ethics and morals

every human being
grows up
with a set of ethics
and morals
that speak to the very fibre
of their being...

these would the be the
rules and regulations
by which one runs their life

most of us got the basics
from our families...
the parental units...
and their parents...
our spiritual leaders...
clergymen and women...
our educators...teachers...
counselors and peers

and then there's the laws of the land
that are loosely based on
the basic ethical and moral
tenets of mankind....

as we grow up
if we are feeling
and thinking human beings
our "rules and regulations"
get examined more and more closely
on a regular basis

and we make decisions
as to which one's will remain
important to us
and which ones will not

over the years
some will change the basics...

sometimes it's done to fill
a perceived void in one's life

and sometimes it's done to justify
things that that may be causing us
a crisis of conscience

sometimes we re-evaluate
what we've been taught
to tighten the concepts
over what we learned
at the knee
of those that have gone on
before us...

as adults
we make educated decisions
hopefully based on fulfilling
the needs of our morals and ethics

I say all this
so that I may also say.....

As an adult
I do not expect anyone
to follow my personal path
and by the same token
no one should think
that I will compromise
what I believe
for the good of the "all"
(I did that once upon a time...
and the outcome was abhorrent to me)

My basic belief patterns
have evolved out of all of the
above suggested processes
and out of years of research and experience
some of which taught me lessons
the hard way
harder than most have to experience

Out of all of this
has evolved
a steadfast belief
for me
in the tenets
of the Wiccan Rede

"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An it harm none do what ye will."

I strive to never
intentionally harm anyone
I am not always successful
but I strive

Should it come to pass
that I harm someone
I do my personal best
to set things right

I own up to what I did
and I apologize

and make whatever restitution
I can
wherever possible

and then
when I am alone
I agonize over
what went wrong
and what lesson I can learn
from this particular episode

recently
I have had occasion
to have 3 people in 2 days
tell me that I need to "lighten up"
to not hold so dear
the basic tenets of my beliefs
to allow for things to happen
without repercussion
or consternation
both to me
and about me

I can't see myself doing so

better yet
I don't want to

and if this means that
it's time for me to move on
then so be it

I chose to remain
true to what I believe
and those who are unable to understand
will probably not even realize
when I am gone.

I am but a work in progress
in my life
I have experienced
hunger
pain
loss
addiction
anger
violence
victimization
and sadness
and I may well again....

but I have also experienced
joy
bliss
pride
amusement
peace
enlightenment
fun
and love

and I will continue on this path
this path
that is right
for me

so mote it be.