Guiding Principles of Moral Living

[Moral Living]

We all seek guidance in one way or another from others on how to handle various situations and make decisions.  When questions of morality are involved-right and wrong, good and bad---African people are often directed to sources outside of themselves.  Whites (including Jews), and Arabs---the very people who enslaved hundreds of millions of innocent Africans are now the teachers of morality, ethics, and justice through their Bibles, Torahs, and Korans.    

Over 6,000 years ago KMT recognized that most of what we need to get through life with purpose and meaning already exists within our hearts; we simply have to learn basic moral principles and how to honestly listen to ourselves, humble ourselves, admit our wrongs to ourselves, correct ourselves, and live each day understanding that we are judged in this life and the next based on what we do in this world. 

We confessed our innocence, admitted our guilt, showed remorse and restitution when we harmed others, we paid reparations to those deserving/demanding it, we showed reciprocity to those who helped us, and we devoted each day to perfection.  Look at ancient African Kmt.  This is the indigenous African moral system that Africans should model, not those of slave makers, invaders, and destroyers of African civilization.  Those with integrity will face this moment with self renewal in mind.

While there are so many things that are out of our hands, there is a lot that we control; namely who we choose to become and how we respond to situations. We can be honest and change or continue to lie to ourselves and stay in the camp with the enslavers.

You are so much more than you know; you are more than they have made you out to be; a mighty people wakes up, gets up, stands up and with the heart of Harriet Tubman you face every fear imaginable and over come every hurdle, every roadblock, every setback until you finish what must be done.  Maat means balance, justice, rightness, matching force with force.  The force of 600,000,000 martyred souls energize those Black bodies listening to their hearts today.  We will not rest until justice has been secured and the great wrongs have been made right.  We are a force of ages unleashed from those who sought to make little of our value.  Billions of years went into our making; we were meant to be long before we lost to the enslaver.  Live life as a mirror of what we were created to be not what they have have tried to lower us to. 

How many seasons have flowed from our beginnings? We are twenty-one billion years in the making-from this universe, galaxy, solar system, and planet; from inorganic to organic to single cells to multiple cells to tissues to organisms to invertebrates to vertebrates to reptiles to amphibians to mammals to primates to hominids to homo sapien sapien to modern humans to human societies-communalism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, and communism. 

Twenty-one billion years of this majestic forward flow of history, unfolding in Africa with the earliest civilizations emerging along the Nile, struggling for life, generating surpluses, giving birth to classes, private property and a state apparatus to manage indigenous African class, gender, ethnic, and cultural relations. 

Settlements became villages, towns, cities, regional chiefdoms, kingdoms, then confederations, federated nations and empires in KMT, each eventually undergoing its natural internal birth-death-rebirth cycles.  For thousands of seasons the Black African race developed life, culture, language, education, science, morality, government, and a system of justice reflective of the best of who we were over time.

KMT, an indigenous African civilization covered the longest time span of any civilization known to history.  Its monuments are the most massive and longest lasting.  Its records, chiefly in stone, were carved into mountains and buried in great underground temple structures. Extensive in time and massive in the volume of their architecture are the remains of KMTian civilization.  The earliest of these fragments date back more than seven thousand years.

The place of settlement of Kmtian civilization was the Nile river system that poured from the interior of the African continent to a delta region, 4,144 miles in length.  Annual floods left their rich black silt deposits to nurture the soil along the lower reaches of the river.  Massive outpourings of river water irrigated sometimes rainless desert countryside.  Skillful engineering drained the swamps, adding to the cultivable area of a narrow valley cut by the river through jagged barren hills.  Deserts on both sides of the Nile and a massive mountain area on the eastern flank for centuries protected this indigenous African civilization/nation against foreign agressors.  Within this natural sanctuary the KMTians built a civilization that lasted with minor break, over 4,200 years.

