Ten Rules to Live By
The Ten Commandments, Rewritten for the World Today
The Ten Commandments spring forth to me an image of old Moses, walking down Mount Sinai, carrying the stone tablets to present to the Jewish people. He holds them up, shouting them to the crowd, who wonder what changes they need to make to their lives. It was a brilliant move by Moses. The Ten Commandments have guided people for thousands of years.
And we still like lists today.
Here’s a list from Self.com for “Top 10 Happiness Helpers.”
Here’s Time’s, “14 Ways to Squeeze More Joy Out of Every Day.”
And for those morally inclined, perhaps you just want to become a better person? The Internet has you covered!
Here’s Currio’s, “10 Ways You Can Be Great Today and Become a Better Person.”
Reddit has users providing lists to one another. Here is one for the “10 Quick Tips On Becoming a Better Person.”
Think of a list about anything and someone has probably made it. Lists persist about food, tires, pets, vacations, socks that increase blood flow (don’t ask). In an odd way, all these lists have made life a bit overwhelming.
Could it be that there are too many lists?
Moses had just the one that helped a lot of people. But the world is much more secular today and averse to “religious rules.” Perhaps there is a way to repackage the Ten Commandments and make it more relatable today?
I decided to give it a shot.
I went back and reimagined the Ten Commandments for today’s world. A world inundated with information and lists, especially for those who don’t know the Ten Commandments.
Without further ado, here are Ten Rules to Live By.
Ten Rules to Live By
1. We’re all good at something. Other people are good at something. There are lots of good things. But whatever caused these things to form from nothing (let’s call it, Creator), is better than everything, even you. Let’s keep some perspective, shall we?
2. Don’t make an image of yourself, a cause, a government, or an AI more important than the Creator. If you don’t follow number one, you’re bound to mess this one up too.
3. Don’t act on behalf of the Creator. Do what the Creator wants you to do but don’t pretend to be the Creator. Seriously, don’t do it. You will get confused and so will everyone else.
4. Work hard but you need to rest at least one day a week. Pick a day, Saturday or Sunday, and just relax. Disconnect from everything (especially social media and the news) and enjoy time with friends and family. Have them disconnect too. If you run a business, encourage them to do so as well and don’t message them on this day.
5. You aren’t the first person. You don’t know everything. In fact, when you got here, you knew absolutely nothing. Learn from your parents and the people who were here before you. They won’t be here forever so stop thinking you know everything, ask questions, listen and treat them with respect and dignity. Now get off my lawn.
6. Don’t kill the Creator’s favorite creation, people. Imagine if each person decided who were to live and who were to die? Not good. Remember, you still aren’t the Creator so stop trying to be the life/death decision maker. If you’re not following numbers one through five, good luck with this one.
7. Follow through on your commitments. Especially to your spouse. Enough said.
8. Don’t take each other’s stuff. Not even through someone or something else (even governments). No one will appreciate it or end up with much of it anyway. In fact, you’ll end up with less. Now, if someone gives you something, that’s terrific for everyone involved.
9. Remember number eight? Well don’t lie about each other too. Truth helps everyone. Do you want them to lie about you? Imagine having to spend your time fending off lies. If you’ve gotten this far and followed number one through eight, this one is easy.
10. Don’t want other people’s stuff. This may sound like number eight, but it’s not. Even just wanting what someone else has messes with your head. This can be used against you by others who want to divide a line right between us. Let’s call one side of that line “the rich” and the other side “the poor.” That “stuff” you want will become everything to you and you will agree to anything to get it. Then watch numbers one through nine crumble along with your sovereignty. Find joy in less. This one is hard.
What do you think? Is this more relatable for today’s world than the actual Ten Commandments? Leave a comment below or reply to the email and let me know.
Peace.