My Constitution


Current Constitution rev. 9/2013
Previous rev. 2009
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Précis

I am at heart a monotheistic libertarian. My support for civil liberties stems from my faith in the goodness of mankind and respect towards the multitude of social constructs that make this world an interesting and diverse place to live in

Open to everyone, I will not consciously discriminate against anybody for their looks, beliefs, culture, race, gender or mindset. I recognize inattention is a form of discrimination. The principle of inclusiveness stands and healthy interactions with other people are actively pursued.

I choose not to see the world behind rose tinted glasses. I'd rather be hurt than live a lie. I shall recognize my weaknesses for what they are and not downplay them. I will not be too proud of my strengths.
 
Live Strong. Live Mighty. Live Righteously.

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The Light of Day
I will to the best of my mental capacity to reason; strive to see the reality that is the world. For truth that hurts is better than living a lie. This constitution embodies the standards to which I aspire towards. In the face of adversity I pledge to never downplay my weaknesses. I will never put too much attention on my strengths; be it in pride, in denial, or in avoidance of my weaknesses.

Conscience
I will listen to my conscience. This is the most challanging of all. For conscience can easily be skewed by temptation. I will listen to my inner voice in times of clarity, void of the clouds (of judgment) that hinder the light of day.

Faith In Humanity
I recognize that neither hedonism nor religionism are intrinsically bad, or good. Just different. They are sides of the same coin and are independent of the chasm between good and evil. It is important to not hold preconceived notions about people based on superficial observations***.
The world is not a lost cause.

Care
To Sleep enough. To eat with moderation, variety and sensibility. To exercise regularly.
One must care for the self prior to caring for others.

Of Others
I recognize I am intrinsically an introvert*, and that my strengths lie with my depth of thought.
I will build relationships around me with precision, focus and meaning.
I will not be what I am not*.

Of Medicine
Ownership and responsibility to my patients.
Compassion and empathy.
The unending pursuit of knowledge.

Of Mindfulness
...for every second that comes to pass will never be repeated.
I will not live my life in vain.
Mindful of the interactions I have with others.
Learn from the past, live in the moment, and plan for the future.

Of Trust
I will be true to my word.



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Spirit Core

The Purpose of Life
The following story is allegorical in nature: In a time before time, in a realm beyond human perception, a transgression of God's** (see definition below) will occured, and souls were given a second chance to prove themselves. The world was created to test people by means of which they differ. The child of a rabbi born into the most conservative kibbutz has no advantage over the child of Sheikh in Mecca or an eskimo. Everyone is tested, and none shall be wronged. Everyone's fate is sealed. But fate alone does not determine the outcome of one's life. For fate is like a tree - which branch each individual chooses to climb determines his/her destiny.

Hedonism Vs Religionism
Faith is not inherited. Faith cannot be taught. Faith is not religion. No amount of brainwashing and proselytization will make a person more inclined to follow either the right or wrong path in life. God guides whom He wills and leaves astray whom He wills. And only God knows who the believers are. What anyone claims to believe means nothing. I will never call anyone a believer or disbeliever. There can be no 'us-versus-them' mentality for there is no 'us' and no 'them'. It is wrong to pass judgment on people, and it is especially wrong to put oneself on a moral high horse and talk down on other people.

What makes you feel good about yourself? Beautiful rich people tend to turn to hedonistic pleasures while poor ugly people tend to turn to religionism (This is an oversimplification to drive a point, there are grey ares between black and white). Some people feel good about themselves believing they are exceptions from the norm. Most people are in the grey area in between. Believing in a higher power and doing the right thing applies regardless of what circumstance an individual lives his/her life. It is independent of both religionism and hedonism. You could be living in trendy Shibuya, Tokyo, or the city of Qum, Iran. Sure, the hedonist will be subjected to different temptations (eg. drugs/alcohol, 'massage parlours') compared to the religionist (eg. extremism, blind hate, egoism, 'us-vs-them' mentality), but at the end of the day both will have opportunity to take the right path in life.

Liberty
There can be absolutely no coercion in matters of faith. God guides whom he wills and faith flows from that guidance. Nothing can help a person whom God has left astray. You do not know who has been guided and you do not know who has been led astray. As one individual cannot guide or mislead another individual, and faith is neither transferable nor teachable, it is reasonable that everyone should be left to their own unless their actions cause harm to others. It is ok to drink, but it is not ok to drink while breastfeeding your baby. Note that a person's s faith cannot be "harmed" - meaning that a person's actions cannot influence another person's faith.

It is wrong to force someone to do things you consider to be 'good' (eg. Rituals). It is wrong to punish someone for doing something that you consider to be 'bad' (eg. Smoking). Religionists often use the excuse that they are preventing "moral degeneration" or "loss of faith" to restrict civil liberties such as alcohol, gambling and porn. I am not saying those things should not be legislated. Yes alcohol is bad for kids and a cigarette tax makes sense. What I am saying is that it is wrong to restrict civil liberties on the pretext of preventing loss of faith. You cannot prevent a person from losing faith in the same way you cannot guide a person. God guides people, and only God can leave an individual astray. Going on moral crusades is a pointless waste of time as you not going to guide anyone, and you are not going to prevent anyone from being left astray.
 

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* This is the biggest change from the previous rev of my constitution. I will not try to be an extrovert. Introversion is not shyness. It's not about being a loner. Au contraire, those who lean towards introversion tend to be more sociable than extroverts towards those they know well. I dont know what took me so long to realize this. I see that pattern quite clearly in my life. No matter how hard I try to reach out to people I will always gravitate around a few trusted friends and (unintentionally) neglect those whom im not so close to. Introverts by definition find social interactions, while pleasurable, quite 'tiring'. It's hard to explain. Not tiring in a physical or emotional sense...but just 'draining' and leaving you with the desire for some alone time.

** I define God as a higher power, or whatever that phrase means to the person reading this. Said higher power can go by various names depending on locale. The name / word used to denote this higher power is irrelevant. It is the concept that matters. As I am typing in English I used the term "God". I am not referring to any particular deity of any religion.

*** A great majority of religionists are not terrorists hell bent on proselytizing the world's children. A great majority of hedonists are not drunken, crack sniffing swingers. There are many many religionists, hedonists, and those in the grey area between who are at the bottom line decent people - and that is where my faith in humanity lies.