Ideals (WIP)

Lately I’ve been thinking about coming up with a “Rule of Life” or something similar. I’ve always been very hesitant to state things in absolute or concrete terms, so I’ve been doing a lot of deliberating. I still haven’t come up with anything definitive. Here is a fluctuating and growing list of ideals. This is still very much a work in progress.

Also, this is a description of how I aspire to live. I’m pretty good at some of these things, but there are also several that I have to work hard on.

• Be kind to everyone all of the time.
• Always respond peacefully.
• Incremental improvement is better than no improvement.
• Strive for a sustainable lifestyle.
  • This is good for a number of climate and socioeconomic reasons, but it’s also here because it’s good for my quality of life.
• (too vague) Try to save the world.
  • Prefer fair trade goods.
  • Prefer organic foods.
  • What’s good for the land is usually good for the farmers, too, and vice versa.
  • Prefer sutainable/durable products.
  • Purchase to meet needs, not wants.
• Avoid junk food.
• Purchase for practicality/utility, not whim/shiny/status.
• Be generous; I have way more than I need (despite how it might feel sometimes).
• I want everyone to succeed, even my “competitors.”