SASE: Reflections on unity and living well
(Continued) ...
20) Let us hold purity in high esteem while avoiding anger without reason. We should preserve this virtue and regard it with respect. Let us think well of what frees us from anything that debases or pollutes us or our environment. Within ourselves, a sense of purity suggests freedom from guilt, evil, or inappropriate elements that may contaminate our lives.
21) Let us spread joy and not seduce the spouse or child of another. True happiness spreads because of its message. The quality of satisfaction fills the hearts of all who encounter it. A smile, a kind word, or the smallest act of caring can turn around a life. Furthermore, actions of joy create cycles of good will that emanate and touch many lives. However, using acts of fun for the seducer’s self-serving pleasure erodes the physical, mental, and spiritual health of intimate communities.
22) Let us aspire to be the best that we can and to avoid polluting ourselves. This aspiration demands unity as opposed to division. The Seventeenth-Century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes argues that high achievement demands focus, preparation, and continued determination. In his book “Leviathan” (London, 1651), Hobbes argues that a political state could be a monarchy, an oligarchy, or a democracy. However, its political character does not affect its goal of unification. Unity remains a matter of transparency. This pre-condition means that we need to be willing to invite others and to let them in.
23) Let us communicate with compassion and avoid terrorizing anyone. Compassionate communication helps to create vibrant relationships based on respect and good will. When we speak honestly and calmly, we transform criticism and blame into understanding. When we break the patterns of thinking that lead us to anger and depression, we can resolve conflicts peacefully.
24) Let us listen to opposing opinions without disobeying the law. Opinions reflect a judgment, a viewpoint, or a statement about subjective matters. However, ideas supported by facts become arguments in a debate or in a court case. Different individuals may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Nevertheless, we recognize that one view supported by a group of factual points eventually overrides another idea this is formed only by analyzing the supporting arguments. Therefore, we may define collective or professional opinions as those that meet a higher standard of substantiation.
25) Let us create harmony while avoiding excessive anger. American fantasy novelist Laini Taylor says, “Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is accord—harmony” (www.lainitaylor.com). Similarly, the Indian nationalist and author Mahatma Gandhi states in his book “Women and Social Injustice” (Navajivan Publishing, 1945) that we always should “aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.” By purifying our thoughts, everything may become well. Finally, Anglo-American philosopher Alan W. Watts tells us in his book “Beyond Theology: The Art of Godsmanship” (Vintage, 1973), “Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
26) Let us invoke laughter without cursing any Deity. American philosopher John Morreall believes that the first human laughter may have begun as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger. Also, laughter may indicate the trust of our companions since relaxation resulting from laughter inhibits the biological fight-or-flight response. Finally, laughter diminishes or eliminates the suffering that we may experience from a traumatic loss. More than cursing, laughter increases our likelihood of making our way through a trauma; thereby, we flourish once again.
27) Let us be open to love in various forms and avoid violent behavior. This type of love includes the one that embodies sexual desire and passion. Moreover, we may value the love reflected by friendship developed between brothers in arms who have fought side by side on the battlefield and often have sacrificed for one another. This love parallels the kind of love embodied between parents and their children in the desire to save the other from harm. We strive for selfless love, the kind that we extend to all people from patience and caring; for a deep understanding of family members; and for charity to strangers. If we like and feel secure in ourselves, we have greater compassion for others. These kinds of love stand opposite to violent behavior.
28) Let us forgive and not disrupt the peace. We identify forgiveness as the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense. The act of forgiveness requires that we let go of negative emotions such as vengefulness and develop the increased ability to wish the offender well. In contrast, our refusal to forgive does not empower us; instead, it enslaves us. Very rarely does feeling contempt for others make a significant difference in their lives. Above all, make peace, not war.
29) Let us behave kindly and not act hastily or without thought. Kindness forms an attractor by which others seek us out. However, in order to communicate empathy, we need to pay attention to the events happening around us. When we show kindness to others, it makes them happy. As a result, the more that we can give compassion to others, the more that happiness will enrich our lives.
30) Let us act respectfully of others and not overstep our boundaries of concern. When we treat everyone whom we encounter with respect and courtesy, we help to keep society running smoothly. Good manners serve as a way to respect the space and time of others. These actions mean respecting everyone, not only the people whom we know or those whom we perceive as having a higher status than we do. This act includes being respectful of people who differ from us, even if we do not understand them very well.
