I know I'm never going to fully live up to them. Nevertheless I'm putting them up; one of my college friends brought up the idea and I'm running with it. Be advised that you're about to read the life rules of an adult who has only recently become an adult after eighteen years of a loving family and a material world; they are incomplete, but they've gotten me out of a pickle or two (or, more precisely, were the lessons from the pickle).
Think. You've heard this before, and it's a cliche, and it's undeniably true. There are times where snap descisions are crucial, but if you can possibl take time to ponder what you're doing, ponder away. And not just your actions. Question everything! Question yourself. Question your motives. Question your beliefs. Question your religion; if they're all as good as you think they are, you have nothing to worry about.
Never presume on anyone, except close friends. Defer to them in everything you can; do that "love thy neighbor" thing; don't ever expect them to do something to give something to you unless you have no other option. Close friends can be an exception, since they know you better, but use your head. You know when you cross the line.
Be sincere. Don't bottle up your doubts and your frailties. Don't hide yourself; don't copy other people to get their respect, their friendship. If you're angry, or feeling any other dark mood, don't keep it inside. I'm not telling you to punch the school bully; find a way to express it that will bring it back down. Prayer, writing, and good counsel have done well with me in dealing with this.
Be open. Another cliche is that it takes all kinds of people to make a world. A new way to say that is that your view of the world is never going to take in everything. People don't do things for a bad reason unless they are so savage they aren't people anymore. Even stupid or pointless things may have a purpose we can't see. Wait until you understand something before you decide whether it's good or evil.
Be patient. I don't know if you believe in God, but even if you don't, things have a way of working themselves out over time. Trust in the Lord if you believe He exists; trust that bad things aren't going to last if you don't. Thousands of years (and my life) have shown our race (and me) that bad things always wither away with time. Do you seriously think that something that is wrong will last forever? The fact that it is wrong implies that there is a right, and we would not have named them, and made the right superior, unless it was going to stand over wrong and defeat it in the long run.
It's gonna be alright. Really. It is. Life is a sweet thing once you get through those wrongs. I'm going to step on some toes and say that God is the light of my life and He loves me and He loves you and He's working us all to the point where we can truly step into Him and feel joy. Pure, everlasting joy. It’s worth sticking it out through whatever horrors may come.
Take all that as you care to take it. You won't truly enjoy any of it if you don't believe it. And don't let anyone convince you otherwise. No one can be forced to live a good life. Those that try tend to get their victims in even worse messes than where they found them.
Have the time of your life today.
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