A central tenet of Living Honorably is to recognize and ultimately to strive to live in accordance with what I refer to as a set of Universal Truths of human existence. These Truths are timeless and cut across all civilizations, continents and societies.
In his book, The 8th Habit, Dr. Stephen Covey beautifully defines these truths (he refers to them as Principles) to include; fairness, kindness, respect, honesty, integrity, service and contribution. To this list I would add, effort and discipline. Like gravity, these principles are constant and immutable.
Dr. Covey goes on to say, and again I’m paraphrasing, we are each born with a belief that we should behave in accordance with these principles, and while on a fundamental level, all people understand these principles, they do not always act in accordance with them. This he points out, is the first and most important Human Gift – the Freedom to Choose.
When we live in harmony with the Universal Truths, or better stated, when we strive to live in harmony with these principles, a natural coherence and balance is created in our lives. It is unspoken but felt just as surely as the pull of gravity, or the tug in our gut that tells us what is right and wrong.
If you believe as I do that “Karma Exists”, or as more eloquently described by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “The arc of history bends towards justice”, then we have every incentive to endeavor to live in accordance with these simple and timeless Universal Truths.
We have the power and the human right to exercise that first and most important of human gifts; the Freedom to Choose.