I have been reviewing one moral guideline each month from the 6 moral guidelines from this article.
In March, I finished the 6th guideline and decided to start them all over again.
One moral precept a month. I want to remind myself and each of us, what to hang on to as we descend deeper into the winter of our species.
So, in April I focused once more on the first moral guideline and last month on the second. Here they all are:
1) Work hard to grasp the immensity of the change
2) Cultivate radical hope
3) Have a line in the sand
4) Appreciate the astonishing opportunity of life at this time
5) Train your body and mind
6) Act for the future generations of all species
This month I want to remind myself and all of us of the third guideline: Have a line in the sand.
I love this guideline. It invites us to think about:
How will I act and how will I not act?
What do I consider bad behaviour in myself – behaviour I do not want to enact no matter the circumstances?
What are my lines in the sand and can I practice being kind in all circumstances, no matter my level of fear or activation?
I would say, for me, no. I know I will be activated and triggered and at time act in ways I don’t want to act.
And, I can anticipate. I can anticipate what might trip me up. I can anticipate that every day. And, I can think about what I can do to help shift me back to a calmer state.
That is drawing a line in the sand.
This quote that I used the last time I wrote about this still applies:
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.” … Etty Hillesum