Self Improvement

“To orient our very first steps towards the human community of the future, we need to develop a new moral compass: this is the Way of Life.”

For too long we’ve been trapped in a social system that encourages the worst traits of human nature — such as violence, greed and conformism — and instead suffocates love, empathy and critical thought.

In the modern age, man’s cardinal interest was acquisition. The profit motive, individual or collective, seemed to overshadow everything else. This overriding concern with Self and Today (I want it all, I want it now) is the basic cause of the current social and ecological crisis.

The main problem lies not in science and technology as such but in the sense of values of the contemporary world which ignores the rights of others and is oblivious of the longer perspective.

We are all born selfish. Our individual body has its own biological needs, and our survival instincts urge us to satisfy them at all costs. The ego starts off by dividing everything in the outside world under two categories: either as an opportunity or as an obstacle. But very soon we begin to realize that we are not alone in this world. That with and around us live other subjects, other egos, each with their own needs and personality. We realize that we are dependent on them for our survival, and that they are accessible not in terms of possession, but of reciprocal openness. This recognition of the other is the first milestone in our journey towards an ethical conscience.

As we grow older and we start reflecting about life from a wider perspective, we understand that our existence as individuals is only a temporary passage. Life’s baton was passed onto us by our parents, and likewise we must pass it on to our children. Each of us is only a link in the self-perpetuating chain of life.

Before and after every ‘I’ there is a ‘We’. Life is a plural unity. The individual body and mind are born from the collective body and mind of the species, and to that same collective body and mind they return at the time of death.

The same etymology of the word ‘consciousness’ *(from Latin con-scientia) opens a window on this communitarian structure of the ‘I’: consciousness is a co-existential science, the science of living as a community, of transcending the particular perspectives into one universal convergence.

When, by engaging dialectically with someone else, we sometimes get the impression of revealing a new part of ourselves, it’s because deep within each one of us is latent the potential of every single manifestation of Life we could ever meet or imagine on the phenomenal plane of existence. More specifically, human nature is actively present at the core of every human being, both as genetic and cultural memory: to know myself is really to recognize the common self under the lens of my personal reflection.

This intra-species solidarity reaches beyond the illusionary boundaries of organic death and bonds every generation of the past and the future around one, ever-present responsibility.

This is our call: we believe it’s our duty to behave like grown-ups, and take responsibility for what is going on inside and all around us.

We can lead humanity out of this mess only by committing ourselves — as adults — to the goal of shaping together an ecologically-sustainable world, able to take care of our common home, the Earth, and provide for our children, the next generations of humans that will inherit the planet.

The Life Tribe will require each member to embrace a set of moral guidelines that help us live in peace with each other and in harmony with our natural environment. Every member of the tribe will have to voluntarily subscribe to the ‘Way of Life’ values and follow practice in everyday life as best as he/she can, with the guidance and motivational support from the entire WAM community.

1. Love

The earth is our home and life is our family.

The love that bonds all living creatures together, the creative fire that generates and sustains life as a whole in its evolution, that is the best image we can conceive of god.

God as a universal symbol of what is most good and holy in our existence.

Acceptance

• Accepting yourself as you are, in this moment, with love and respect.
• Accepting others as they are, with love and respect. Forgiving them for all their past mistakes.
• Accepting life as it is, with love and respect.
• Taking the roller coaster of life with an even stride, gracefully and light heartedly.
• Try not feeling repulsed, disgusted or frustrated by any event, situation, person or living being, including yourself, your critic or enemy.
• Accepting whatever happens, whether small or big, and howsoever unfavorable, without losing sight of what is good in life.
• Whatever happens, happens for at least one good reason which is learning. Knowing this, and having an open-minded attitude for learning, helps to accept reality and live by it.
• Patience is acceptance applied.

Compassion

• Realizing the relational nature of the Self. Each one of us is wired to co-exist together with others in a group, and we can fully develop as humans only within a community of our own kind.
• Feeling concern, and taking care for others’ wellbeing in the same way as you would do for yourself and your family.

Generosity

• Giving and sharing unconditionally, with open and spontaneous heart, without any expectation of return or personal profit.
• Do the good and drown the act in the sea. Basically forget about it.
• A sense of selfless service where the individual self simply wants to serve the “other” out of its overflowing love.

2. Freedom

Freedom isn’t free. Freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever you want, whenever you feel like.

