“We may make mistakes-but they must
never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral
principle.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt
In day to
day living, your experiences are hardly the same. One day, you are on top of
the world and another day, your world may be falling apart. At one moment, you
are in good rapport with your best friend and at other times, both of you are
having some issues settle.
On one day,
a total stranger may be very nice to you and on another day, your own
neighbour, may behave towards you like a complete jerk. In the midst of these common
variations, one thing never changes: the movement of time. Tick, tick, tick….it
always goes forward, the same way; without a care in the world, about the
changes in your situations.
I reflected on this for a while, and
decided that today’s article is going to be on principles of nature. Principles
are powerful and true; they are not only true, but they are also real like the
Sun and the Moon.
Now I want to share their meaning and
importance in day to day living. I believe this can motivate any of my readers who
are oblivious of them to rethink. I also believe it will remind any conscious
students of life to be firm in their adherence to principles.
To all sublime practitioners of
principles, Victor Hugo, the French novelist and poet has something to tell
you: “Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep
intact your roots.”
What is a Principle?
For our
purpose today, I consulted a book, written by Ray Dalio, the billionaire
investor and the founder of the most successful hedge fund in the entire human
history. The book is entitled, “Principles: Life and Work.”
In the book,
Dalio reveals the secrets he has discerned and collected in over 40 years of prosperous
life and business, through the experience of pain, joy and reflection. And he defines principles for us as, “Fundamental truths
that serve as the foundations for behaviour that gets you what you want out of
life.”
You see,
principles are not theories, and they are not fantasies. Principles are basic facts of nature, just
like the law of gravity. If use them for good, you will get good and if you
defy them, you will pay for it—dearly.
To be rightly principled
is to live your life in accordance with eternal laws of nature; to be rightly
principled is to believe in and submit completely to God, the Creator of Nature
and everything it contains; and there is no better way to live a sublime life.
As a matter of fact, there is no other way, in the eternal long run.
To base your
choices, decisions and actions on principles is to build your house on a solid
foundation. You can’t compare such a sturdy structure with a hut built on sandy
seashore. When we understand and apply principles to our lives, we can become
almost superhuman.
What are Your Principles?
The eventual quality of your life and destiny will depend on whether you
live by principles and how consistent you are with them. So, I ask you now,
“What are your principles?” And, I humbly expect that after reading this
article, you make some time to think deeply about that question. It can make a
lot of difference in your view of life.
If you want to fortify yourself against the waves of destruction, choose
some principles to live by and habitually live by them. In case you are not clear
on this, examples of principles are: justice,
patience, fortitude, courage, gratitude, truth and so on.
And according to Ray Dalio, the most important thing,” from this point
forward is, “for you to write down your principles.” Write down the very few
that you feel really drawn towards, and own them. This step will bring greater
self awareness and clarity.
Once written
and clarified, then emulate the example of the clock, hold on to them with your
molar teeth; never fool around with them, with the changes in your mood. On
this, the third President of United States, Thomas Jefferson firmly counsels that:
“In matters of style, {we can} swim with the current; in matters of
principle, {we must} stand like a rock.”
