Ronin’s Journey: How To Deal With The World and Yourself

Up to this point, we have covered what we are all born with; you can work with it but cannot change it much. However now we are dealing with something you have complete control over. Your moral center, the principles you live by and weigh your decisions against.
Everyone has at least two sets of morals in their lifetime; the one instilled by parents and environment, followed by the one they choose to follow after they have become adults. There should be a key difference between them; you were trained with the first, and the second is up to you to decide. Examine what you were taught, take what fits, discard the rest and add what is ultimately your own to paraphrase Bruce Lee. Well I did, enough so it is tattooed on my arms but at this point, I am reexamining everything. Starting with:

OBJECTIVITY: Critical thinking, analysis and skepticism falls within this, lines up with my nature and my goal. If I cannot determine facts from falsehood then it makes for someone who’s easily led. That is why it is a principle for my life.

RESPECT BEFORE RUDENESS: Every person that we meet as far as we know is innocent so they deserve the same acknowledgement of existence that we do. A basic respect. Now if they do something with intent to hurt you then they are not worth your respect or time. Cull them if they are unrepentant. This was instilled in me as a kid, reiterated in the Wolf Mentality and I decided to keep it as my principle when dealing with others.

SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY: Another principle I was taught by my dad through his example. We are all responsible for our actions, barring mental health issues. Behave accordingly and reap the benefits and consequences of your actions. It falls on the individual to own it, learn from it, and move on.

SELF-RESPECT: Be true to who you are; do not change just to be liked. That cheapens your worth and submits you to the desires of others. Many people, myself included, have done this in order to be popular. We want to feel valued, yet empty inside. It’s an admittedly an uphill battle for me because I was living up to what I felt others expectations were from my past. Now, it’s time to live up to what I expect from me; it’s why I’m doing these posts, this goes toward my goal of making me.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: Who is responsible for you? Parents? At least until you are at the point you are capable of handling that, willing or not, it is on you. It is best to go ahead, recognize this, and make the most of it. Besides, remember when you were a teenager and you wanted out on your own? Here you go; you are the sovereign of your little world. This lines up with my pragmatism, so everything so far is rooted in my nature and/or moving towards my goal.

HONESTY ALWAYS: I am not one for lying, because I am not sure I can trust what you are saying afterwards. If you do lie then I need to know why you did so we can fix this rift of trust. People lie all the time to protect or project a self-image, hide from a fault, etc. I even lied to myself deep down but was brutally honest with my opinions of others. Now I have to be honest with myself, instead of projecting a strong, independent writer and warrior, I will have to become it. What I justified that which was holding me back is now examined and cast aside. Instead of trying to project a mask of who I want to be and hiding my struggle to do it, now you will see me still struggling at times, but open to my imperfections. It fits with Ralski’s quote, “The struggle is the glory.” Lying to yourself holds you back; being honest with yourself shows you a way out.

JUSTICE: I believe in justice and all external moral issues are weighed against this: NO ONE should initiate harm or threat of against others or delegate doing so to politicians or proxies, with the intent to submit them, or take something from them. The only time force is used is in self-defense, and retaliation is saved for use in the courts. I will not impose my will on another or allow them to force theirs on me or mine, as I do not believe in double standards. We are all equal, even if others do not realize it. This is the only way to truly be fair, and lines up with my self-realizing nature, the other principles I laid out, my mission in life (covered in a later post) and ultimately my ideal.

The final principle, the one that all others lead up to…SUBMIT TO NO ONE

My independence, through careful introspection continuously came up, is my greatest weapon and tool and I will not give it up. Anyone who asks you too is seeking to control you and should stay far, far away from you and me. This is the personal moral code and principles I have chosen and live by and the next post we will cover Values.
So what is your personal code and does it line up with your nature and goals in life?

 

Related articles in the Forging Ronin series

• The Blueprint: Becoming Me (Overview)

• Ronin’s Journey: The Soul And What Drives It (Step One)

• Ronin’s Journey: The World and How It’s Processed (Step Two)