Freedom requires courage, self-discipline and, since humans are social animals and live in groups, it comes only with a responsible participation to the community life: I am truly free only when all human beings, men and women, are equally free.

Courage

• Readiness to jump from the cliff with the glider of freedom.
• First you face the fear. Then you become fearless.
• Only the one who has overcome the fear of death can be truly courageous.

Self-discipline

• Being detached from your material possessions
• Ability to let go of even your dearest relationships if necessary to the wellbeing of the other and of yourself.
• Having no sense of comparison at all. Never feeling superior or inferior to anyone or anything. Being shy of ego-appreciation.
• Learning to focus your will power and to apply it with greater intensity and consistency for the fulfillment of your life goals.

Cooperation

• Accepting your talents with grateful heart and giving them freely to serve others without expectations.
• Acknowledging your shortcomings in any area and giving way to someone better to do the job when possible.
• Listening to other people’s views and trying to understand where they’re coming from. Empathy, respect and mindful attention are necessary for effective listening.
• Not shying away from critiquing when feedback to others is necessary. Being constructive, truthful and humble while giving or receiving criticism.
• Speak, think and act in a way that doesn’t hurt or look down upon anyone, or violate their wish and consent.

3. Truth

The truth is we are one: we are all part of an interconnected, evolving web of Life, woven together by the same universal thread.

The separation of Me Vs Rest is only a perceptual and intellectual illusion. When we discard the filter of separation, we begin to see ourself in every living being.

Open-mindedness

• Relentless curiosity to learn more about oneself and the world around us.
• Urge and child-like excitement to try out new experiences and discover how it feels!
• An open-minded exploration requires to let go of the fear of the unknown.
• Unassuming and non-biased approach.
• Welcoming new or even apparently conflicting points of view.
• Being free from rigidity or fixated upon any thought or idea.
• Happy to stand corrected.

Critical thinking

• Neither cynically disbelieving nor blindly believing.
• Ability to think logically and rationally, free from personal feelings, emotions or prejudices.
• The objective analysis and evaluation of any issue in order to form a judgement.
• Learning to use all the resources available to solve a problem.
• Understanding complex systems and developing strategies to manage them successfully.

Self-awareness

• Capacity for introspection and ability to recognize oneself as an individual endowed with reason and conscience.
• Constant evaluation of your own self — your actions, your mindset, your weaknesses and your potentials; Considering carefully the best approach for any situation or purpose.
• Conscious meditation upon the nature of self, life and existence.
• Transcending the individual self and realizing the unity of life, thus learning to see your own self in every living being, and every living being in your own self.

4. Peace

The only way to realize a radical transformation of our lifestyles and a reset of our social and economic frameworks is to work together as a species. Hence, the only real alternative to the current crisis is a cooperative effort on the global scale, dealing with to the entire spectrum of our problems.

Our goal is learning to live in peace with each other and in harmony with the natural environment, thus creating the basis for a new, sustainable human civilization that we can pass on to our children.

Integrity

• Having the courage to stand true to your convictions.
• Admitting the clear truth, even if it means swallowing your pride or a personal loss.
• Consistency between thoughts, words and actions.
• Walking the talk.

Justice

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.
• Treat others impartially without favoritism or discrimination.
• Avoid causing others harm as much as humanly possible.
• Take an active stand in defense of the weak and the oppressed.

Responsibility

• Knowing that “I am responsible for (the effect of) my actions”. Never blaming others for your faults and failures.
• If you see something that needs to be done, don’t expect someone else to do it for you. Do it yourself!
• Responsibility means living with the attitude “What can I do to make the current situation better for everyone?”
• Doing every job at your best with full commitment. Not allowing any negative emotion to get in the way of your responsibility.
• Life as a whole runs on co-existence, and humanity in particular is a social species: willfully cooperating with others for the benefit of the collective is therefore the hallmark of a responsible human being.
• Living life sincerely by the way of this charter is a LifeMaker’s responsibility.
• One may fail at fulfilling one’s responsibility, but mistakes are made up for by learning from one’s experience and striving to be better next time around.

Feel free to leave any comment or question below, and join the discussion on the dedicated forum.

Also in Life Tribe:

• Holistic Living — Healthy lifestyle practices
• Community Governance — Direct democracy standards
• Sustainable Development — Permaculture design principles

Other WAM! publications:

Coop Network

A new economy

Conscious Forum

A new consciousness

Eden Planet

A new world