Mistakes and hardship will not define us; vice and wrong will not hold us down.  Face every fear.  Gain strength from those who fought the good fight before us.  They did not fight and die alone.  Their spirit rages within us today, throbbing, growing, becoming.  No universe can hold injustice of the kind we faced without balancing it with justice.  Matter and anti-matter find their reciprocity in equality.  We have, too long, crawled around while other walked on us.  The time is ripe to get up with dignity, self reliance, independence, respect, and above all justice.  match injustice with justice.  Match cowardice with bravery; match heartlessness with heart.  Match losing with winning.   

All civilizations have a life cycle that includes a period of birth, rise and expansion, maturity and stability, and a final period of decline, dissolution, and disintegration.  Africa's highest civilization collapsed under the weight of internal decay and external invasion and conquest, becoming a conquered, occupied, provincial and colonial territory. 

These centuries and waves of planned military invasions resulted in the conquest and occupation of KMT; the subjugation of the indigenous African citizenry; esablishment of alien governments in conquered African territories; the reduction of native Africans to the status of second class citizens in their own homelands; exploitation of food, fiber and natural resources; levying of tribute; imposition of taxes and expropriation of gold, silver, precious stone, fine works of art, bullion and other treasures by the invaders. 

In sum, the disintegration and collapse of KMTian civilization occupied only a small fraction of the time devoted to its up building and supremacy but it was devastating for the whole of the African continent, sending much of it into a 2,700 year period of regression and disintegration. 

The key to progress and reintegration is rooted in African people's willingness to overcome the forces that promote regression and disintegration.  Beginning with our inner and moving to the outer self, we can rebuild ourselves and ultimately the world in such a way that the lives and humanity of African people are valued.  The process of rebuilding the inner begins with establishing a strong, moral foundation on which to stand.  With feet rooted firmly in morality and ethics, we may then more deeply understand who we are and what our purpose is, as well as soberly chart the path toward fulfillment of that life's purpose. 

Morality and Living

[Moral Living]

Given that KMT civilization lasted so long (several thousand years), conceptions of the cycle of life changed over time.  The Ancients' understanding of the world stemmed from study of their environments, as well as records bequeathed them from prior generations. They documented their observations over time and recorded advanced understandings-doctrine, philosophy, theory, methods, and practices-on virtually everything that could be carved, painted on or otherwise built.

KMT developed a moral system that reflected a deep understanding of the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all things.  Through the domestication of various plants, for example, the Ancient KMTians gained an appreciation of the life cycle-a seed grows and develops in a proper environment and a certain point dies; however in the process of dying new seeds are produced, which lay the foundation for the continuation of the plant's life. Their varied experiences led the KMTians to continue observing, studying, understanding, and learning their environment which in turn gave rise to their attempts to both adapt to and change elements of their environment.

Their system of morality naturally stemmed from an understanding of and appreciation for life and the cycle it undergoes: as something is born, so it dies; as it is created, it is destroyed; as it comes into being, it goes out of existence. During the course of life all phenomena leave an imprint, which is preserved in later generations. The quality of each imprint reflects the moment in history that produced it (if prevailing conditions promoted its success) and its determined effort to ensure its reproduction on a higher level (preserved in later generations).

Self-Mastery (intelligence of the heart)

The main task of morality, therefore, is to leave a good imprint in history, so that for generations others will know a person's deeds.  It does so by cultivating intelligence of the heart through self-mastery.  Self-mastery requires that you study and know yourself, as well as seek to overcome weaknesses, while building on strengths; toward the fulfillment of an overarching life purpose.

Know first who you are and what you're capable of.  Continue learning and growing. Accept challenges so that you progress to the next level of intellectual, physical, or moral de­velopment.

All human beings seek happiness, but many confuse the means-for example, wealth and sta­tus-with that life itself. This misguided focus on the means to a good life makes people get further from the happy life. The really worthwhile things are the virtuous activities that make up the happy life, not the external means that may seem to pro­duce it.

it is a sign that we have arrived at a necessary, mature stage of self-reflec­tion. The secret is not to get stuck there dithering or wringing your hands, but to move forward by re­solving to heal yourself. Philosophy asks us to move into courage. Its remedy is the unblinking excava­tion of the faulty and specious premises on which we base our lives and our personal identity.

