10 New Commandments Good Ideas To Live And Raise Your Children By

I remember listening as my mother read me the original, biblical 10 commandments when I was a child. My first thought? I'm screwed. I've lied, I've sworn, I've been a brat with my parents and I've had doubts about the bible stories I was told. At about 8 years old, I found myself frantically wondering if I'd committed adultery yet. I was convinced I was going straight to hell.

Now, consider this:

1. Do not do unto others what you would not want them to do unto you.
2. In all things, strive to cause no harm.
3. Treat your fellow human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect.
4. Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted.
5. Live life with a sense of joy and wonder.
6. Always seek to be learning something new.
7. Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them.
8. Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you.
9. Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others.
10. Question everything.

These were originally put together on the atheist website http://www.ebonmusings.com. Here's the full article.

Richard Dawkins mentions them in his book "The God Delusion", describes them as "endearing" (I agree) and adds that somewhere in there, he'd like to find room for these:

• Enjoy your own sex life (so long as it damages nobody else) and leave others to enjoy theirs in private whatever their inclinations, which are none of your business.
• Do not discriminate or oppress on the basis of sex, race or (as far as possible) species.
• Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.
• Value the future on a timescale longer than your own.

My point? You do not need religion or the fear of God to be a decent human being.

These rules aren't absolute. Nobody is going to smite you down and damn you to an eternity of being barbecued alive by an evil, winged, goat-demon if you don't follow them.

But doesn't just reading them fill you with a sense of well-being?

Isn't *this* the kind of thing you want to be reading to your children at bedtime?

Of A Boy

I <3

... how I didn't see it coming.

... how I somehow knew.

... how much he laughs.

... how much he makes me laugh.

... how he smells, even after two days in the same shirt.

... how he's slightly shy about us.

... how he shudders in my arms...

... how my body reacts to the sound of his voice even.

... how he sniffs my face and neck like a little puppy dog.

... how he gushes first and then rambles when he's very sleepy.

... making him laugh out loud when he's at work.

... how he's the only person I know that's been bitten by a goat and knows what a computer screen tastes like.

... his 'Pervy Man' face.

... when he scares the living daylights out of me with his slightly insane hand-holding-head-turning-mouth-kissing stunt while riding his bike.

... the holiday we spent in his hometown, every second of it,
from the crazy beer games, to making love by the light of a giant fish tank to 2 am bike rides through the mountains.

... making him sammiches for breakfast

... how much Pop Rocks delight him.

... his man-slut best friend.

... his right pinky finger.

... how he's more ticklish than I am.

... how he always has the patience to explain how stuff works.

... the way he answers the phone when I call.

... refering to him as 'my boyfriend' :D

... being 'in tolerance' with him.

... how I don't care that I'm gushing, I'm fucking happy.

An Ode To Lust

The stillness of the spring night is momentarily disturbed by the light breeze. A breeze so gentle, it doesn’t even awaken the sleeping birds whose feathers it quietly ruffles.

 

The moon hides among the clouds, cloaking the temple in velveteen darkness, as if it knows. At this, the most ungodly of hours, you can almost hear the temple breathe.

 

Even the crickets seem reluctant in their night song. Something is different. The air is charged with...expectation.

 

She enters without a sound, treading lighter than a whispered prayer. And as she does, there is a stirring. Something deep within the temple walls flickers to life.

 

Her feet caress the warm marble stairs lovingly with every step and she remembers. She has been away for far too long.

The walls reach out to her and she goes to them. She knowingly runs her soft hand over every crack in every sculpture. She murmurs soothingly to the pillars and they almost whisper back in aching response.

 

She reaches the altar, the sacred inner sanctum, the heart of the temple and lights a candle, revealing her nakedness. The air is suddenly filled with the sweet fragrance of jasmines and she smiles into the night.

 

She dances among the flickering shadows and her ancient song makes the angels watching, smile down at her with warmth.

 

The power she wields here is unmistakable. 

She loves the temple and it loves her back.

She brings it to life by her mere presence.

The temple, it worships her.

 

But she is misunderstood, her strength feared. And she is banished from the place she loves, forced to return only when the time is right, under the cover of darkness.

 

For when the dawn comes, at first light, she must flee. She must disappear into the forest and the temple must remain as it was, before she took hold of it.

