Principles to Live By

I believe the following principles to be true, because others and I have tested these in the real world.

1. "Every living creature is motivated by the perception of its self-interest."
Use it to help others wisely, and you create two winners: "enlightened self-interest".
Abuse it to hurt others, and you create two losers: "selfishness".
The word "perception" must never be left off.

2. "The value of anything is what a willing buyer pays a willing seller".
The willing is the essential part, because force invalidates the equation..
Any human exchange or contract based on that principle creates two winners without
having planted the seeds for future hostilities.
It applies no less to a marriage contract than a real estate transaction.

3. "In human interactions force often creates an equal but opposite force".
Initiating the use of force is counterproductive in the long run, because history has
shown often that it resulted in the return to the status quo, with both sides losing as is
the case in wars.
This "law of nature" reinforces the importance of non-violence in human relations.

Governments that constantly ignore any of these principles will eventually find out that
they hurt themselves in the long run, losing the territory they had once acquired by force.
Look at the world map from 1900 to 2000: virtually all colonies vanished.
Businesses that violate any of these principles will hurt themselves by actually creating their own counter-force, called labor unions.

None of these principles require martyrdom, self-sacrifice or "altruism".
The economic exploitation of employees by employers is the introduction of force.
Communism was more guilty of exploitation than the proverbial robber barons.
No one has branded these principles immoral and they make two "commands" obsolete, because they are already implied: "first do no harm" and the "golden rule".
These principles are simple to teach and do not contradict religion.

John van Huizum
Tel. 661-268-1565
e-mail johnvanhuizum@gmail.com