What rule(s) do you live by?

[ThomCat]

I used to have some general rules to live by, way back when I was in college. Only Rule #3 still survives.

Rule #3 states: "Anyone has permission to beat me, use me, or mistreat me at any time as much as they want and as often as they want on the one condition that they find a way to make sure I enjoy it."
:evilgrin:

So, what rule or rules do you have that keep your life the way you like it? :P

[seemunkee]

1. Never eat anything bigger than your head

[ThomCat]

2. Not even on Thanksgiving?

:9

[YankeyMCC]

3. Never pass up a chance to eat or

piss.

You never know when the next chance will come around.

[ThomCat]

14. You must have been in the military.

:)

[YankeyMCC]

16. Yeah nt

[evlbstrd]

26. That also applies to art school.

[YankeyMCC]

28. lol

That's good to know. I'm kinda hoping my son ends up in art school, he's such a talented drawer and likes to do it so much. But then I'm biased :)

[evlbstrd]

66. He'd love it.

And make sure you teach him that rule.
I still live by it.

edit for spelling.

[Lyric]

4. My partner says that our home life is like a game of Calvinball

Where I make up the rules as we go along. :rofl:

[ThomCat]

8. I LOVE calvinball! Can I come over and play?

:7

[Lyric]

55. Sure! Today's rule is that

someone other than me has to cook dinner. You'll do! :D

[ThomCat]

57. I love to cook.

Twist my arm! :)

[Lyric]

65. Just read your profile:

So you're gonna make us some super-nummy vegan stuff? Coolness! I've made that drive from NYC to West Virginia before, though. I hope you're prepared to spend a LOT of time in Pennsylvania--the largest leg of the trip.

Unless you're flying on your super-nifty private Lear, in which case--seeya in an hour? :rofl:

[BarenakedLady]

5. The Golden Rule

Treat others the way you wish to be treated. I extend that to include all living creatures.

How are you today? :hug:

[cwydro]

9. Good answer BNL

[ThomCat]

10. I'm doing well.

It's Friday. And I've having dinner tonight with one of my favorite DUers and her girlfriend (who is just as wonderful).
:)

I hope you're having a wonderful Friday too!
:loveya:

[BarenakedLady]

25. Great!

I hope you all have fun tonight.

:loveya:

[ceile]

24. Me too. n/t

[SPKrazy]

78. That's The Best Policy For Me

I have tried to do that today as much as I am able.

I'm sure I've fallen short on a couple of occasions today, but hey, a few occasions is better than being an asshole!

:P

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear ThomCat..........

I try (and by no means do I always succeed) to live by my sigline...:hug:

[ThomCat]

11. That's a damned good rule.

I'm not quite so good at it. I know I'm a bit too confrontational. :shrug:

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. I don't think you're too confrontational........

We all have topics that make us raise our voices! :hug:

[wildhorses]

7. i never bother trouble til

trouble bothers me

[ThomCat]

12. Ah, that's where you and I differ.

I hunt down trouble and challenge it to a beat-down. I may lose as often as I win, but trouble still had to fight for it. :)

[wildhorses]

20. ahh --yeah

once it bothers me then it is ON :kick:


:hi:

[ThomCat]

22. And like your name

I'm sure you as tough as as stampede once someone's dumb enough to bring it on. :)

[idgiehkt]

15. lol, it's kind of like what Terri Garr said in Tootsie

when Dustin Hoffman's character told her they were still friends; she said "We are not friends, because I don't take this kind of shit from my friends...only from lovers."

That's pretty much my golden rule, lol.

[ghostsofgiants]

Non-violence, compassion (except in the case of blatant douchebaggery), and being straight edge.

Works for me.

[ThomCat]

19. I've heard about straight edge

but I can't say I really know what it's about. I'd love to hear about it when you've got some time. :)

[ghostsofgiants]

23. The wikipedia article on it sums it up nicely, actually...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge

[ThomCat]

27. Very Cool.

As a long time vegan I can definitely agree with all of that. :)

[MrCoffee]

17. i split it, you pick it

whenever food is divided among 2 or more people, the person who divided the food is not allowed to select which piece to eat.

[Patiod]

18. Never send out an email that can't be forwarded to one & all

Applies to all written communication, actually.

That rule has saved my bacon personally and professionally on many, many occasions.

Friend emailed me a picture of my college crush and his fraternity brothers, and he had gotten REALLY fat & bald. I emailed her back, saying that I was appalled that X had gotten so fat and bald, and right before I hit "send", remembered the RULE and changed it to: "Can't believe how no one has changed that much over the years - didn't recognize X, though - he looks completely different." Of COURSE the email got forwarded to X...Thank God for the Rule.