Unless you are completely in control of your life and have a great deal of discipline, you cannot be ethical.  Ethics helps to turn one away from base instincts toward higher order thinking and living

Freedom and fulfillment in life begins with embracing fundamental principles and practices...outlined in this guide

Their methods are clear to students with integrity; for although anyone with an understanding of life can extrapolate the stages of research, only those with integrity will call it truth and apply it to modern practice. 

 INNER SELF

[Self Mastery and Self Control]

"First know, love and respect yourself, then another.

Love self first"

Inner Self Guidelines (ISG)

ISG.01. Know What You Can Control

• 1. Know what you control and what you cannot. Recognition that some things are within our control and some things are not leads to inner peace. We have control over our own thoughts, desires, goals, and dislikes. We choose the character of our inner lives.
• 2. Outside of our control are such things as the conditions into which we are born-family, race, class, gender, period in history, culture, and ethnicity-and other people. Attempting to change what is not within our hands leads to frustration and regret.
• 3. Although we can't control how we come into this world, we can make the best and refrain from complaining about it. We have the power to change what we have control over. But those things outside our power are determined by others.
• 4. See events for what they are; do not demand them to be what you wish them to be. Achieving inner peace consists of practicing the principle of shunning things which are not within your control, leaving. Instead do your part, give your best and move on.

ISG.02. Things Are What They Are

• 1. Discern appearances from reality and see things for what they are. Situations do not adjust themselves to meet our expectations; events happen as they do, people behave as they do.
• 2. Things and people are not what we wish them to be or what they seem to be; they are what they are. The people whom you care about and the things on which you depend have their own character, apart from what you think of them. The acceptance of reality is the basis for honesty and effective action.
• 3. When things happen in your life that are out of your hands, seek understanding and meaning. Identify the strengths and challenges, the mistakes and lessons.
• 4. Not seeing things (or people) for what they are opens the door to living in a fantasy world, exaggerating, lying, and ultimately causing harm to yourself and others. Misrepresenting reality leads to loneliness, poor quality relationships, as well as the inability to discern fact from fiction or admit to and learn from mistakes. Dishonesty creates confusion and makes trust a difficult-if not impossible-endeavor.

ISG.03. Values Determine Behavior

• 1. If you know in your hearts that you have done all you could in a given situation, then have no regrets. Recognize that when there are forces beyond your control, there is a chance that you may not decide the outcome; there is no need to feel hurt or harmed because you will have done all you could. What hurts or hinders is when you know that you did not do all you could to bring about a desired or needed change.
• 2. Things will happen regardless of how we feel and what we think. Instead of taking it personal, pay attention, learn the lessons, and apply them to similar events in the future. Similarly, if anyone frustrates you, carefully appreciate the situation; don't let your emo­tions get the best of you. Step back, com­pose yourself, and take charge of yourself to help bring about the correct solution.
• 3. Plan and make provisions for situations to come by forming good habits. Actively pursue your greatest good each day and evaluate yourself to identify and correct the mistakes while learning valuable lessons.
• 4. Often, those who did not do all they could in a situation, blame others for the outcome, fail to own up to and correct mistakes, and/or cowardly deal with issues (or don't face them). They cover inadequacies by gossiping, exaggerating or twisting reality, and hiding behind walls created by deception and lies. They experience feelings of disappointment, frustration, and anger-which can lead to debilitating physical and emotional problems-and have problems thinking and acting decisively. Over time they may develop low self esteem and may be taken advantage of by others (or turned into a snitch); or they may bully others who are weaker because of the inability to face own self and problems.

