Blackmoor Vituperative

The ReThink Prize is offering $1,000 each for the ten best secular commandments, as determined by a panel of judges. The prize is promoting a new book, Atheist Mind Humanist Heart, which promotes a vision of atheism as positive and ethical rather than negative and reactive. Here are ten “commandments” I thought of, although I did not bother submitting them for the contest. It’s just a thought experiment.

1. Be kind to everyone, even when your kindness is not reciprocated.
2. Seek the company of people who appreciate and inspire you.
3. Avoid confrontation, and those who seek it, when possible.
4. Defend yourself and others with violence, when necessary, but take no joy in it.
5. Be generous, even when there is no possibility of your generosity being reciprocated.
6. Do not take what is not freely offered.
7. Be useful, to the best of your ability.
8. Create something beautiful, to the best of your ability.
9. Be worthy of the trust of others.
10. Be true to yourself.

I think that’s a pretty good list, but I don’t think it’s terribly innovative. Desiderata is better.

If I could have gone to eleven, I would have added something about being a good steward for nature, but I ran out of commandments.