THE WICKY WACKY SNAKE

RULES AND SECRETS OF LIFE

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts

can be counted. --Albert Einstein

In the Garden of Eden narrative, when God confronted Adam for his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve saying “She gave the fruit to me and I ate it.”  Then God spoke to Eve saying, “What have you done?”  Her reply:  “The serpent tricked me!”  Human nature hasn’t changed much since.  It’s always someone else’s fault.  The buck keeps getting passed.  Personal responsibility and accountability get pushed aside.  In this high tech age the blaming becomes much more sophisticated. In the past few years I have read articles which suggest a genetic linkage to stealing, murder, and even adultery.  While we are a complex creation of genetic codes, where do you draw the line?  If we are merely a biological organism programmed to act in a certain way, where does individual responsibility and accountability fit?  I believe that we are free moral agents and we decide how we act.  We determine if we value life, choose to pay for an item in a store, and honor our commitments.  Simply put, we are not merely pre-programmed machines but humans, ultimately accountable for our actions.  There are some simple time tested rules personally accountable people follow to make their lives as fulfilling as possible.

The top ten rules are obviously the Ten Commandments that I will not belabor here because it will be hard to improve on them.  What we really need to do is accentuate these with simple wisdom that has also been passed down through the ages.  Of all the proverbs that have been around for quite a while, the Golden Rule is at the top.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is as applicable today as it was whenever it was first said.  Think about it.  If we only taught this to our children as they were growing and lived it ourselves there would be a lot less grief in this world.  This one simple rule could prevent everything from gossip and road rage to murder.  If you aren’t living this rule, start today and I know you will notice a difference in how others treat you as well.  Yes, yes, there will always be those among us that behave like jerks regardless of your actions but you just have to let it pass.  The best way to get even with these types is just to forget.

Right along with the Golden Rule on top of the list is honesty is the best policy.  Honesty and truth seem to be so lacking today.  Even the news media who is supposed to be totally above board are not exempt from deviating from the truth.  Hardly a week goes by without one story or another having words taken out of context or half of the story being told.  This goes right back to doing what is right vice what is legal.  I hear all sorts of excuses of why we aren’t honest.  Everything from “Everyone else does it,” and “The devil made me do it,” but none of these hold any water for avoiding honesty.  We all get trapped into the little white lies like telling someone they look great when in fact they don’t.  Although the intentions are true, i.e. make them feel good, I think the best plan of attack in this situation is to just say nothing, a smile would most likely have the same affect.