Two Rules

There are only two rules in life. They have to do with behavior and emotional response. Follow these rules and your life will be easy and peaceful.

They are simple rules. They are clearly written. And that makes them very easy to read and understand. However, despite their simplicity, they are sometimes difficult to learn.

So I'll try to explain them as best I can.

Rule #1. Do be nice to all living things, especially small things. Being nice to small things is a defining point of our character. How we treat living things that cannot defend themselves reflects our emotional adjustment as human beings. We speak of the very core of living values. Are we kind? Are we just? Are we fair? Are we generous? Do we have honor? Always being able to answer "yes" to these questions is life's main lesson. That's why it's Rule #1.

Rule #2. DO NOT tease, provoke, bait, bedevil, bug, bother, torment, or otherwise molest tigers, bears, lions, crocodiles, or any other living animal that is bigger, stronger, meaner, or more ferocious than a human being. We mere humans share the top of the food chain with the great sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed animals of this earth only because we are smarter than them. We keep our distance from fangs and talons, and we do our hunting at Walmart. As soon as we forget this, AS SOON AS WE LOSE OUR INTELLECTUAL ADVANTAGE OVER THEM, they have all rights to, and will seriously remind us of our ignorance and stupidity, our weaknesses, our mortality, and very often, our tastiness.

Actually, rule #2 is harder to learn because most people are not actually smarter than the great beasts. They tease them and taunt them and get too near them, thinking they're on TV playing with Hobbes the Tiger, or Yogi the Bear. Alas, this is assuredly not the case.

So that's it. Just two rules. Choose to follow them, and life will be long and rewarding. Choose not to, and you're lunch.