You may not think you have an oath or a code you follow, but we all do. We just may not think about it every day.
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An oath maybe something like “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “it’s every man for himself,” “question everything,” “get them before they get you,” “sacrifice yourself for the greater good,” “do no harm but take no crap,” “be the light,” “be kind to everyone you meet,” “be present,” “always take pride in everything you do, no matter how big or how small,” “love all and judge none,” “whoever dies with the most stuff wins,” or “practice compassion and non-violence.” My favorite is “love is the greatest power in the Universe,” so I guess that’s my oath. That and “help others, and if you can’t help them at least don’t hurt them.”
We all have oaths. We’ve just never called them that.
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Einstein said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”
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I see oaths everywhere, and any bumper sticker quote could be an oath. It’s a way you choose to live your life, or see the world. Einstein asked, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”
That could be the basis of an oath. There are oaths that we’ve chosen, or codes we live by. These codes or oaths can be traced back hundreds of years, or maybe some something we picked up from our family. They still impact us in the same way, it’s something that we value our live our lives by. Is yours an oath of service? Success? Family comes first?
Many years ago warriors followed a code, not all warriors mind you, but the ones that lived by a higher calling to help or protect others. In martial arts there was the shogun, Samurai or Bushido code. This meant that trained fighters or warriors would use their skills for good. Otherwise you’d have mercenaries. Trained hitmen. And that wasn’t good for everyone. The ancient codes were usually covering: courtesy, respect, justice, truth, honor, loyalty.
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Many years ago warriors followed a code, not all warriors mind you, but the ones that lived by a higher calling to help or protect others.
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Today we have many professions that deal with the public follow oaths: judges, doctors, lawyers, and the military. Police officers take an oath”to protect and serve”, those in court “I do solemly swear that the testimony I’m about to give…”, and any couple getting married make oaths.
Anytime I do a workshop or a class outside of my studio I asked the students to take an oath with me then raise their hand. “I promise not to use what I learn today to cause harm to another human being unless it is in defense of myslef or my family.” In any martial arts system we follow several codes or oaths or tenets. My system uses the tenets: perseverance, integrity, courtesy, respect, self-control, and indomitable spirit.
This quote came from friend (and parent) in the martial arts, Michelle Teti: The golden rules are all codes. Religion has a ton of codes. A big problem I see is that people say them but don’t live them. Hence all the problems with people in power. The ‘do as i say not as I do’ . We have conflicting codes as parents when we teach our kids. We can tell our kids to be nice and not bully and then they can hear us yelling at someone on the phone. Codes need to be consistent. I think about us being hypocritical in our oaths, you see it all the time with religious leaders, parents, and coaches. It’s all over the place. Oaths are great but if we can’t hold ourselves accountable to the oaths we dispense then it’s all just horse shit and hypocrisy.
So if I had to ask you to break it down, what are YOUR OATHS? What codes or ethics are you trying to live your life by, and what are you teaching your children? Or are there oaths you want to live by, that you haven’t? Be honest.
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Photo #1 courtesy of Beverly
Photo #2 courtesy of Pascal