Nobody will know she was there, nobody would understand. The walls will fall silent and the marble will turn cold. The eyes of the angels will not twinkle with mischief and their hearts will be pure once more.  And the temple will become a place of prayer and devotion as it was meant to be.

 

But for now, they celebrate the night, the temple and its secret lover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Day In The Life Of A Girl

I didn't post yesterday on Blog Action Day.

I don't have an excuse. I don't have a speech. I don't even have my head on straight.

My life's in a bit of mess right now and I'll confess, Blog Action Day wasn't really at the top of my list of priorities.

Maybe 'mess' is a little too strong a word. Upheaval would be more apt. Change is upon me and being as wonderful as I am with change, I'm unraveling quickly.

But then the work day comes to an end and it's time to go home. I sit in the back of the car and curse at how long it takes to reach where I'm going. 20 long minutes later, I'm home. I lay sprawled out, naked, on my queen size bed, let the cold blast from the AC cool me off and wonder about what's for dinner. The lady that cooks for us makes eating a chore.

I can hear my mother watching TV in the living room. I wish she'd turn down the volume. I head to the bathroom, and turn on the shower. The water's warmer than usual. Stupid, fucking summer. What's it going to take to get a cold shower in this country?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a 7 year old girl is ending her work day too. She's not had a great day either. But that's okay, another hour and half, and she'll be home. She turns around and peers through the darkness to check on her little brother and blind mother that are following her lead. Because they're all walking barefoot, her brother has a bell tied to his ankle so his mother can hear him.

They're finally home. To her grandmother's disappointment, the day the family spent begging in the market wasn't very fruitful. Not unlike most nights, they go to sleep hungry. With any luck, it won't rain tonight. There're holes in the reed roof. If it rains, their little bamboo hut (about the size of a queen size bed), will fill with water.

The little girl spends the next morning collecting firewood and water to drink. The fact that the well is covered in dust and mosquito larvae doesn't seem to bother her. Her infected sore eyes don't seem to be causing too much discomfort either. She carries the 20 kilo (well over half her own body weight) buckets home. A tiny frog crosses her path as she walks. When the dry season comes, she and her older sister will trek into the forest nearby to hunt for these frogs and the little crabs that live under the big rocks. Their one meal for the day.

I get out of the shower and wrap my wet hair in a big towel. As I moisturize my hands and feet, I can hear the stupid TV show my mother is still watching. I've skipped dinner because I don't eat chicken and I can't stand cauliflower. I crawl under my blanket feeling sorry for myself and in 10 minutes I'm asleep.

Tomorrow is another day.

(The Little Girl)

Here We Go Again

Yes, Blog Action Day is coming up again.

Last year, the cause was the environment.

This year, it's poverty.

Which is an ironic subject for me because I live in one of the richest countries in the world, and back home, people are living in poverty so abject, it'll make your stomach tighten and your heart bleed just thinking about it.

And yet, even as we live the comfortable lives we take for granted here in Kuwait, people suffer.

Right under our noses.

They struggle, they get beat down and their spirits are stolen. The injustice and cruelty they have to live through each day will shock you speechless. Or maybe not.

It's easier to just look away and pretend it doesn't exist. Because doing something is just too much of a hassle. We've all got our own problems anyway, yes? And it's not like we can save EVERYONE now, is it?

Well, here's the chance to do something that might actually be worthwhile without having to get our $100-manicured hands dirty.

Can you spare a couple of minutes, at least?


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Silver

Today, on Thursday, the 7th of August, 2008, at around 8:00 am, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I discovered my first strand of grey hair...


...and I fucking love it.


:D

Awake

I'm watching you sleep.

Not thinking, just watching you.

My mind is still and I am at peace, as are you.

You give me peace.


I'm watching you sleep.

You've left me, you've drifted far away.

You don't even know I'm so close, but I can't get any closer without waking you.

I want so badly to wake you, to bring you back to me, but I don't.


I'm watching you sleep.

And I run my finger lightly along the knuckles of your tightly-balled fist.

How can something this tiny wield so much power?

How does your vulnerability make you so strong?


I'm watching you sleep.

Untouched by the world, momentarily separated from the madness,

By translucent eyelids of gossamer silk.

I'm afraid to even breathe on them.


I'm watching you sleep.

And you are safe, I promise.

I love you with everything I have.

More even, than those to whom you belong.