The Book Of Values. Yael Eylat-Tanaka

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СКАЧАТЬ Deadly Sins:

      Wealth without work,

      Pleasure without conscience

      Science without humanity

      Knowledge without character

      Politics without principle

      Commerce without morality

      Worship without sacrifice.”

      ~Mahatma Gandhi

      Gandhi was a wise man. He encapsulated the meaning of character in a few short words. Wealth without work, in and of itself, might not negate character, but what one does with that wealth is quite telling about his or her character. If that wealth leads to a life of waste and pleasure without conscience, then character is absent. Sadly, such a person does not value character as a worthy state to be cultivated. This is where caution is useful. If one were to meet a potential life mate, would his or her wealth be a selling point? Look deeper.

Chastity

      “To be carnally minded is to be spiritually dead” ~David O. McKay

      Sex is all around us. Indeed, it is part of life. However, the media exalts sex as if the act were a sensation, an unusual activity. We are bombarded with images and scenes of orgiastic activity as if the directors in Hollywood invented it. Are they trying to convince us of something? That sex is fun, desirable, indispensable, or inevitable? Sexuality is natural, and the pleasure associated with it is natural. Chastity is selective, discerning sexual activity. Consider that all the creatures engage in sex, without caring or consideration for their partners. It is merely a reproductive imperative. However, for humans, to jump into bed with someone for the momentary pleasure is a base and ignoble act. Emotions are aroused during sex; lives are changed by sex; kingdoms have fallen because of sex. This is not an endorsement for celibacy; it is an invitation to a sober regard for oneself, for one’s partner, and by extension, all of society.

Cheerfulness

      “I love those who can smile in trouble...” ~Leonardo da Vinci

      Is an unpleasant experience in the morning likely to dampen your entire day? You rush to get ready for work, but the toddler has just flushed the car keys down the toilet; or the boiler developed a leak just as you prepare to leave to make your most important presentation to a new client; or you are stuck in killer traffic on a rainy day. Whatever it may be, too many among us will use such situations to be in a foul mood all day. The scenario goes something like: You have an unexpected event, get to the office and glare at the receptionist, then are curt with your secretary and slam the door to your office. You are not able to concentrate well on your work, all the time replaying the unpleasant event, which makes you even angrier as you remember the details. As luck would have it, the general manager is visiting the office, and wants to have a "word" with you. Oh, no, what did I do now? You leave your office, anxiously holding the report you submitted yesterday, and meet the general manager with a long face. Nothing untoward happens, but you are still upset. When you get home, you growl at your wife, tell your children to leave you alone because you had a bad day, and when the cat tries to slink against your legs, you kick it. You had an unpleasant morning and ended the day by kicking the cat.

      How about another choice? Is it possible to deal with these events individually and as they occur? Surely, some of them cannot be dealt with on the spot: If the boiler springs a leak, you have to call the plumber and have it repaired. However, this is merely an inconvenience. Snarled traffic? Rainy day? Make sure you leave in plenty of time given the weather conditions. Listen to the traffic report. Be proactive. In addition, if you are still late, having done your best, explain and be done with it. If your toddler has flushed your keys down the toilet on a day when you are rushing to get to work, call the plumber to retrieve them, then resolve not to leave them again within reach of the baby. Whatever it is, deal with the events themselves as they occur, learn to compartmentalize them; learn to put them in perspective. Learn to recognize inconveniences for what they are. You do not have to respond with a bad mood. No, you are not having a "bad day.” You can choose your mood (your reaction to the inconvenience). There is no such thing as a “bad mood” – it is merely a choice.

      So, choose cheerfulness. After all, why not?

Commitment

       “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits one-self, and then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unfore seen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

       ~ William Hutchison-Murray

      The dictionary definition of commitment is pledge or promise; obligation. A deeper definition is engagement, keeping one's word, being involved (in a cause or relationship), behaving with integrity.

      Each word above is full of significance, but the most direct connotation for commitment is keeping one's word, adhering to promises made. It is embodied in the Golden Rule. So few follow that rule, even though so many profess to a deep religious faith. Doing onto others as one would have others do onto one is a direct reflection of trying to sustain harmonious relationships among our fellows. That means such simple things as arriving on time to an affair to which one has been invited. Do not treat an invitation casually. Extend yourself a bit beyond your own comfort zone; act with empathy to your host, and by extension, your fellow man. Imagine how you would feel, for example, if you prepared a large spread for 20 guests, yet only three showed up? Commitment is a promise – to others and to yourself. Commitment is a contract with others and yourself to keep your word, no matter what. It is thus that trust is established.

      What about the commitment to complete a difficult task, from long years of advanced education to caring for a disabled child? Your commitment to the cause is your determination to keep going no matter what. It is dedication and steadfastness in the face of difficulties.

      Commitment also invokes other unexpected abilities. As the quote above indicates, once we are committed on a course of action, the universe seems to converge in offering its answers and solutions to whatever may be obscure. Assistance seems to stream from many directions, often completely unforeseen.

      Do the thing wholeheartedly.

Compassion

      “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~Albert Einstein

      When we are compassionate, we feel another’s pain and pleasure. We are not separate from our fellows, be they poor homeless refugees or the rich and famous. We are all one.

      This is the philosophical idea СКАЧАТЬ