Thoughts on Tolerance Most of us today live in complex urban societies. These by nature are diverse. Diversity often nurtures strength and vibrancy. We can expect to encounter people from a variety of backgrounds and customs in them, harbouring a smorgasbord of beliefs and opinions. They may wear strange clothes or speak languages that we
Learning Learn, discover and question. Enjoy learning in general. In order to learn you must also question what you or others believe. You must check and cross check any facts that you base your knowledge upon. You must be prepared to change your mind in the face of evidence that you cannot dispute. This precept
We are a social animal. We need others in order to survive and for our own mental well-being. We need to nurture our communities. Family is a form of community. It is one worth nurturing, but our societies today are so complex that we must include those communities that are outside the family. I would
Integrity Be honest, especially to yourself. In order to achieve this, you need to be honest to others too. A common trap for dishonesty is to progressively believe your own lies. We often make life more complicated than need be, and being dishonest with ourselves and others exacerbates this, enclosing us in an ever-tightening web
Act with the intention to leave your surroundings unchanged or better than when you found them. A simple way of viewing this is to imagine your grandchildren will have better lives than you because of your legacy. Try and consider the long-term consequences of your behaviour or actions. Seemingly harmless events done in the present