Law

Kinds, Types, Varieties

God’s Law, Virtue and Sin, Be Good, Don’t be bad

Parental and Societal and Church Values

Scouting- Do a good turn daily, be prepared

Make the world a better place, service

Thou shalt not kill, love all serve all, be a man for others

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to god and my country

   you serve your country by making the whole world peaceful and rich

To obey the Scout Law

To keep myself physically strong mentally awake morally straight

Law:  A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrity, Brave, Clean, Reverent.   

Scout Law breakdown

   Trust.  Don’t Lie.   Be Honest.  Transparent.  Reliable.  A man of your word.  Dedicated to learning and sharing Truth.   Philosophical, teaching.  

   Loyalty to loved ones family and friends and maybe country or even humanity.

Helpful, Useful, Of Service, Assisting, Not Hindering, standing in the way, obstructive, harmful

You’re either a part of the solution or the problem.

The art of war is deception, though.  

    Friendly with all, compassionate, understanding, grok, comprehend, empathize, social, cheerful.   Meet people where they’re at, conform to situations, cheer people up, stay positive, be of value.

    Courteous not rude or offensive (or even offended: equanimity), tolerant, accepting, welcoming, respectful, treat as equals, not haughty or superior or arrogant or Better.

    Kind, make a difference, reduce suffering, increase joy, brighten people’s day, a force for good.

Obedient, not refractory or willfully noncompliant just to be stubborn or rebellious - but think about what you’re being told to do and disobey if unethical, or illegal, or against your values/integrity.

    Cheerful.   Smile, be positive, optimistic, hopeful, glad.    Aim for joy, even ecstasy or bliss.   Have gratitude.  Savor the good things.  Imagine a better future.  Laugh, tell jokes, watch standup, don’t (always) be serious, be light-hearted.   Life is crazy, absurd, and completely laughable.   Life shouldn’t be a series of chores and drudgery and tasks and misery.   Life should feel good, full of activity and life and entertainment and Fun.  

    Thrifty.   Go to thrift stores.   Don’t buy shit you don’t need.   Budget and stay within.   Spend wisely.   Save, invest.   Spend on things with the most bang for the buck.   Go to garage sales, get free stuff.  Conspicuous consumption is evil in light of starvation and basic need around us.  

We don’t need a lot of junk,  and commercials are a waste of time, and time is money.   Libraries have free books, free education, and food pantries have free food that would otherwise get thrown away.

    Bravery.  There is danger in the world, and you should be safe, be prepared, and confront evil whenever possible.   Know what you can and can’t do, know the law, and don’t be afraid to get help in difficult situations.   Confront the demons inside you, and cultivate confidence, so you are not afraid of driving, say, or going on a jog, or the everyday risks of living in a city or around potentially dangerous people.  Train to stay safe, and be prepared to have the courage to combat evil, if you can.  It takes bravery to do new things, and go outside your comfort zone, and say things that people may not agree with, or to take risks.   Be prudent.

    Clean.  Next to godliness.   Filth stinks, and is unhealthy, and looks bad.   Hygiene is essential to overall health.   Respect your body, the food you put in it, the drugs, the things you read or watch or listen to, and practice safe sex, for example, and avoid getting infected by covid or colds or what-have-you, as well as infecting others, of course.  

    Lastly, REVERENT.   God is a source of strength, and religious communities are valuable resources, in times of need, materially or spiritually.  Truth is holy, so worship by your lights, even if you are an Agnostic, Atheist, Pagan, Freethinker, or what-have-you.  We get by with a little help from our friends, and the world is full of good, kind, helpful, loving people, of all stripes, who want you to Thrive and love life.

Vegetarians think meat is a perdition dish!   I think sausages are saus-ome :-).   But I see the vegan perspective, point of view.   The meat industry is freaking heinous, and probably needs reform, and the SAD (Standard American Diet) should get kinder, healthier, (some would say, more delicious, even).  But it's okay.   We're all dying, anyway.  Meat animals wouldn't even be alive anyway if it wasn't for their fate in our stomachs.

What is Hell?   War.   Death.  Suffering.  Going to shit.  The art of war is deception.  Suffering is from pain, attachment, ignorance.    Aversion, craving, delusion.  So Heaven is not wanting for anything.  Accepting reality.  Accepting death, suffering.   We will all be dead for all eternity.   Everybody hurts, sometimes.  We are all going to hell.   Misery and depression and just regular dissatisfaction are forms of hell, too.  "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" -Thoreau.  Seeing others suffer is painful, too.  Being angry can be madness, and madness can be hell.  Prison isn't a walk in the park.  Sickness isn't fun.  Starvation is painful and unnecessary.   Injustice hurts.   Death of loved ones, drug nightmares, victimization, cruelty and bullying, and sometimes even the concept of Hell itself, are hellish.  It's not necessarily a bad thing.   We are sensitive, and if we didn't care and empathize, we wouldn't feel the pain of others.  Pain is an evolutionary adaptation to telling our bodies when we need to heal.  Anger and rage against evil and wickedness are merited, and it is understandable to seek vengeance, payback, and yes the threat of endless suffering in the hope of ending it for others.    It's twisted.  There are even sadists who want hell for their own pleasure.  But justice, when fair and proportional to the crime committed, is called for.   Childbirth is hell.   Flamethrowers and incendiary bombs and self-immolation are NOT what singers are talking about with, "you set me on fire" (!!).   Fire is metaphorical, too.   

Update on HIV/AIDs

AIDS is still a big problem in Africa.   Up to 10% of the population of some countries in Africa have AIDs.   ART is helping (Anti Retroviral Therapy).    Over 25M people in Africa have AIDS.   Over 2/3 of global cases are in Africa.    South Africa has over 7M cases.   4 countries have a prevalence of over 20%.   Stats are imprecise (by source, year).    The height of the epidemic, withe the greatest incidence of infection, was in 1997.  

So Heaven is not being in Hell, primarily.   You should have gratitude for that, at all times that is true.   And it's not wanting for anything.   Basic needs met.   Being happy for no reason.   Plus, being happy for all the reasons that make you personally happy.   You don't need a charmed life, like Silver Spoons or something, to be fully happy.   Comfort and meditation and good meals do it for me.  I've got my list of things:  Nature, comedy, love, sex, pleasure, variety, quietude, libraries, internet, music, recreation, health, money, fun, exercise endorphins, compliments, writing, good conversation, a good book, a good movie, friendship, hobbies, frisbee, joe frank, travel, museums, kid energy, trivia, research and learning and teaching, shopping or finding things, etc.   But I can still imagine more.   I mean, if I went to Harvard and had power and privilege, parents that gave me enviable DNA and money and upbringing, and had friends in high places, and was sitting by a pool, sipping a whatever, contemplating my next trip to Rio, say, and was shopping for which horses to keep on my estate, to give my grandchildren, or who to replace my elderly servant with...   You get the picture.   CELL.    Comfort Ease Luxury Leisure!   Or jail/prison,   I mean, if Heaven is savagely beating your enemy, maybe you'll enjoy being locked up in prison reading their tablet or whatever, too.