What is Morality?

I've been asked in the past where the morals are in FlameKeeping .. where are the parables, the rules, the strictures. I don't believe in them. It's far too easy to make up a list of rules .. and have people twist them, ignore them, rewrite them. The more rules there are, the more grey area there is to wiggle free. (don't believe me? Look at the IRS tax code!)

So there are two rules, but those rules put all the burden on the practitioner. All are Divine isn't an easy rule (of course, neither is "love thy neighbor" and people flub that one all over the place too). You can't just give lip service to people being Divine and then treat them badly, either. And you can't apply a simple rule to interactions .. you have to actually think. It's hard (I flub it sometimes too .. sometimes it's hard to remember someone's Divine when they've just done something irritating!) but it is, I believe, honoring the Divine in all things .. and all people. Even the ones I don't like. (some parts of the Divine, though, belong over THERE and not near me).

And the other rule, to improve the Universe. We're all going to tackle that one in different places too .. some people are going to see that as an injunction to keep their house clean (not me!), other people will see that as an injunction to get out and be a political activist, others will give to charity .. there are so many ways to improve the Universe, and there is no one true way here. The important thing to keep in mind is that everyone, still, is part of the Divine .. even the people who have different ideas on how to improve the Divine. Good people of good will can sit down and talk this out and at least understand why their ideas differ.

I'm very afraid of giving moral rules more narrow than this. I'm absolutely terrified of how my words could be twisted, having seen it happen to so many before, and perhaps I don't speak enough because I'm afraid of what might come of it. But also, I don't want to narrow the scope of people's creativity. There are so many ways to make things better, so many places to improve life, so many ways to relate with people. If I start giving rules, I narrow the scope and narrow the imagination. Think freely.

Questions:
What does morality mean to me? It means doing all I can. I don't worry about what I can't do .. of course, I have no particular desire to go around murdering people anyway, so it's not like I feel narrowed down. But it's not enough to not-do. There are also things I need to go out and DO.

What does it mean that everyone's Divine? Well, it does mean that the fact that I hold grudges is a problem. I'm very fiercely self-protective, and it's hard for me to remember that the other people, no matter what they've done, no matter that they've hurt me .. are still Divine. Even if I don't like them much. But it's hard for me to remember that people I think are idiots or mean are still Divine, and still need to be treated as such. It is, always, easier to see as Divine people that think like me and act like me. But of course that's also meaningless .. I was going to be nice to them anyway. It's a stretch to remember sometimes that it's the people I don't like that I have to treat as Divine .. even as I continue to not like them.

What does it mean to improve the Universe? I find this one easier, although I'm never sure if I'm doing enough (or even anything at all .. I tend to have a hard time seeing my words as having a real effect, even though I believe in the power of words). It does speak against my own personal hangup, though .. apathy. I'm the sort of person that would be happy to just sit at home and let the world go by and "think" about changing things. This calls me to get off my butt and actually DO something. Hopefully these blogs count.