31) Let us be accepting and not exaggerate our words. This effort requires cognizance of the reality of a situation by recognizing the process or condition without attempting to change it or to protest it. We assent to it and find rest within it. Acceptance includes a cheerful welcome and belonging as well as favor and endorsement. This acceptance also can constitute the act of believing or assenting. Self-acceptance involves loving ourselves and being happy with the person we are now. It becomes an inner agreement to accept, appreciate, validate, and support who we are in the moment. However, exaggeration distorts the communication of our true nature.
32) Let us follow our inner guidance and not work evil upon the world. When we begin to feel lost or confused, we instinctively search for direction. Rather than relying on someone else to show our way to us, we can choose to look within to find the answers. In order to accomplish this, we turn to our inner selves, creating a harmonious forum. In this space, our inner guidance flourishes. Within this place, we can listen for wisdom without judgment and without the need to ask others for help. Hopefully, such guidance will prevent us from working evil unintentionally.
33) Let us converse with awareness while avoiding evil thoughts, words, or deeds. In our modern society of uber-achievers, we may tend to fall into the trap of believing that working harder will move us forward and upward. However, hard work only can take us so far. If we fail to emphasize our awareness of self and of those around us, we cannot leverage our previously untapped personal qualities. This condition means that, in order to converse with understanding, we need to develop empathy. In turn, compassion will help to dissuade us from thoughts and actions of evil.
34) Let us bring goodness to the world by not polluting our waters. Many of us find that “doing good” is more complicated than just being compassionate. Goodness involves doing kind and helpful things that support other people’s positive actions in both the present and the future. Ultimately, each of us needs to develop and to maintain our code of ethics. From this, it matters that we follow through with these beliefs, not just by a superficial dedication to a specific ideology or to a set of rules. Pollution of waters may include the sea of humanity.
35) Let us give blessings and avoid speaking with anger or arrogance. The bestowment of a blessing infuses someone or something with divine will, holiness, or whatever we consider positive in our universal consciousness. Therefore, benefits come to us through a direct association with what we may experience as Deity. Expressed blessing leads to a bestowment wished upon someone to share the goodness that flows from the Cosmic All.
36) Let us keep the waters pure by not cursing anyone in thought, word, or deed. We need to keep physical waters pure in many places worldwide. Metaphorically, this ideal carries a higher meaning. In a letter to the French general and politician Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The only security of all is in a free press. We cannot resist the force of public opinion when permitting expression freely. [One must submit to the agitation it produces.] It is necessary, to keep the waters pure” (“The Writings of
Thomas Jefferson,” Memorial Edition, The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904).
37) Let us speak with good intent without placing ourselves atop pedestals. Though we live in a communication-saturated world, very little of the communication that we experience is effective. The majority of messages that we send are misinterpreted, misunderstood, or simply disregarded. To be a good human being requires effective communication to and from us. Speaking more merely adds to the clutter. If we talk less but with good intent, we often find that our words have a more significant impact.
38) Let us praise the Deity while not stealing or misusing that which belongs to God. Whatever we may perceive as the nature of Deity, praising him/her/it provides recognition of “The All” that resides in us and beyond us. We experience this life within bounded time and space. Therefore, we might ask, “How small is this point of life within the unbounded Eternity and Infinity?” Canadian-based philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo offers a concise answer, stating, “Infinity dwells in a sage’s mind. Eternity resides in a guru’s heart. Divinity rests in a master’s soul” (“The Little Book of Inspiration,” Wisdom Inc. 2016). The result forms as the exaltation of this Cosmic All of the creation in which we humans participate.
39) Let us remain humble and not steal from or disrespect the deceased. As a small point of light within The All, humility may be the most difficult virtue for us to develop because we may fear it at the same time that we seek it. However, when we avoid taking credit for an accomplishment, when we praise others, when we help them to succeed, when we learn from them, and when we admit our own mistakes, we move closer to this ideal. The only way to be humble is to be humbled. So when we go last or when we serve someone else, we are humbled and are put on the path to humility. In respect to the deceased, let us recall the mortuary aphorism, in Latin, “De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est” (translation: “Of the dead, nothing but good is to be said”). In other words, this aphorism indicates that we must speak of the deceased in a socially appropriate manner. We should not talk ill of the dead because they no longer can justify themselves or their actions.
