1) Self-expression should never be sacrificed for anything. Authenticity means a life-long struggle with society itself, but it is the ultimate privilege.
2) Ignorance is the root of all evil. We are morally obligated to recognize the flaws and biases of human cognition.
3) The truth should always be prioritized over social safety. If you are making people uncomfortable by speaking your mind, keep speaking. If somebody is making you uncomfortable don’t shut them out. Listen to what they have to say and think about it before responding.
4) Knowing our reality is flawed, we must seek objective truth. All political opinions should be rooted in science if possible, and must evolve along with the scientific community when possible. If they are not derived from science they must be a product of reflection and observation of our environments, and open to criticism.
5) We should try our best to avoid forming concrete opinions, because opinions are something that should be continuously built upon as we learn.
6) Recognize that growth is constant, and make the effort to facilitate growth over our lifetime.
7) Recognizing our struggles and privileges is the basis towards understanding and maturity. We are obligated to expose ourselves to uncomfortable thoughts and realities so that we can speak up for everyone who needs to be spoken for.
8) Judgement is a useful tool for understanding and interacting with our environments, but is dangerous. Before judging somebody evaluate their circumstances, upbringing, socialization, conditioning, etc, we must ask ourselves, “If I had been in the exact same circumstance, how similar would I be to this person?” Always aim to make judgements from a careful perspective and remember individuals do not reflect their social groups, and when they do it is a byproduct of environment.
9) While engaging/discussing social and political issues with someone we must recognize that not everyone believes in or practices these mindsets. If somebody is being ignorant we cannot lash out because ignorance is perpetuated on a systemic level and expecting people to be aware of everything despite this is unrealistic. Responding with anger and resentment only serves to radicalize.
10) While understanding why people are they way they are and refraining from judgement is important, there must be line in which judgement is necessary. Despite the fact that ignorant people are a byproduct of their environment, there are many ignorant people out there who are past the point of redemption. If someone’s rhetoric or actions is resulting in negative consequences and said person has repeatedly displayed an unwillingness to engage in ethical discussion or behavior they must be an exception. They must be judged and condemned because if they’re not, ignorance becomes normalized and like-minded people are taught there are no consequences to unethical behavior.
These rules are general guidelines, not absolutes, and work within the framework of the following philosophies. Feel free to adopt or adapt them to your own mindset.
Credit to: Kurzgesagt-In A Nutshell
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”
-Robert F. Kennedy
“But very quickly I discovered that passing didn’t just mean slipping below the surface, it meant being buried alive. I was still me on the inside, trapped in there with all my wounds and fears. But I was no longer me on the outside.”
-Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues
“So, in the interests of survival, they trained themselves to be agreeing machines instead of thinking machines. All their minds had to do was to discover what other people were thinking, and then they thought that, too.”
-Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions
“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance”
-Socrates
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