The Contract

My beliefs about how to live life can be summarized using a few words:

Do no harm.

We are all familiar with this simplified summary of the Hippocratic Oath, but it means far more to me. I believe that every act of harm does violence, not only to the victim and the perpetrator, but to everyone else as well.

Do no harm.

Every child left hungry, every person struck by a loved one, every soldier left bleeding on the battlefield, every prisoner breathing his last in the chamber and every pet abandoned by it's owner diminishes the humanity of us all.

Do no harm.

Every person will immediately see possible additions or exceptions to this simple statement, but I see no need. It is up to each of us to make of it what we will.

Do no harm.

It is a journey with only one possible end: failure. I am imperfect, just as every other human being living on this whirligig spinning in space is. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't strive for perfection, even knowing that I will fail.

Do no harm.

I do not expect others to feel as I do. For me, this is a contract that I make with myself, no one else. I do, however, hope that more people will make similar contracts with themselves. Many already have.

Do no harm.

I have only to see gentle humor in the eyes of Gandhi or the Dalai Lama or the solemn determination in Dr. King's face to know that I am doing the right thing. If one must be said to have a religion, then this is mine.

Do no harm.

I believe that, one day, exceptions to this will be unthinkable. Until that day, I will work as hard as I can to abide by my contract and to do no harm. Maybe even laugh now and again.