40) Let us achieve with integrity rather than taking food from children. We achieve with integrity because it requires the integration of self, identity-maintenance, and standing for something good. Integrity constitutes moral purpose and virtue. Our value systems provide us with frameworks within which we act consistently and expectedly. Conceptually, integrity implies wholeness—a comprehensive worldview that emphasizes authenticity and honesty while requiring that we work according to our chosen viewpoint. Those of us who remember the original film of the book “The Diary of Anne Frank” (directed by George Stevens, Twentieth-Century Fox, 1959) may recall that Mr. Van Daan, who lived his wife and son in the secret annex with Anne and her family, stole bread from the children and was eating it during the night. At first, the others thought that mice were eating the food until Mrs. Frank, who discovers the truth, confronts him, saying, “We’re all of us hungry! I see the children getting thinner and thinner! Your own son Peter... I’ve heard him moan in his sleep he’s so hungry! And you come in the night and steal food that should go to them ... to the children!”
41) Let us advance through our abilities without rudeness. Throughout our lives, periodically we contemplate our accomplishments and strive to develop our integrity further. We do the latter if we view our lives up to that time as successful. However, suppose that we view our lives as unproductive or feel unaccomplished in essential goals. In this case, we may develop dissatisfaction with life, creating a sense of despair that can lead to depression and hopelessness. Our final developmental task in life is retrospection – we look back on our lives and our accomplishments. Those passing from time-space to eternity-infinity often tell us that we develop feelings of contentment and integrity during this passage if we believe that we have led good and productive lives in the end. At this point our individual Heart of Soul is as light as a feather.
42) Let us embrace the All without destroying what belongs to the Deity – to God. In doing this, we accept The All, The One, The Absolute, The Creator, The Deity, The Great Spirit, The Supreme Mind, The Ultimate Good, The Cosmic Father, The Universal Mother (or other words of recognition) enthusiastically. One Hermetic maxim states, “While All is in The All, it is equally true that The All is in All.” From most of those with whom I have discussed this matter over the decades, we seem to consider The All as more complex than merely the total of the universe. Perhaps we may say that everything in the universe rests within the “*******” (choose your own best term) of The All. Any effort to further this discussion would more than fill the pages of a newspaper.
In Conclusion
These Forty-Two Ideals serve as a starting point for us to continue to develop our modern unifying life-code. We easily could add another thirty points, at least! Since our most significant assets in Detroit and Southeast Michigan—not to mention the world itself—reflect our cultural mosaic, we may find wisdom through the study of the Ideals along with other early tenets for a successful life. Law and Economics lay within the context of such teachings. Therefore, it may behoove attorneys, economists, and other professionals to adapt the behaviors outlined in these ancient works for personal and professional growth and for the evolution of society as a whole.
A Seasonal Wish
For holiday fun that many can play virtually or in-person, choose a favorite public figure, perhaps a notable politician, and rate his/her performance on a scale of one to ten for each of these Ideals. Guests may wish to consume libations moderately during this game.
We hope that this overview of the Forty-Two Ideals attributed to Ma’at edifies our readers while providing a valuable resource for the year-end and the beginning of 2021. We wish joyful holidays as well as a healthy and prosperous New Year to our readership.
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John F. Sase, Ph.D., has taught Economics for four decades and has practiced Forensic and Investigative Economics since the early 1990s. He earned a joint MA in Economics and an MBA at the University of Detroit, and a Ph.D. in Economics at Wayne State University. He is a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. Readers can contact Dr. Sase at 248-569-5228 and through drjohn@saseassociates.com.
Gerard J. Senick is a freelance writer, editor, and musician. He earned his degree in English at the University of Detroit and was a supervisory editor at Gale Research Company (now Cengage) for more than twenty years. Currently, he edits books for publication and gives seminars on writing and music. You can contact Mr. Senick at 313-342-4048. Also, You can find some of his writing tips at www.YouTube.com/SenickEditing.
Freelance copyeditor and proofreader Julie G. Sase earned her degree in English at Marygrove College and a graduate certificate in Parent Coaching from Seattle Pacific University. As a consultant, Ms. Sase coaches clients, writes articles for publication, and gives various media interviews. Readers can reach Ms. Sase through sasej@aol.com.
