Birthing an Ethical Baby.
One of my heroes is Mitch Horowitz — author and Pen-award winning historian.
His latest book is called The Miracle Club. I give it my highest possible recommendation. You can get it here:
In it, Mitch proposes an experiment. For 9 months (the human gestation period for a new life), pick a book of ethical philosophy: The Tao Te Ching, Beyond Good and Evil, The Wisdom of The Fathers, The Bible (although probably just pick a book from the Bible, the Bible itself is kinda too big to do effectively), and try to live by its precepts.
Lately, I’ve been way into Ralph Waldo Emerson and his short essay, Self-Reliance. I’ve chosen it for the challenge.
I’ve taken it and divided it into 9 sections. It’s pretty short, so that came out to 3 pages a month. So, every month, I will read and re-read (and listen to via Audiobook — read by Horowitz(!!)) the assigned 9 pages. I will then write down any lessons or ethics taught therein. And, for a month, I will keep those teachings at the front of my mind.
Simple, huh?
Here’s what I’ve written down for the first month:
1. Believe Your Own Thoughts (Philosophically, ethically. That kind of thing. Don’t assume you can only be taught worthwhile stuff. Look inside, see what seems true)
2. Don’t Envy. Pretty straightforward.
3. Do the Work In Front of You. My immediate future has some pretty exciting work in it. The temptation is to blow off the stuff I have to do now. The lesson lives in the work on my plate currently, though. What does it have to teach?
4. Trust thyself. Similar to number 1. This can be a tough one. There are so many voices out there saying you can’t trust your emotions or your sinful nature. Blegh. I’m not fallen. Maybe you are, but I’m not. Fallen from where? Who pushed?
That’s it. Four things to focus on for a month. Then, next month, another list, and these four move to the backburner, but hopefully not completely out of mind.
So, join me. Pick a book. Maybe not Self Reliance (unless you want to). If you’re currently an adherent of a religion, pick something other than your sacred text. You don’t have to worship foreign gods or transgress what you already believe — but see what the other great moral philosophies of the world teach. In my experience, it’s mostly the same stuff. The Golden Rule goes by many names and seems to be the key to right living.
If you decide to do it, write me and let me know. We can update each other on our progress. If you’re not interested in taking 9 months to better yourself, that’s cool. You’re probably pretty perfect already.
Patch Drury is an award-winning writer, published cartoonist, former actor, and professional filmmaker. Or, just storyteller. He has spent his life tellig his and other people’s stories. These days, he helps businesses use story structure to better connect with their clients and improve their bottom line.
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