ISG.04. Make Strong Your Will

• 1. Nothing stops you or holds you back, for your will and determination win in the end. Your aim should be to incline your whole being toward the greatest good-what is just and right-and to adopt the process of nature as your own.
• 2. Learn the will of nature through its laws; study it, pay attention to it, and then make it your own. The will of nature, embodied in the cycle of life, is present in all life, ideas, relations, etc. The cycle of birth, development, decay, and death is revealed to us through everyday experiences common to all people. Apply this understanding to all situations.
• 3. Define your purpose, let it reflect the greatest good, and give your all to its fulfillment. Sickness may challenge your body and poverty may challenge your spirit. But you are more than your body; you are more than the conditions into which you were born. You are more than the body that houses you. Be guided by your iron will and determination. Your time will come. Prepare.
• 4. Giving up when hardship or adversity arises leads to the inability to deal with difficult issues or work through problems. One who gives up cannot be trusted or relied upon to carry out tasks. She/He develops the habit of doing what is easy, which leads to moral compromise and stagnation.

ISG.05. Pursue Your Greatest Good [ISA.05.]

• 1. Resolve in your heart to practice justice, goodness, order, reciprocity, respect, and truthfulness in all situations and you will begin to do good in all things. When you align your intentions and actions to the guiding principles of MAAT, you don't feel perse­cuted, helpless, confused, or resentful toward the circumstances of your life. You will feel strong, purposeful, and sure.
• 2. Prudently observe the best values of your family and your people. Carry out your responsibilities with a pure heart, without greed or extravagance. Attach yourself to what is just and right, re­gardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.
• 3. Growth is stunted among people who do not work hard and give their best. They never learn how to overcome challenges, effectively identify and solve problems, and learn their strengths and weaknesses. By not working hard, a person never earns his/her way and becomes lazy and dependent on others. Dependency leads to being controlled by others.

ISG.06. Seek Happiness Within

• 1. Your happiness depends on three things, all of which are within your power: your will, your attitude, and your deeds. Happiness does not depend on outside forces; rather you create it.
• 2. Do good for good's sake. Be the best that you can be. Set your own high standards and maintain them. The real essence of good is found only within things you control; do not aspire be anyone other than your own best self, for that falls within your control.
• 3. Those who do not seek happiness within, seek it outside themselves. This creates an opening that can be exploited by someone who wants something from you. That person can take advantage of you by giving you the illusion of what you seek. He/She tells you things that make you feel good, that feed your ego, and that satisfy your search for happiness. She/He gains your trust, influences your response to situations, and shapes your decisions.
• 4. This leads a person to have low self-esteem, compromised morality, low standards in choosing friends and mates, and poor emotional and physical health.

ISG.07. Progress Is Struggle [ISA.07]

• 1. Struggle is good in that it challenges us to get tougher, more decisive, and more adept at identifying and solving problems. Rather than run from hardship, face is directly and honestly. Contemplate the meaning of the struggle, its direction, and your opportunity to take charge of what you have control over. Doing so helps you to free yourself of illusions and become better at successfully overcoming challenges.
• 2. Those know what to do, yet do nothing-getting by safely and comfortably, carefully deflecting and rejecting the internalization of blame for complicity in this reality-are selfish individualists who fear (or are opposed to) change. This promotes lack of trust and accountability. Cowardice and avoidance is fostered, as is pretending and dream-world-living.

ISG.09. Character Matters More Than Reputation

• 1. Character reflects who you are on the inside; reputation is tied to what others think about you. Reputation develops from character. It is more important to be honest, direct, just, and fair than to be concerned about how others perceive you.
• 2. Worry is a waste of time and does not bring about change. You are not responsible for what others think of you. It is better to live righteously, be just, and keep your word.
• 3. Be aware of your mistakes and make attempts to correct them; be critical of yourself and don't let things slide, don't make excuses, and always correct mistakes. This requires humility.
• 4. The lack of humility reflects individualism, egotism, and a lack of appreciation for the great work that remains. Additionally it undermines collective efforts.
• 5. To have an exaggerated sense of self-importance in arrogance, people sacrifice sensitivity to others, to their surroundings, and to their own inner nature. Sooner or later, the arrogant person will fail to maintain the achievements he/she has made and will begin a downward slide. Often they are too blind or too unwilling to change. A certain sloppiness of character emerges and often becomes a fundamental laziness. Laziness is part of egotism because important tasks are put off-person thinks she/he knows better. Their selfishness-destroys compassion for others; destroys love and allows the mind to be infected by greed, mistrust, and shortsightedness.