Has happened many, many times!

[ThomCat]

21. I should obey that rule more often than I do.

:(

[BlueIris]

29. That is an excellent one and you may consider it stolen.

Phew.

[mdmc]

30. no pain

no pain

[ThomCat]

33. That's an awesome rule.

I could never obey it though. Pain sometimes isn't a choice. :(

May you live a life with as little pain as possible though. :)

[mdmc]

34. you as well bro

I once had started dating this new girl... she asked me when the last time I was at the Gym. I just looked at her - I had never been to a gym in my life.

No pain, no pain.

[SKKY]

31. ALiberalSailor has 3 simple rules, or truths, he lives by...

These are the 3 that have held up over the years.

1. There is in fact such a thing as a stupid question, and it's usually asked by a stupid person.
2. It is ok to shoot the messenger, because sometimes the messenger deserves to be shot.
3. Of course the coach's kid is going to play more than anyone else. He's the coaches kid
for Christ's sake!

[ThomCat]

40. Um, people must love you.

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

32. I have a two drug rule.

Combining two drugs, such as alcohol and something else, tends to be okay. Trouble usually starts when three things get combined.

I once gave these rules to my former tattoo artist when he was tattooing my former HS teacher, now good friend:

"Alright, so remember, she was a teacher of mine, so try to be on good behavior. That means no telling her about the hot transexual you banged last week, no inviting her to a threesome, and no offering her a line of coke, or any drug, actually."

He did a lovely job on her tattoo and he obeyed the rules. I told her about the rules afterwards. She was glad she didn't know them beforehand, because she was already nervous and found him to be a somewhat scary guy.

[ThomCat]

41. I destroy that 2 drug rule on a regular basis.

It's with the permission of doctors and pharmacists, but still, there's a lot of wisdom in that rule.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

45. Yep.

[liberal hypnotist]

35. Elbow Rule

My grandmother taught us to never put anything smaller than our elbow in our ear. For years it nagged at me like a Bhuddist riddle.

[ThomCat]

42. How many people just tried to put their elbow into their ear?

:rofl:

[LaraMN]

36. If I can find a way to laugh about it; I can survive it.

If I were to lose my sense of humor, I don't think I could tolerate my life, or at least parts of it.

-It's important to know what hurts my friends and loved ones most, so I can avoid doing/saying it.
(ie: I would never call my husband an obscenity (except in jest,) and I wouldn't attack my friends for their perceived failures/shortcomings, no matter how angry I got at them).

-Anyone who outwardly dislikes me due to my beliefs does not warrant my concern or attention.

-If you eat less than half a dozen spoonfuls of cookie dough, it is insufficient in quantity to cause salmonella poisoning. Shut up. It's MY rule.

[ThomCat]

44. That second one is important.

Most people would agree with the first half, but slip on the second. :(

That last rule is easy if you don't use eggs. An advantage of being vegan! :woohoo:

[1gobluedem]

37. Never be so uptight that you can't laugh at yourself

And never shop at WalMart ever.

Those are my two biggest rules to live by.

[ThomCat]

46. Never, Ever shop at Walmart!

Agreed.

[MissHoneychurch]

38. A day without laughing is a lost day

Live and let live.

Don't do to others what you don't want to be done to you.

[ThomCat]

48. That "Do unto others" rule has a flaw in it.

When I get a migraine I want someone to squeeze my head until it pops like a zit. (No volunteers yet, though).

If I treated others the way I want to be treated at times like that...

Of course, ever rule has an exception. So I'll just consider that an exception. :P

[MissHoneychurch]

51. If you agree

to just massage my head when I squeeze yours I think that counts .... :D

[ThomCat]

54. It's a deal!

:loveya:

[Beausoleil]

39. Bruce says:

Rule one, no poofters.
Rule two, no member of the faculty is to maltreat the Abbos in any way whatsoever, if there's anyone looking.
Rule three, no poofters.
Rule four, I don't want to catch anyone not drinking in their rooms after lights-out.
Rule five, no poofters.
Rule six, there is *no* rule six.
Rule seven, no poofters.



Actually, I try to live by the Golden Rule. And I really am Bruce.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

47. No poofters?

Nice.

:sarcasm:

[ThomCat]

49. It's old Monty Python.

But, yeah, that has always been my reaction to it too.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

53. Oh okay. I hadn't seen that skit.

I agree with the drinking rule though.

[achtung_circus]

43. Jerome K Jerome's words to live by

from one of the funniest books ever written in the English Language; "Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog..)"


