Tenets

If there is no Great Plan, then all that matters is what you do.

I’ve been an atheist from before I started secondary school (at 11 years old) and over the years I’ve developed my own belief system. I don’t object to people being religious, but I have a scientific mind and view of the universe, and I cannot accept the God concept. I do not completely rule out the possibility that we were "Intelligently Designed", but if we were, I'd just say "Thanks ET" and quietly get on with my life.

The 18 months from when my late wife Clare went into hospital were at times very hard for me, but I have mulled over my beliefs/tenets as part of my grieving/recovery process and decided to document them.

I have at times been threatened or attacked for doing or saying the right thing, but I always try to do the right thing, no matter what the potential consequences to me.

Just like life itself, Tenets should always be a work in progress within broader brush strokes.

1. Do no harm.

• All that is required for Evil to triumph is for Good to do nothing.
• If Good does not try to stop Evil, then it is no longer Good.
• If we did not tolerate the minor infractions, then we would not have to deal with major infractions.
• Fear of the consequences should not prevent you from doing the right thing.
• Violence is wrong.
• Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. There is always an alternative, providing action is taken early enough.
• Violence only leads to more violence, not to justice.
• Discretion is the better part of valour.
• One person’s terrorist, is another person’s freedom fighter. Whatever the definition, however, we must ask why they have resorted to violent actions? Analyse their actions, try to understand and help find a resolution.
• Let the peace begin with me, and continue with you. Be brave enough to look for peaceful solutions, as the outcome of violent solutions is never certain.
• Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
• Do not seek unjustified or disproportionate retribution.
• The punishment should fit the crime.
• You cannot release an innocent dead person – capital punishment is wrong, but ‘life in prison’ should sometimes mean exactly that.
• Only judge by what is done and said.
• There is nothing wrong with being a different race, creed or sexual orientation.
• Do not discriminate on anything other than ability.
• Sometimes you have to look below the surface to see the depths.
• There is a very thin line between clever and stupid.
• It is better to keep your mouth shut and look like an idiot, than to open your mouth and confirm it.
• People are free to do anything, provided all involved or affected are consenting adults.
• There is nothing wrong with having different sexual preferences, provided all involved or observing are consenting adults .
• If someone wants to engage in dangerous activities, then offer them advice if you feel it to be appropriate, but they should be free to continue to do so, provided they are not placing others at risk, or harming others.
• Avoid or prevent accidents.
• It is better to avoid an accident which would not be your fault, than to have the accident and have to deal with the guilt afterwards.Do not drive after partaking of drink and/or drugs.
• The X-Files School of Motoring - Trust No One! Assume that everyone else is an idiot and about to do something very stupid, so be ready to compensate for their stupidity.
• Accept that we all make mistakes. Own up to your mistakes and apologise to those affected.

2. Make sacrifices for the greater good.

• The wealthy should help the poor, whether that be people, groups or nations.
• Protect the Earth, or the Earth will not support us.
• Be ecologically sound – recycle.
• Just because Global Warming has not been proven to everyone's satisfaction to be due to human activities, does not mean that we shouldn’t still try to preserve and protect Gaia (the living planet Earth).
• The trust involved in giving up some control for a better world is akin to when you're in love and you give a bit of yourself to your partner. That is to say, you are risking getting hurt in the future in exchange for a better world for all. In the same way that some people are incapable of doing that for love, some organisations and countries at present are incapable of relinquishing control of part of their own destiny for a better world for all.
• Life is a beach and we are merely pebbles. Our initial rough edges are smoothed away over the years as we interact with each other. Occasionally bits are broken off leaving sharp edges, such as when we lose someone we love or are otherwise hurt. These sharp edges smooth away over time, leaving only impressions. When we are finally worn away to grains of sand, our effects on others remain.
• A rope gains its strength from weaving strands together. The individual strands are weaker than the rope. Society is the rope, and people are the strands.

3. Debate anything, question everything, assume nothing.

• Share your beliefs, but do not force others to follow them.
• The only place for religion in education is within Religious Studies classes.
• Freedom of speech shouldn't be used as an excuse to attack and/or upset others.
• Make up your own mind - do not have opinions or beliefs just because they are someone else's, or because you are told to.
• Assume - makes an ASS out of U and ME.

4. Seize the day! Be happy!

• Life
• Live every day as if it is your last, because one day it will be.
• life is an adventure lived in the moment
• It is better to live for one day, than to subsist for one hundred.
• What does not kill us, makes us stronger - try to confront and overcome the things you are afraid of.
• Take chances (especially on love) and try new things.
• Life is a journey walking backwards between birth and death. You can see where you've been, but not where you're going. Enjoy the journey, because you never know when you'll reach the final destination.
• Relationships
• It is better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.
• Making those you love happy will make you happy.
• Don't just settle for anyone - settle down with the right person. It is better to be single than to be with someone just so that you are not single.
• Spend as much time as possible with those you enjoy being with, and the least amount of time possible with those you don't enjoy being with.
• Work/finances
• Maintain a balance between work and leisure.
• It is better to do a job you love for less money than you'd get in a job you hate.
• Work to live, don’t live to work.
• If you spend less, you can work less.
• Try to only have what you need, not what you want.

5. Keep it simple/standard!

• Use plain language whenever possible. Don’t use technical language, jargon or acronyms around people who may not understand.
• Use the International Date/Time Format (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS).
• Use the metric system.
• TV listings should use the format "Series.Episode" to denote the episode for each show. For example, "Babylon 5: Believers (1.10)" would signify episode 10 of series 1 of the show Babylon 5, the episode being called Believers.
• If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it!

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