benefits of
Principles
make our own choices, in a thoughtful and purposeful way
stand up for ourselves and others in difficult times
develop our individual voice, potential and strength
Did you know?
A recent study found evidence that suppressing compassion is not cost free. It creates dissonance between a person’s moral identity and moral principles. Trying to be less compassionate results in an inner conflict between valuing morality and abiding by their moral rules, and they feel that they must make a substantial trade-off between the two. Thus, people alleviate this conflict by either placing less importance on morality or relaxing their adherence to moral principles.
‘To learn the whole Talmud is a great accomplishment; to learn one good virtue is even greater.’
Yiddish Proverb
‘Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way’
Martin Luther King Jr.