I was reading a text today and had some excerpts that I felt like sharing with you..."Among us, there are many different practices and many points of view. No single one of us has all the answers to who and what we are. Respect each person's individual choices and beliefs. Learn about them and share what you know. Our diversity is our strength, and we should not allow misunderstanding to weaken our community."
"Give respect to those who have earned it. Anyone can claim a title, but a true leader will prove him or herself through dedication, hard work, and great deeds. Even so, leaders should be guides and not dictators. Look to them as examples, but always decide for yourself what you must do."
"Know that there are repercussions to every action, and that you alone are responsible for your decisions. Educate yourself about risky behaviors, then always act with wisdom and common sense. Do not allow others to abuse you, but also, do not selfishly abuse."
"Reach out to others in your community. Exchange ideas, information, and support. Be hospitable to others, and appreciate hospitality when it is extended to you. Do not engage in illegal activity,"
Would you care to take a guess what the source is for those passages? Was it the Koran (sp?) ? Nope. Was it the Torah? Uh uh. The book of 'Common Sense' (by Thomas Payne)? Try again. The bible? Heavens no . (pun intended)
The excerpts came from 'The Black Veil'. For those who don't know, that is a publication maintained by Michelle Belanger for the purpose of defining rules of conduct for modern day Vampires. Bwahahah!! It is a ruleset that is used widely around the world today.
( DISCLAIMER: I am not a "vampire" nor have I ever claimed to be one. I do not follow their practices nor their lifestyles. A man can appreciate the mountain without actually being a mountain himself. )
But seriously...why is it so hard to find texts that lecture common sense? You know...the kind of resource that talks about the responsibilities of each person in maintaining his/her life in this massive world with 6 billion other people with whom they have to share and whom they should respect. It's interesting that one has to go to a text like this to find it. I think it's rather amusing that I would probably tell my nephews to seek wisdom from the vampires before the the Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any other organized religion.
( The one obvious exception to that last statement would be the Tao of Programming ) :-p
2 comments:
Wow, Jason,
Those do appear to be wise words to live by regardless of the source.
BTW, would you interpret these words to mean that even if we ourselves are not particularly fond of oh, say for instance, wildlife, that we should, none the less, try to appreciate those who are? ;-)
Ummm....no. Wildlife is gay. Vampires are cool.
It's funny how you actually inject the world "oh" into the middle of your sentence just like you do when you talk. ;)
P.S. Thanks for the compliment!
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