ISG.14. Be, Being, Become

• 1. Define who exactly you want to be-the kind of person, your personal ideals, and your life purpose. Maintain a journal and write down the characteristics you seek to have. Assess yourself daily to see how close you are to being who you wish to be. Give your best to all that you do, or don't do it.

ISG.15. Silence Speaks Loud

• 1. Those who seek to live the higher life also come to understand the moral power of our words. One of the clearest marks of the moral life is right speech. Always think before you speak to make sure you are speaking with good purpose. If need be, be mostly silent or speak sparingly. Frivolous talk is a waste of time.
• 2. Silence speaks volumes. Those who are not speaking can listen. Listening opens the way for learning. Learning is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Without power everything is but an illusion.
• 3. Enter into discussions when necessary, but be cautious that the intent of the discussion and its content remain worthy. You become what you give your attention to. Avoid conversations about other people; avoid blaming, praising, or comparing others. If you cannot, re­main silent, or move on.

                                    HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

First the strong, the sound, the resilient, the righteous, the proven, the dedicated-the very best, then the weak.

Strength first.

GUIDELINES

HWBG.01. Inner Is More Than Outer

• 1. A person's moral make-up is far more important than how she/he looks. Unfortunately, people tend to place greater emphasis on appearance than the content of their character. Sisters are particularly burdened by the attention they receive for how they look. From the time they are young, sisters are flattered by males or evaluated only in terms of their outward appear­ance. Over time, this makes sisters believe that their self-worth is tied to pleasing brothers, and their true inner gifts sadly weaken.
• 2. A sister may feel compelled to put great effort and time into enhancing her outer beauty and distorting her natural self to please others. Sadly, many people-both men and women-place all their emphasis on managing their physi­cal appearance and the impression they make on others. Those who seek wisdom come to understand that even though the world may reward us for wrong or superficial reasons, such as our physical appearance, the family we come from, and so on, what really matters is who we are inside and who we are becoming.
• 3. Emphasize internal development over appearance. Looks are superficial and can go away with time, accident, or as a result of some other situation. Your character is what lays its imprint in history. People who change themselves to other people's desires and ideas loose their sense of self worth; organize their lives to please others; engage in attention-seeking behaviors; submit to depression if desired attention no received; fail to know themselves; live by others' standards, morals, and principles; and have superficial relationships that are based on external traits.

HWBG.02. Mental, Moral, Martial Growth

• 1. Those who are morally untrained spend an inordi­nate amount of time satisfying their physical desires; do this incidentally. Your main attention should be on the development of your mind, morals, and physical health.
• 2. Respect your body's needs. Give your body excel­lent care to promote its health and well-being. Balance your diet, don't obsessive about food, eat only when you are hungry, establish proper limits for yourself, drink plenty of water, and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Dress according to the weather and in a dignified manner. Do not, however, use your body for show.
• 3. Abstain from casual sex and avoid sex­ual intercourse before you get married. Although it sounds old-fashioned, it reflects a deep respect for ourselves and others. Sex is not a game; there are real emotional and practical consequences. To ignore this is to debase yourself, and to disregard the significance of rela­tionships.
• 4. Take care not to in any way harm or hinder the best of who you are. Living virtuously relies on reason, morals, and discipline. Through these we are able to properly direct our will, stick with our true purpose, and discover the connections we have to others and the duties that follow from those relationships.
• 5. Engage in appropriate and healthy behaviors reflective of your age and situation, and stick to principles of right and wrong. Avoid putting yourself in undesirable or dangerous situations that expose you to things you are not prepared to handle; that put you in situations with people seeking to use you; that put you at risk of contracting diseases or an unplanned pregnancy.
• 6. Not properly caring for your mind, body, and moral development leads to excess-too much or too little of something-lack of awareness of self and the world, poor habits, laziness, disease, depression, and acceptance of low standards. Proper care includes healthy eating, frequent exercise, regular study, and the practice of high moral standards.
• 7. When a person does not make healthy food choices and does not exercise (or does so inconsistently) the energy it takes to do basic things is diminished over time, leaving little energy for the body to carry out its basic functions. Over time poor overall health, sickness or disease develops.

