The fool says in his heart, There is no God.
Psalm 14:1
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:14
He who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will not have anything to give others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions,his aggressiveness, his ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, his doctrinaire prejudices and ideas.
--Thomas Merton
DO NOT EVER...A Common Sense Code of Honor
Persons of good moral character, of honor and integrity, did not just "get that way" by accident. No, there are no accidents in God's Universe. The truth is, God gave each and every one of us what I consider the greatest gift imaginable, aside from Life itself: Free Will.
Will you use that Free Will to respect and honor God, and His creation, by making every attempt in your actions, and in your interactions with others, to obey God's Laws and reflect His Glory? Or will you slap God in the face by becoming an aggressor against others, by trampling the God-given, Unalienable Rights and Liberties of the Individual?
Make no mistake: God-given Rights are bestowed upon each INDIVIDUAL and anyone who violates those rights will be held accountable; even if justice is not done in this earthly life, there is no escape from God's Justice.
Don't "believe" in God? That doesn't change the reality of God's existence, as you will certainly learn --one way or another, sooner or later.
Among those who don't acknowledge the existence of the Creator, the One Almighty God, but rather believe that there are many "gods", or even that they are gods unto themselves, are those who will tell you that there is no "evil" and no "good", no right or wrong, but only the "balance" of Light and Darkness (good and evil) in the universe. Some are so arrogant as to claim that they are "walking the line" in some grey area between the Light and Darkness, to preserve this "balance". According to their strong delusion, in their futile attempts to usurp the very power of God, they have appointed themselves as a sort of Cosmic Police Force to maintain "order" in the universe. These are the persons who believe that the "ends justify the means", and whose aggression knows no bounds. Avoid them like the plague.
It is my belief that aggression is the root of all evil. But before going into detail about some of the acts that comprise aggression, it is necessary to define the nature of aggression. Aggression can be understood, first and foremost, as a LACK OF RESPECT for the privacy, personal boundaries and the Inviolability of Personhood.
I do not approach this subject from a "legal" perspective, nor even from a "religious" angle but rather from a general spiritual/moral/ethical perspective. For my purposes here, I will define a "Person" as any individual human being or other sentient creature. And I do believe that yes, God sees "every sparrow that falls". God sees every act of kindness, compassion and mercy, every act of selfless service to others in accordance with God's Laws, and every act of cruelty, aggression and injustice.
But this report is not about sparrows, it is primarily about the way Persons of the human variety treat one another, and about a Code of Honor, which if scrupulously followed, removes aggression from the equation.
Before you can RESPECT the rights, the liberties, the privacy, the personal boundaries of others, of the INDIVIDUAL, that is, you must first fully ACKNOWLEDGE them.
Communists, socialists, leftists --collectivists of any stripe-- by definition cannot respect the personal boundaries of others, simply because they refuse to even acknowledge them. The so-called "common good" is their hue and cry, and in their false belief that the collective trumps the individual, they don't give a damn about trampling individual rights. But in truth there can be no "common good" as long as the rights of even one individual are being violated. This totalitarian ideology, or tyranny, in any form, is rooted in aggression against the rights and liberties, the privacy and personal boundaries of the Individual Person.
Then, there are the garden variety busybodies, whose aggression may be less extreme and more mundane, but it is aggression all the same. Aggression is a slippery slope, and those who set foot on that path will eventually reach the bottom --at least, without a revelation of truth and a conscious effort to remedy their attitudes and actions, before it is too late.
But it doesn't take an ivory-tower philosopher or religious scholar to see the truth. Anyone with the common sense God gave them may know the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, between respect for an individual's rights and personal boundaries, and the aggression that violates them.
All that being said, here's a Common Sense Code of Honor, very simple and easy to understand. It is not all encompassing, not by a long shot. Mostly, it is just based on MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS and leaving others in peace to tend to theirs. Not overstepping your bounds. Not interfering, not meddling, not engaging in acts of aggression, in any form.
DO NOT EVER...
Invade the privacy of another Person.
The Right to Privacy is an integral part of Individual Liberty.
DO NOT EVER: Snoop into the private affairs of others. A Person has the right to keep secrets, if he so chooses. He has the right to the quiet enjoyment of his home, his property, his personal/family relationships, without outside interference.
A Person has the right to keep the physical address of his home, his telephone number, his e-mail address PRIVATE, to protect himself from prying eyes, unwanted public scrutiny and threats to his security and safety.
