Tips to be a decent person

From the moment we, the human race, branched off from our last ancestors, we've been changing; we've been metamorphosing. We used our brains to quickly realize that, well, our brains differ significantly from most fellow animals. Hence we decreed ways to live, consciously, rather than confining ourselves to ways driven by instincts, again, like our fellow beasts and birds.

We formed what we now the five great ancient civilizations - backed a lot by water fed by rivers and crops sown by men; we civilized. We also, among other advances, advanced morally. We gathered its ensemble, drilled, welded and built morals - we even built religions around these morals.  At times when regions caved into animalistic, territorial bigotry, revolutionaries and prophets came into being, and more often than not, made said regions and the world in general, progressively a better place.

Now, meandering on and delving into the fascinating topics of Hindu, Judeo-Christian and Islamic morals is nigh extremely tempting, but worry not, for I, a moral being, just like you,  am here to jot down a few simple, easy to understand guidelines to be a decent human without having to resort to the tools borne out of accumulation of regional morals. So, here we go:

• There are no sins but one - theft. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini features a little discourse from one of its pivotal characters - a discourse where a son diligently listens on to his father { Baba } utter the following:       "There is no act more wretched than stealing. A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life or a loaf of naan...I spit on such a man. And if I ever cross paths with him, God help him.  Baba continues on: "When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?"   Do you, my fellow reader? I earnestly wish you do - wish we all do. 

•  Views formed from the roots of my heart have a lot to do with  the aforementioned tale from the fabled book, too, and here's what they are: There is no sin  but the sin of unnecessarily inflicting hurt upon others. If you start adhering to the one-sin-alone rule, you'll quickly realize that you've become far less a judgemental person when compared to before. When you adhere to it, you'll realize that any pre-existing bigotry will have vanished; you'll realize that you're more bigotry-proof than any time before.

•   Possessing/developing compassion:  Without love and compassion, what are we but sentient sedimentary rocks?  Realizing that selfishness, jealousy and love and empathy live on in the hearts of those we've touched in our lifetimes will make use see a paper - a paper with scribblings that echo "What do I want to be remembered as? A vile being, or a soul that inspired and uplifted everyone else with love?" If your quest to be a decent person is true enough, you know that the latter is what you want to echo across the earth by the winds and thoughts that carry it; you'll know that you, in fact, will have become something more than just a decent person if you strive to follow what's been written here.