HWBG.03. Heal Yourself

• 1. Within your hands is the ability to know yourself well enough to sense when things are not right. Take the time to know what different emotions mean; the affect that various foods or environments have on your body, mind, and soul; know when to stop when something is not right or healthy and what to do to remedy problems that arise. By knowing yourself, you can learn what you can do when problems arise to help bring about solutions.

• 2. No teacher, expert, or other external person has the best answer for you, but you. Quit chasing after easy answers. Do the work needed to get to know yourself and practice self-sufficiency. Don't remain a depen­dent, malleable patient: Become your own soul's doctor.

HWBG.04. Power of Habit

• 1. Every habit, the good and the bad, is preserved and increased by its corresponding actions-the more we do something, the better we become at it. Rid yourself of bad habits by doing less of the behaviors that promote them; take away their fuel. Compensate for this change by doing more of what is right.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

GUIDELINES

PDG.01. Self Correction

• 1. Personal development requires self-correction as a foundation. When you deal with people after having corrected yourself, then they too will either correct themselves (and how they interact with you) or move on. When you respond to things after having corrected yourself, they too become correct.
• 2. Seize every opportunity to learn from your mistakes. The challenges that come our way can and should introduce us to our strengths. Those who are wise seek the lessons from experiences and reality.
• 3. Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportu­nity to turn inward and to appeal to our own inner resources. When something happens, turn inward and ask yourself what resources you have for dealing with it. You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one and use it.
• 4. The opposite of a problem is its solution. When learning from and correcting mistakes, use these solutions to prevent the same mistake from happening in the future. For example, if you feel the urge to talk negatively about one person to another, use self-restraint-don't do it. Do this in each situation (with each "urge") and as time goes by, you get better at matching the appropriate inner resource to any situation that arises. And later your behaviors become less conscious -whereby you are thinking about it-and more natural.

PDG.02. Desires

• 1. Do not let desires or aversions (settled dislike) drive you, as they constantly demand to be satisfied. People tend to develop attachments with the things they desire and avoid that which they don't want or like. The problem is when (1) you desire things that are not good for you or you avoid things that are good for you, or (2) you are so driven to fulfill desires or avoid dislikes, that you develop attachments.
• 2. Having attachments with things makes it difficult to know when and if what you desire is even right or appropriate. In addition, you close yourself off to the growth and development that comes about by not dealing with aversions-even if by "dealing" you honestly assess the reason for its existence.
• 3. Often, when people don't get what they want, they are disappointed, and when they get what they don't want, they are distressed.
• 4. Desire and aversion are habits, and we can train ourselves to have better habits. Rather than practice the habit of fulfilling desires or avoiding aversions, develop the habit of taking charge of the things in your control and leaving alone those things that are not in your control. Rein in your desire. For if you desire something that isn't within your own con­trol, disappointment follows; meanwhile, you will be neglecting the very things that are within your control that are worthy of desire.
• 5. There is a time and place for diversion and amuse­ments, but you should never allow them to over­ride your true purposes.

PDG.03. Blamelessness

• 1. If you experience setbacks, don't make excuses or place blame. Instead consider your mistakes, the timing, etc. and continue forging ahead.
• 2. The impulse to blame something or someone is foolishness; there is nothing to be gained in blaming, whether it be others or oneself. The more we ex­amine our attitudes and work on ourselves, the less we are apt to be swept away by emotional reactions in which we seek easy explanations for unbidden events. Things simply are what they are. Other people think what they will think; it is of no concern to us. No Shame. No Blame.