A Person has the right to privacy in his personal papers and effects. This includes his private journals, e-mails, audiotapes, videotapes, etc. Anyone who steals these private effects, and/or who willfully invades the privacy of another, by publishing such personal materials, is not only a busybody, but a malicious wrongdoer.
DO NOT EVER: Violate the confidence of a Person who has shared ANY sort of private/sensitive information, by divulging those confidences to others. If someone has trusted you with private information about his life, respect that confidence and keep the information to yourself. Do not be a tale-bearer; do not be a gossip. Loose lips sink ships. They also destroy friendships. Do not become a Town Crier for the private business of others. It's not your place, not your story to tell.
DO NOT EVER: Show up unannounced and uninvited at a Person's home. It is the worst sort of intrusion and the ultimate in rudeness. Unless there is a dire emergency which you KNOW to be the case, or unless that Person has expressly stated that you are welcome to "drop in" anytime without prior notice, DO NOT EVER.
DO NOT EVER: Appoint yourself as a "matchmaker" between other Persons. Do not contact one Person and without the prior knowledge and permission of another Person, try to arrange a meeting, broker a deal, offer your assistance, or otherwise meddle in the business of other Persons. DO NOT EVER become an unwanted intermediary in the business of others.
DO NOT EVER: Give unsolicited advice. This applies across the board, whether it is a friend, a family member or especially, a stranger. Do not take it upon yourself to advise others, unless they have specifically asked. If someone wants your advice, they will ask for it. If they don't, it is not your place to foist it upon them.
DO NOT EVER: Interrogate others about their personal habits, their finances, their relationships or other private matters. Above all, do not be a busybody who tells others how to live their lives; what they "should" or "should not" be believing, doing, spending, drinking, smoking, etc.
DO NOT EVER: Think you have the right to "decide" for another Person in situations where that person may have asked for your assistance. If someone asks for your help, first find out HOW they want and need to be helped, before you take any action. Respect the wishes of those you are helping, rather than taking matters into your own hands. If you are unable or unwilling to help them in the specific ways they request, then say so, and leave them free to seek help elsewhere.
DO NOT EVER: Give a Person an animal for a "pet" without first asking their permission. Many animals end up homeless or in shelters because they were "dumped" on an unwitting recipient by a do-gooder busybody who decided that they "needed" this animal for a companion, or that the animal "needed" a good home, when in fact it may not be a good match for either Person, the animal or the human being.
DO NOT EVER: Presume that you know what is "best" for another Person. Only God knows what is best, and only the Person has the right to decide that for himself. Whether he is "right" or "wrong" is not your place to decide.
DO NOT EVER: Buy a subscription to any publication in another Person's name and have it sent to their mailing address/home address, without first asking permission. Especially, if the Person is a Prisoner, you may be compromising that Person's safety by doing so. Prisoners have been punished (including being placed in solitary confinement) for the indiscretions of do-gooder busybodies who have foolishly sent "incendiary" material addressed to them.
DO NOT EVER: Pay unwanted attention to any Person who has made it clear (either directly or by their silence) that they do not want any dealings or communication with you. DO NOT EVER harass another person with unwanted e-mails. letters, telephone calls.
DO NOT EVER engage in any form of stalking. If a Person has rejected your advances (whether of friendship, "romance", professional business or otherwise) leave that Person in peace!
DO NOT EVER: Bear false witness against another Person, for any reason. Period.
DO NOT EVER: Threaten to, or engage in blackmail of another Person, for any reason.
DO NOT EVER: Use any form of coercion or extortion against another Person.
DO NOT EVER: Draw first blood.
DO NOT EVER: Physically assault another person, except in self defense, or in the defense of others.
DO NOT EVER: Invade the private property, or the country of other Persons.
DO NOT EVER: Wage a war of aggression against other Persons.
DO NOT EVER: Attribute all the evils of the world to any particular race or ethnic origin of Persons, any particular religion of Persons, or to the gender of Persons, making them into scapegoats.
DO NOT EVER promote bigotry and hatred. DO NOT EVER attach blame anywhere but with the specific INDIVIDUAL wrongdoers who perpetrated the offenses or crimes, no matter how many, or how few.
Any group that exists is made up of INDIVIDUALS. Each and every Individual is given the same Free Will by Almighty God.
What will you choose to do with yours?
Barbara Hartwell Percival
January 12, 2012
Barbara Hartwell Percival
Legal Defense & Research Trust
Legal Defense & Research Trust
Barbara Hartwell Vs. CIA