“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.”

[ThomCat]

52. That's a good rule if you can manage it.

It's the effort to get there that's the hard part.

[BlueIris]

50. 1) Learn something new everyday. 2) Always be prepared to forget

what you thought you knew. 3) There are very few mistakes in life that can't be corrected--if you've got the guts (TM Ellen Barkin in "Sea of Love").

[ThomCat]

56. Some days, you just have to hurry up and wait.

There's not much to learn, but I agree that there's always plenty to unlearn.

[Lowell]

58. As a lifelong biker and patched motorcycle club member I live by a code

I don't remember where or who wrote this, but it has worked for years. My first rule is, give respect and you will receive respect. The rest is part of the code.

Don't take any shit. Be kind to women, children and animals, but don't take any bullshit. This is an essential part of being a biker. It has to do with respect and honor. Anyone can be a quick-tempered fool. Be cool, stand tall and backup what you say with action.


Never lie, cheat or steal. Another way of saying this is to always tell the truth. Bikers are always the greasy bad guys in the movies, but every real biker knows that his word is his bond. Your word is all you have in life that is truly yours. Guard it carefully and be something noble, for you are a true knight of the road.


Don't snitch. If you see a wrong, fight it yourself, if you are about anything. You'll take care of problems yourself and never feel the need to snitch someone off. Snitches are the lowest life forms on earth, right up there with biker thieves.


Don't Whine. Absolutely no one likes or respects a whiner. Another way to say this is hold your mud. Still another way to think of it is, "Don't sweat the small stuff" Most of life's little inconveniences work themselves out whether you whine or not. Keep your chin up, dammit! You're a biker, not some lowly snail..


Never say die and never give up. Whether it's in a fight, a debate, or a business deal, no matter how bad it gets, a biker never gives up.


Help others. When a brother or sister is broken down by the side of the road, always stop and help them. Even moral support, if that is all you can give, is better than riding on by. Remember life is about the journey, the ride, not getting there. You already are there. And don't just help bikers, show the world that we are better than our image portrays us. Courtesy costs you nothing and gives you everything.


Stick to your guns. Do what you say you'll do, be there when you say you will. This is called integrity. This also goes back to standing for something. Like the song says, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything."


Life is not a drill. Yeah, this ain't no dress rehearsal. This is life -- go out and take big bites of it. You've got no time to lose and bikers don't stand around waiting for the party to come to them. You only go around once. Tomorrow you could be road kill, thanks to a chain smoker asleep at the wheel of his Caddy. Live life now, make the most of each momen

[ThomCat]

59. It would be nice if more people lived up to that code.

I don't know if it's supposed to apply to One-Percenters, or only to membes of the other clubs. Mostly what I've seen is that these rules apply to interactions with other bikers, but not to interactions with anyone else.

[Lowell]

60. It should apply to all bikers

but 1%er have some more extreme practices. Myself, I'm a member of a law enforcement M/C and the code fits well and has worked for me for decades.

As far as interaction with others that is very important. This is how we should act with everyone. Of course within the lifestyle there are other issues that apply strictly to the culture. We want to destroy old stereotypes and let the general public that the biker lifestyle is not typically a 1%er, rather the other 99% who show respect and appreciate it in return.

Within the community you respect all patcholders and recognize the committment that goes into earning a patch. You simply find a club that fits your personal beliefs and dedicate yourself to it.

[Oeditpus Rex]

63. Just curious

Ever been to the Independence Rally in Hollister?

[Lowell]

71. Not on two wheels, I've been to Hollister

but that was while I was stationed at Ft Ord and wheel less at the time. Now I'm just too damn old to make the trip. I think I've been to Sturgis for my last time also. Fortunately I live close to Daytona and have been going there every since the mid 1960s, but then things have changed. Now all the old bike events have gotten enormous and commercial.

[benEzra]

72. Lowell, that is fantastic...

I copied that post to my desktop. I'm not even a biker, but those are good words for ANYONE to live by.

[Kali]

79. I always see a lot of parallels between bikers and cowboys.

Some of yours for sure are similar to the cowboy way. Another similarity is when some kind of s wreck happens - no matter how torn up the participants may be, no matter what the equipment may look like...as long as nobody dies ... it is FUNNY.

[Lowell]

90. I got a laugh out of "the cowboy way"

I've know half a dozen riders over the years who's road name is "cowboy". And I think you're right there is a lot of similiarity between the biker culture and "the cowboy way." Our horses are iron today, but we love them too.

And yes, we find humor even in the face of adversity. I can't tell you how many times, at the end of a long ride, one rider or another will comment, "well we cheated death again."

