Principles: A Guide For Our Feelings

Introduction:

Welcome my friend,

It's true that as citizens of a country, members of a particular organization or even children of certain families, there are sets of laws, rules or behavioral codes of conduct that would guide us.

The reason for this is to ensure orderliness, uniformity and fairness; so that everyone can coexist together in a manner that the stronger doesn't feed on the weaker as in an animal kingdom.

It also means that to enforce these regulations, there'll be consequences for those who don't live up to them, as a form of determent to others going forward.

That's about it for rules as they concern our interactions with the society, our social groups or workplaces.

However, as individuals too, we're to have our own sets of self restrictions that guide us and keep us in check, as we go about our daily lives.

That way, we're able to hold back, showing what we may describe as self control.

Our conversation today, dear friend, is therefore centered around understanding these rules and how we can try to live them out, which is more important than merely knowing them.

Discussion:

“Do what makes you happy” is an incomplete statement that doesn't state that we may not freely do what makes us happy at the expense of someone else.

Moreover, isn't it unwise to also do what makes us happy when it's something that's unhealthy for us or has long-term damaging impacts?

Such is the danger of acting according to our feelings that it's best to discipline ourselves instead; bearing in mind that to be disciplined is living to prioritize our principles above our feelings.

So what does this really entail?

■ Assessing Our Personal Code Of Conduct

A person not having something to eat doesn't mean they wouldn't get hungry, it just means they wouldn't eat when they do.

This is the same for our feelings and the principles that guide us on how to respond to them.

Having these principles doesn't mean we wouldn't have feelings that go against them, it just means that we can hold back as if we don't have what it takes to respond to them.

However, this is only possible when we set those restrictions beforehand rather than waiting for when these feelings set in, else we may be overpowered by them.

For the purpose of this discussion, we'd be categorizing these self restrictions into the following broad groups:

▪︎ Moral Principles 

This refers to our principles as it concerns virtues of honour, integrity and honesty.

How our words match our actions and how genuine our intentions are.

It's the position we take in the face of justice and injustice, fairness and unfairness.

It's a measure of the truth we're willing to speak and stand by when faced with a world that demands us to be politically correct even if it means distorting the facts.

▪︎ Financial Principles

This involves our attitude towards money and the all round management of our resources.

It's the beliefs we have about borrowing money and running into credit card debts with outrageous interest rates.

Do we see gambling and ponzi schemes as sustainable means of building wealth or do we understand that money is “the consequence” of creating a value that people are willing to pay for?

How about handling other people's finances in our care?

When we can't provide the funds we've been given to safekeep as at the time it's needed, we've embezzled it; regardless of our best intentions or any other purpose we may have used it for.

▪︎ Relationship Principles 

If we value money over our relationships, we may find ourselves in situations where we'd sell out a loved one for cheap benefits.

Betrayal cuts others deep; sometimes leaving them damaged.

This is not how we should repay those that have been there for us at some point.

Yet even the betrayer continues to live with the guilt of their action, leaving us with no winners from the situation.

Our relationship principles will also include our views as they concern being unscrupulously involved with other people's spouses?

How would we respond to our feelings when it pushes us in the direction of someone that has a commitment to someone else?

This is an important one because it involves covetousness and can get even violent or deadly.

■ Consequences Of An Unprincipled Life 

To live an “anything goes” kind of life means that we'd be tossed around in the direction of our feelings, trends, or opinions of other people never really having an identity of our own.

To be reliable means that others can feel safe enough to engage us in business transactions knowing that we'd keep our words.

Where this is non existent, they push us to the sidelines giving other folks jobs we're capable of doing.

An unprincipled life is also an unhappy life because it's full of long-term regrets after all that short-term satisfaction from our indiscretions have vanished.

How many folks with bright futures have lost it all in one moment of anger, excitement or lust?

All our actions have consequences and while we may not turn back the hands of time, we can at least try our best to show restraint, before the deed is done.

■ The Basis Of Our Principles 

As believers, the guide for our behaviour is the word of God as written in the Bible and confirmed by his nature as we've now found out in our daily interactions with Him through prayer.

This means that it's impossible to live a principled life outside of God since our standards will be flawed by our human nature and its desires; and corresponding logic that we use to absorb ourselves of any wrongdoing.

When we pick a side, is the Lord's or that of the world?

As we give up the benefits of obeying God for the mere applause and acceptance of a crumbling society.

Summary:

Thanks for getting to this part of the conversation my friend even if it's been all talk and no pleasantries.

Yet you know it wouldn't be a complete discussion if I haven't inquired of your well being;

How are you my friend?

Have a good weekend and see you next Friday.

Master Apprentice.

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