PDG.04. Create Your Own Merit

• 1. Earn your place in life through your own efforts, with your own hands. You have your work to do. Get to it, do your best at it, and don't be concerned with who is watching you. Carry out your work without regard to what others say or think about you.
• 2. The reality is that that other people, even people who love you, will not necessarily agree with your ideas, understand you, or share your enthusiasms. This does not mean that you should stop what you are doing. If you know in your heart that what you are doing is right, just, and reflects the greatest good, then continue giving your best.
• 3. Focus on giving your best to the things over which you have control; do not worry about what others do or what they receive for their efforts. Your reward is knowing that in your heart you have done right and given your best.

PDG.05. First, Next, Action

• 1. Consider a prospective action before doing it. Avoid acting rashly by taking a look at the big picture, as well as the context, and then act in accordance with what you've learned.
• 2. Acting without cautious consideration, may lead to enthusiastically beginning a task, but quickly losing momentum when unforeseen circumstances arise. Regret then sets in.
• 3. Contemplate all the possibilities, be mindful of all the things that might happen and their consequences, and exercise your judgment. If the overall picture still seems beneficial, then do it; if not, then don't.
• 4. When you decide to do something, do it fully; don't half do anything in life. Fully committing to something will help to develop your talents and reveal weaknesses in both yourself and the object of your commitment. A half-hearted effort has no power. Tentative ef­forts lead to tentative outcomes.
• 5. Be honest with yourself. Clearly assess your strengths and weaknesses. If you have what it takes to get it done, then do it; if not, then don't.
• 6. If you are committed to moral living, you will have work to do on yourself. You will have to overcome unhealthy desires and habits, and reconsider whom you associate with. The life of wis­dom, like anything else, demands its price. You may, in following it, be ridiculed and even end up with the worst of everything.

PDG.06. Conduct Yourself with Dignity

• 1. Don't be afraid of verbal abuse or criticism. Only the morally weak feel compelled to defend or explain themselves to others. Let the quality of your deeds speak on your behalf. We can't control the impressions others form about us, and the ef­fort to do so only debases our character.
• 2. No matter where you find yourself, carry yourself with dignity. While the behavior of many people is dictated by what is going on around them, hold yourself to a higher standard. Avoid parties or games where wasting time is the norm. If you find yourself at a public event, re­main rooted in your own purpose and ideals.

PDG.07. Live By Worthy Principles

• 1. Righteous living begins with learning how to put principles into prac­tice. The second step is to demonstrate the truth of the principles, such as why it is that we ought not lie. The third step, which connects the first two, is to indicate why the explanations suffice to justify the principles. While the second and third steps are valuable, it is the first step that matters most. For it is all too easy and common to lie while clev­erly demonstrating that lying is wrong.
• 2. Your character and commitment are revealed through your actions, not what you say. Take seriously the practice of living righteously. Once you have determined the principles you wish to live by, do so fully. Don't worry about what others think or do. Seek inspiration from those who emulate the principles you have adopted. Put your principles into practice - now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life.

PDG.08. Firmness

• 1. Once you have deliberated and determined that a course of action is wise, stand firm in your decision. Never discredit yourself. If you learn that the decision was a mistake, admit and correct it.
• 2. You are likely to encounter people who mis­understand your intentions and who may even condemn you. But if, according to your best judg­ment, you are acting rightly, you have nothing to fear. Take a stand.

PDG.09. Moderation

• 1. Being alert to yourself-strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes-can prevent the tendency to excess. Your possessions should be proportionate to the needs of your body. Moral training disciplines you to maintain moderation and avoid excess. Once falling, however slightly, into immodera­tion, momentum gathers and before realizing it, you have abandoned much of what has been gained.

PDG.10. Right Names

• 1. When we name things correctly, we understand them correctly, without adding information or judgments that aren't there. Call things as they are, rather than filtering them through your own views.

PDG. 14. Wisdom Depends on Vigilance

• 1. Wise people realize the source of good or bad. Don't resort to blaming and accusing others. You do not need to convince people you are worthy.
• 2. If you experience challenges, look within; if you are commended by others, quietly move on; if you are slandered, stand firm, then move on. Go about your actions with energy and zest.
• 3. Face fears, stand tall, and avoid wasting time and feelings on things of no merit.

