I said I'd write my commandments next, but I'm going to continue with the deadly sins instead because I have them ready. These are somewhat responsive and parallel to the Abrahamic sins in the sense that they are not particular acts such as murder or theft, but rather patterns of behavior and character. However, I make no particular attempt to react to or oppose any given items in that collection; these are parallel in form, but independent in content. Each sin is accompanied by an equal and opposite virtue.
1. Humility. It follows that if pride is a central tennant of the philosophy, then its antithesis would be a sin. Humility, while respectable in moderation in certain situations, keeps those in its yoke from spreading their light to the world. I've known too many skilled and brilliant people too humble to realize and capitalize on their potential to put any stock in this so-called virtue. The true virtue that balances the sin of humility is the virtue of pride.
2. Pity. I have discussed at length the sinful nature of pity, so I will not go into great detail here except to say that it tears down every pillar upon which this philosophy is built. It shows a lack of respect for yourself and the person you pity. It creates lower standards and removes the incentive for the truly powerful, better people from getting what they deserve over the merely pitiful people. The virtue that balances the sin of pity is the virtue of respect.
3. Regret. It is a sin and a crime against against yourself and nature to feel regret. I have written much on the topic of living deliberately because living consciously and purposefully is the only way to truly live. Regret implies that you have not lived deliberately, that you have become a product of your circumstances and failed to make deliberate decisions. Worse than personal regret is regret towards that over which you have no control. If you did not purposefully create your situation, then you don't have any business or the right to lament it, and if you did create it, then you must also have consciously accepted all possible consequences of your actions. Regret is the product of instability, ignorance, and the desire to ignore the problems in your past. The virtue that balances the sin of regret is the virtue of deliberateness (consciousness).
4. Circumlocution. Choose the words that mean what you intend to say and only those words. Brevity is a powerful means for expression of passion reserved for those without regard for the inaccuracy of absolutes. Reservation and deliberate speech will make your words infinitely more powerful and passionate than the babblings of people who never shut up. The virtue that balances the sin of circumlocution is the virtue of reticence.
I might actually get to those commandments soon. I was joking when I finished the last post, but I'm starting to like this little jaunt. Stay tuned.
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