Themes for Personal reflection

The Principles of Valid Action (from "Humanise the Earth", by  Silo)

These are the Principles of Valid Action, strategies to help us find internal coherence and solidarity towards others.

1. To go against the evolution of things is to go against oneself.

2. When you force something toward an end, you produce the contrary.

3. Do not oppose a great force. Retreat until it weakens, then advance with resolution.

4. Things are well when they move together, not in isolation.

5. If day and night, summer and winter are well with you, you have surpassed the contradictions.

6. If you pursue pleasure, you enchain yourself to suffering. But as long as you do not harm your health, enjoy without inhibition when the opportunity presents itself.

7. If you pursue an end, you enchain yourself. If everything you do is realised as though it were an end in itself, you liberate yourself.

8. You will make your conflicts disappear when you understand them in their ultimate root, not when you want to resolve them.

9. When you harm others you remain enchained, but if you do not harm anyone you can freely do whatever you want.

10. When you treat others as you want them to treat you, you liberate yourself.

11. It does not matter in which faction events have placed you. What matters is for you comprehend that you have not chosen any faction.

12. Contradictory or unifying actions accumulate within you. If you repeat your acts of internal unity, nothing can detain you.

1-       Choose a principle to work with in the meeting (or two if participants so wish)

2-       Take 2 minutes to meditate about situations when you acted in agreement with the principle and when you did not. Make notes about how you felt in both cases

3-       Discussion

4-       Plan for the week: Choose a situation fro your every day life to modify according to a principle.