PDG.15. Importance

Take stock of life, weigh situations, measure conditions and risks.  Even the most confusing or hurtful aspects of life can be made tolerable by seeing clearly one's choices and acting on them with prudence.  Take serious the thing that require care.

PDG.16. Judgment

Clear thought and judgment is the best means to safeguard integrity.

Clear thinking is art. Questions are the engines of sound judgment.. So learn how to frame questions clearly, rather than emotionally. If your ability to think clearly is compromised, your moral life can become hazy.

PDG.17. Give Your Best

Give all you have to things that are just and good.  Stay tough in good times and bad. Regardless of what is going on around you, make the best of what is in your power, and take the rest as it occurs.

PDG.18. Appreciate What You Have

Be thankful for what you have earned.  Appreciate the life and time granted you by making the most of what you have.  No need to cry over difficulties; one gains strength by overcoming adversity.  Lifting weights make us strong after we have appreciated the energy necessary to lift it. 

PDG.19. Never Casually Discuss Important Matters

Take care not to casually discuss matters that are of great importance to you with people who are not important to you. This is especially dangerous when you are in the early stages of an undertaking. Other people feast like vultures on our ideas. Let your ideas and plans incubate before you parade them in front of the naysayer and trivializers. You can become all that you believe if you are willing to work hard and smart.

PDG.20. Live Each Moment Fully

There are dreams that do not die.  Immerse yourself in great things, live for the ages, dare to look over the horizon.  Live your dreams.  Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed. Quit the evasions, really live, to fully take in the situation you happen to be in now. You are not a lonely bystander. Participate, think softly and freely, for the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.

A child's will is the whirlwind's will. Your will is unmeasurable---use it. You will fine gre'at confort in this simple fact. No great thing is created suddenly. There must be time. Give your best and always be kind.

• 1. Learning-emphasize skill and knowledge; learning is never wasted
• a. Learning is valuable in and of itself
• b. Allows people to wonder, play with new knowledge, combine it with other things we know
• c. Learning satisfies a curiosity and interest that is innately human
• d. Proper knowledge leads to freedom
• e. Acquiring an enormous range of skills, a person can be prepared for whatever life throws our way
• f. Learn the ways of others to avoid being manipulated by them
• 2. Competition
• a. Inevitable
• b. Inherent
• c. Beyond the basics of survival, you should select the arena for competition and the extent to which you strive against others
• d. Never enter a place without first ascertaining the possible sources of attack and all possible routes of escape.
• e. As long as you are in the world, you must compete, and if you must compete, you must win
• 3. Finding your fatal flaw
• a. The shortcoming that we don't know or can't do anything about
• b. Our undoing; our blindspot
• c. Try to find every single flaw in yourself and eradicate it
• d. After arrogance, comes obsession
• 4. Discipline
• a. Needs intelligence to learn, perceive, and plan strategy
• b. When fighting, an intelligent warrior never lashes out blindly with injudicious force; she/he tests her/his opponent, gathers information, memorizes each strength and weakness
• c. The mind of a warrior-fierce, calculating, assertive, aware of everyone's weakness
• d. No one can maintain intelligence without patience, attention to detail, and fortitude
• e. Perseverance---not giving up, getting tougher as a situation gets tougher
• f. Courage-fighting demands bravery. It implies not only the basic drive for victory, but something inherent, self-control. Should grow stronger as a fighter endures
• g. Discipline enables one to act. Only with discipline can one truly be all that one wishes to be.
• h. With discipline, one is able to carry out a decision free from fear, doubt, ambivalence, and laziness
• i. The control that comes from such inner strength eventually becomes ingrained in the personality. A warrior becomes movement, not simply does it.
• 5. If you seek to perfect yourself, you may be less tolerant of those who do nothing to discipline themselves and you will seek out companions primarily those who are more sympathetic to your way of life
• 6. Look within. Still self and look within and all answers are inside you.