[flvegan]

61. Primum Non Nocere

Part of the Hippocratic oath (or, Hypocritical Oath, as I call it from time to time, depending) meaning, "to help, or to at least do no harm" or "first, do no harm" or "above all else, do no harm" depending on where you read it.

This rule does, of course, have it's subsections. The main one deals with harm in relation to an individual or thing that is causing harm to another (usually an animal, woman or child). For example, if someone is abusing an animal, then all bets are off and I'll be Jiminy Quick to "nocere" your ass.

[skygazer]

62. I have two related rules

Never commit anything to paper (including photographs) that you would not be comfortable with virtually anyone seeing.

Never say anything about anybody that you wouldn't say to their face.

They have stood me in good stead for many years.

[Oeditpus Rex]

64. Well, there's the one I came up with

when I was a drafting student:

Turn your head when you sneeze.

:thumbsup:

[many a good man]

67. I've always like these rules

The ten Indian commandments.

1) Treat the earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
2) Remain close to the Great Spirit.
3) Show great respect for your fellow beings.
4) Work together for the benefit of all mankind.
5) Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
6) Do what you know to be right.
7) Look after the well-being of mind and body.
8) Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
9) Be truthful and honest at all times.
10)Take full responsibility for your actions.

[sugar magnolia]

68. 1) Treat people with kindness and respect

2) Keep it organic. :smoke:

3) Set and setting. (Make sure you're in the right headspace and physical environment before consuming illicit substances.)

[leeroysphitz]

69. I live by one rule only.

You gotta be REGULAR to be HAPPY.

[LostinVA]

70. You're such a perv

That's why I like you.

Purr...purr...purr....

[Shakespeare]

73. I have three primary rules.

There are corollaries, of course, but these are my three:

1. Be kind.

2. Life's too short to work for assholes (have quit a couple of jobs over the years for that one).

3. It's not hot until you cry (referring to spicy food).

Those have gotten me by quite nicely. :7

[mzteris]

74. Never use, abuse, or take advantage of

anyone less fortunate than you are.

[itsmesgd]

75. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

[leftofthedial]

76. do unto others

etc.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

77. I live by "The Rule of Creativity."

My sole job is to live with the eloquence of a writer and the freedom of a jazzer, to make the past and the future unravel in the present. My job is to speak what everyone knows and feels, to reveal through art that which non-artisans dare hardly to feel, never mind speak of themselves.

[Kali]

81. nice

[nuxvomica]

94. nuxvomica's razor:

When somebody does your wrong and it is equally likely they acted out of either stupidity or malevolence, assume stupidity.

[Taverner]

80. Don't shit where you eat

[Left Is Write]

82. "Be nice to other people."

[femmocrat]

83. My dad used to say these, and they have served me well:

1. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything.
2. Never volunteer.
3. You always meet them on a curve (he meant other cars, but it applies to many things).

[Patiod]

92. My dad's: There's no such thing as a free lunch

His corollaries to "No Free Lunch" are:

"Pigs get eaten" and
"If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."

Use those, and you'll never be scammed or conned (well, except by the opposite sex, but there are other adages that apply to that).

Another one that helped me through college: "If you're going to drink, stick with beer." I carried home a lot of sick/vomiting girls from parties which featured mixed drinks. Not that you can't overdo beer, but at least your decline is predictable.

[Kat45]

84. I have two:

1) The Golden Rule

2) Live and let live.

[Redstone]

85. "It's easy to be easy when you're easy."

Redstone

[Deja Q]

86. Enjoy life while I can.

:)

[Bum Whisperer]

87. A few good rules...

Don't fish from the company pier and It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

[S n o w b a l l]

88. Never lose yourself in someone else....

or depend on anyone. For in the end, it'll be just you alone.

[Crabby Appleton]

89. If it ain't broke, don't fix it

[billyskank]

91. Never pee into the wind

:)

[ElboRuum]

93. There are more, but here are 10.

1) You aren't being used if you're profiting by it.
2) No one is beyond reproach.
3) Give what you get, get what you give, and give as well as you get.
4) Familiarity will get you nowhere if you aren't familiar.
5) If you say you're going to do something, do it, otherwise keep your mouth shut.
6) Respect is the greatest contrivance of mankind. It costs nothing and makes everything better. Apply liberally and accept no substitutes.
7) A messy environment doesn't make you less of a person.
8) Love is easier to accept than to give. Choose the difficult option more often than the easy.
9) Help is easier to give than to accept. Choose the easy option more often than the difficult.
10) There is a big world out there with all kinds of people in it. Join in the fun as often as you can.