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Centuries ago God is believed to have given to the people of Israel a list of religious and moral imperatives commonly known as 10 Commandments from the mountain referred to as Mount Sinai. It is believed that these were later authored by God and given to Moses in the form of two stone tablets. They are recognized as a moral foundation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Following is the list of 10 commandments given to people-
Now times have changed. People have changed. The issues and problems faced by people in the world have grown much more complex. In light of these changes there is need to interpret some of the commandments in better way, extend the meaning of some others and add new ones to cater to the issues and problems of today. Following is the list of 12 commandments for the modern world-
1.) You shall have no other Gods before me- Here "me" represents the Human mind. There is no reason why God would give you a mind of your own to think and then would want you to blindly believe others without questioning! Therefore one should not believe in anything which doesn't satisfy his reasoning and common sense.
Believe nothing,
no matter where you read it,
or who has said it
not even if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reasons and your own common sense.
-Buddha
2.) You shall not make images about other people in your mind- Most of the times people make certain images about other people based on either hearsay or because of 1 unpleasant experience. Years later people themselves may change but their impression on others remain the same leading to biased attitude. Therefore 1 should not be rigid in judging others.
3.) You shall show respect and tolerance towards other faiths- One should not take the name of God in vain (from the original commandments). Therefore if others are forced to take the name of God without their will it wont have any effect as "God" would be just another word for them. So people should realise the futility of forcing others to change their beliefs and instead should show respect towards theirs.
4.) You shall not interfere in others lives unless it affect yours- Much of the problem in this world today is because people want others to live life according to them! Everyone gets an independent life and therefore should have the right to live it according to his own way provided he doesn't cause any harm to others.
5.) Honour the Earth and nature- Father and mother definitely need to be honoured (from the original commandments) as they are the reason for our existence and sustain us during our initial years. But there is something else also that is responsible for our existence and that is Mother Earth. Therefore people should show respect towards the nature and should strive to make Earth a better planet which can sustain lives for many more years to come.
6.) You shall learn to kill- Kill the evil in you. Be happy with who you are but don't let pride take over you. For from pride originates the other sins: melancholy, sloth, despair, envy, wrath, greed. Therefore learn to kill the evil traits to maintain the purity of life.
7.) You shall put your health before wealth- Of all the things important to human today only body is 1 which is not made by him. Money, luxuries etc are all because of efforts of man rather than the body which he gets as a gift. Therefore one should put his health before anything else while there is time because it is the only thing which he can't get later on.
8.) You shall try to steal others pain and sorrow- Pull up the weaker, help the poor and respect the other, for you may find yourself at the other end of the ladder someday. A comforting shoulder and little time is what people need instead of money and gifts.
9.) You shall be truthful to yourself- People generally lie because of two reasons-
i.) They are ashamed of their deeds.
ii.) They pretend what they want to be rather than what they are.
In either of the case people run from their true self. Till people have the support of lie they would never work sincerely to correct their deeds or become what they want to be. Therefore people should be true to themselves for their own betterment.
10.) You shall use force as a last resort- Try to negotiate with peace before deciding that force is needed because the fight today is not between right and wrong. It is between one man's beliefs V/s the others and the beliefs of weaker are not wrong but they just don't matter. Therefore try your best to save a life as a drop of blood saved is gifting life a moment more.
11.) You shall learn to accept failures- A rose has no beauty without the thorns. Your life has no beauty without failures. They are just there to make you desire success more. No one is perfect, it's the desire & heart that makes life beautiful.
12.) You shall become the master of your life- Its unfortunate that most actions and responses of people today are not because of their own will but because of external factors. A little unpleasant moment is enough to keep a person angry for whole day even when he may want to be happy. People should take control of their lives so that they dictate the terms instead of taking orders and letting external factors influence them.
Insight about the commandments-
1.) Commandments 1,2,3,5 and 9 are different interpretations of the original ones, commandments 6 and 8 have been changed and rest of the commandments have been omitted in favour of new ones.
2.) Some of the issues tried to be addressed upon through these commandments are- Religious intolerance, superstitions, environmental degradation, conflicts/wars, animosity between people, health issues etc.
DISCLAIMER- This post is a work of fiction. There is no intention to hurt any one's beliefs or feelings.
no matter where you read it,
or who has said it
not even if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reasons and your own common sense.
-Buddha
2.) You shall not make images about other people in your mind- Most of the times people make certain images about other people based on either hearsay or because of 1 unpleasant experience. Years later people themselves may change but their impression on others remain the same leading to biased attitude. Therefore 1 should not be rigid in judging others.
3.) You shall show respect and tolerance towards other faiths- One should not take the name of God in vain (from the original commandments). Therefore if others are forced to take the name of God without their will it wont have any effect as "God" would be just another word for them. So people should realise the futility of forcing others to change their beliefs and instead should show respect towards theirs.
4.) You shall not interfere in others lives unless it affect yours- Much of the problem in this world today is because people want others to live life according to them! Everyone gets an independent life and therefore should have the right to live it according to his own way provided he doesn't cause any harm to others.
5.) Honour the Earth and nature- Father and mother definitely need to be honoured (from the original commandments) as they are the reason for our existence and sustain us during our initial years. But there is something else also that is responsible for our existence and that is Mother Earth. Therefore people should show respect towards the nature and should strive to make Earth a better planet which can sustain lives for many more years to come.
6.) You shall learn to kill- Kill the evil in you. Be happy with who you are but don't let pride take over you. For from pride originates the other sins: melancholy, sloth, despair, envy, wrath, greed. Therefore learn to kill the evil traits to maintain the purity of life.
7.) You shall put your health before wealth- Of all the things important to human today only body is 1 which is not made by him. Money, luxuries etc are all because of efforts of man rather than the body which he gets as a gift. Therefore one should put his health before anything else while there is time because it is the only thing which he can't get later on.
8.) You shall try to steal others pain and sorrow- Pull up the weaker, help the poor and respect the other, for you may find yourself at the other end of the ladder someday. A comforting shoulder and little time is what people need instead of money and gifts.
9.) You shall be truthful to yourself- People generally lie because of two reasons-
i.) They are ashamed of their deeds.
ii.) They pretend what they want to be rather than what they are.
In either of the case people run from their true self. Till people have the support of lie they would never work sincerely to correct their deeds or become what they want to be. Therefore people should be true to themselves for their own betterment.
10.) You shall use force as a last resort- Try to negotiate with peace before deciding that force is needed because the fight today is not between right and wrong. It is between one man's beliefs V/s the others and the beliefs of weaker are not wrong but they just don't matter. Therefore try your best to save a life as a drop of blood saved is gifting life a moment more.
11.) You shall learn to accept failures- A rose has no beauty without the thorns. Your life has no beauty without failures. They are just there to make you desire success more. No one is perfect, it's the desire & heart that makes life beautiful.
12.) You shall become the master of your life- Its unfortunate that most actions and responses of people today are not because of their own will but because of external factors. A little unpleasant moment is enough to keep a person angry for whole day even when he may want to be happy. People should take control of their lives so that they dictate the terms instead of taking orders and letting external factors influence them.
Insight about the commandments-
1.) Commandments 1,2,3,5 and 9 are different interpretations of the original ones, commandments 6 and 8 have been changed and rest of the commandments have been omitted in favour of new ones.
2.) Some of the issues tried to be addressed upon through these commandments are- Religious intolerance, superstitions, environmental degradation, conflicts/wars, animosity between people, health issues etc.
DISCLAIMER- This post is a work of fiction. There is no intention to hurt any one's beliefs or feelings.
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