I like maxims, pithy sayings to make sense out of life and help live it wisely. Over time, I’ve arrived at a few simple ones, just a list of ideas that have panned out. It's always a work in progress as I try to improve the expressions or occasionally add a 'new' rule that seems apt.
I often say them privately to myself and aloud to others. Each is the tip of an iceberg, a fingerpost pointing me toward productive ways to organize and interpret my experiences and away from my emotionally-driven issues, those default constructions conditioned at an early age that, when triggered, cause us to dumb down (e.g., when I get into a fight with my life partner over something trivial). When I’m confused and stuck, I turn to them to become grounded again. They’ve served me well and I’d like to share them here, then discuss them further in a series of diaries.
First my general motto: Always a student. We may think we have all the answers at age 15 or 25 or 50; but, there’s always a lot you don’t know; and the map you’re using is always provisional. Moreover, nothing is a waste if you gain knowledge. I'm determined to learn and unwilling to believe that I know it all.
So here are the maxims, Sundiata’s rules of wisdom.
Stay awake.
Seek the truth.
Keep an open mind.
Learn from everything.
Avoid jumping to conclusions.
Don’t take anything personally.
Respect yourself and others.
Laugh as much as possible.
Play as much as possible.
Judge as little as possible.
Do what works.
Know your limitations.
Surround yourself with good people.
Don’t fear being known.
Become harmonious with life rather than trying to control it.
Develop as much skill as possible.
Let go of everything transient.
Wait for the wave.
Never give up.
But, you might be wondering, what business does sundiata have presenting his little sayings as if he has some kind of corner on the wisdom market? And how is this relevant to our ongoing conversations about furthering progressive causes?
Perhaps you know the parable of the blind men and the elephant.
The six wisest people in a certain ancient country, so it goes, all happened to be blind. They were brought in one day to examine a bizarre monster that arrived from across the ocean on a ship. No one in this land had ever encountered such a creature. Standing in a row beside the beast, the six ‘wise men (some of them might have been women)’ were led up to the animal and each examined it by feeling around with the hands. After this procedure, all sat down to discuss their conclusions. One had felt the trunk and concluded that the beast was some kind of snake. Another felt the tusk and argued that the creature was like a curved spear. Depending upon what part of the elephant they happened to touch, each one came to a different conclusion; the leg was like a tree; the ear, a carpet; the side, a solid wall; and, the tail was like a rope. The result was a prolonged argument that ended with every one of them going away infuriated that the other ‘wise men’ were such hard-headed fools. The followers of each sage adopted his or her opinion and continued the argument for years afterwards.
At the outset, I’ll admit that I am a blind person describing the part of the elephant I’ve happened to touch. Whether these ideas hold any water is for the reader to judge. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting follow-up diaries looking at the rules in detail; but, I’ll leave you with an exercise to illustrate the relevance of this one. Consider Sen. Barack Obama, presumptive Democratic nominee for POTUS. From your observations, do any of these principles exemplify him? Now you know why I love the guy so much.