Decrees, and thesis.

Grand Decrees

1.	It is ordered that there is to be liberty to worship whatever religion you wish to do so in whatever way suitable.
2.	It is ordered that all religions are to be respected and that no preference is to be shown to any of them; all of this is commanded in order that it might be agreeable to all under Heaven.
3.	Leaders of a religion, lawyers, physicians, scholars, preachers, monks, persons who are dedicated to a religious practice, physicians, and those who bathe the bodies of the dead are to be exempt from any and all charges in which the only victim is themselves.
4.	It is forbidden under penalty of death that any, whoever they shall be, shall be proclaimed Khan unless they have been elected previously by the tribal leaders, and the leaders of the great houses, as well as any other condition stipulated by the Khan.
5.	Making peace with a monarch, a prince, or a people that have not submitted is strictly prohibited to any but the khan.
6.	The low army is to be ordered as such: dividing personnel into tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten-thousands, is to be enforced. Leaders will be put at the head of the troops and appointed commanders of thousands, hundreds, and tens. This arrangement serves to raise and organize the low-army in a short time, and to form units of commands.
7.	The moment a campaign begins, each soldier must receive their arms from the hand of an officer who has them in charge. The soldier must keep them in good order, and have them inspected by their officer before a battle. The soldiers are to be examined by officers before going to battle, and are to be supplied with the things they need for the campaign, and everything, from weapon to stitching and even needle and thread are to be inspected. If any soldier was supplied, but lack a necessary thing, they are to be punished appropriately.
8.	Forbidden, under penalty of death, is to pillage an enemy before the commanding official gives permission, but after permission is given all have the right and the same opportunity to pillage as the officer, and must be allowed to keep what he has carried off, provided he has paid his share to the receiver for the khan.
9.	It is ordered that soldiers are to be punished for negligence, and hunters who let prey escape during a community hunt are to be beaten.
10.	A great hunt is to be held once a year in order to ensure the fitness of all units.
11.	It is permitted to consume the blood and entrails of enemy combatants; this is to happen after the commanding officer allows for pillaging, and not before.
12.	All who do not go to war must work for the Khanite, without reward, for a certain time.
13.	Those who are found in possession of stolen property must return it to its owner and add nine items of the same kind; if they are unable to pay this fine, their children are instead given to the tribe of the victim; if they are unable to do this, they themselves shall be slaughtered like cattle. For lesser thefts, the punishment shall be according to the value of the thing stolen, in which the thief is to be beaten by staff, a number of blows of four, fourteen, twenty-four, up to nine-hundred. But this bodily punishment may be avoided by paying nine times the worth of the thing stolen.
14.	No subject of the Khanite may take another subject of the Khanite for a servant or a slave. Every being, except in rare cases, MUST join the military and be ready for combat.
15.	Whoever gives food or clothing to a captive without the permission of his captor is to be put to death.
16.	Whoever finds a runaway slave, thrall or captive and does not return them to the person to whom they belong is to be put to death.
17.	It is forbidden to bathe or perform activities in running water during thunder; the result is punishment enough on its own to warrant only this warning.
18.	Whoever intentionally lies for the sake of purposely sowing division, sabatoge, spies upon the behavior of others, or intervenes between the two parties in a quarrel to help one against the other without the permission of the Khan is to be put to death. ( For example, those intending grievous harm to people and damage them, and furthermore as a means of sabotage; to include those who practice lying with frivolous purposes. The greatest practice of lying is self-deception, not destruction.)
19.	Officers, chieftains, and leaders who fail in their duty, or do not come at the summons of the Khan are to be slain, especially in remote places. If their offense be less grave, they must come in person before the Khan.
20.	In the desert or environments where water is scarce, urinating or defecating in water is punishable by death. The same on ashes is also punishable by death.
21.	It is forbidden to eat food offered by another until the one offering the food themselves taste of it themselves; it matters not if one is prince or captive. It is also forbidden to eat more than one’s comrades, though for reasonable purposes, this may be overlooked if one does have a higher consumption need. It is also prohibited to step over a fire in which food is being cooked, or a source of food from which others are eating.
22.	Hospitality is to be considered sacred. Representatives of the Khan are to be treated as if they were the Khan themselves, be they slave or prince; should a wayfarer pass by a group on the road that is eating, they may eat with them without asking permission, and they must not forbid him from doing this.
23.	When talking to another, do not speak to them with a title. This applies to even the Khan himself.
24.	Should the Khan wish so, at the beginning of each year. All the people must present their daughters to the Khan so that he may choose some of them for himself and his children.
25.	Attacking, or lying to any representative of the Khan is punishable to anything, up to death.
26.	Tribal laws may be enforced by the respective tribes, but Khanite law supersedes those laws where applicable.

THE NECESSITY, NATURE AND PURPOSE OF EXCELLENCE

Typically, those who want to do good believe that "kindness" means to adopt the rather timid approach of thinking nice thoughts and giving positive vibrations out to our world. This is fine, and all our actions should ideally be accompanied by such a mentality, because our motivation will be strong and unfailing when it is accompanied by an awareness that one is doing something good and virtuous. However, I beleive consistently contributing something positive to the Universe implies an active approach, an endeavor to stretch ourselves, and simultaneously others, towards a high development of our innate potentials, whatever these might consist of. Since everyone has his or her special field or fields in which the greatest happiness and contentment is to be found, and where she or he has the capability to function at the apex of her or his abilities, everyone has a life purpose. To find this purpose and pursue means to be in harmony with the reason why we are here, and to fulfill your destiny. There is another factor that ought to be present in our mind when we move along our path. That is the never-dying intensity of feeling, by which we go unusually far in their chosen field are invariably marked. This feeling is not mere joy created by one’s awareness that your path is the correct one. It is the devotion to the fullest use of our potentials in our area. This is called excellence.

Genuine excellence.

Of paramount importance is to be forever conscious that excellence is a principle, and should not be viewed as a measurable quantity. Hence the talents and achievements of your neighbor, friend, lover or colleague have no other relevance for your chosen way than to demonstrate the possibility. It is useless and far beside the point to compare yourself to others. If you are truly dedicated to excellence, you already possess it, irrespective of what levels of achievements reached by another. That way, you cannot fail to be excellent. Further, as though it were necessary to point out once more, all individuals who have achieved something significant have consistently been dedicated to self-improvement. If they competed with others, the concomitant comparison with others was but secondary to their inner drive towards self-improvement, that is the realization of a continuous further development of the potentials residing in each and every one of us.

Here it is equally imperative to be aware that we must never confuse excellence with perfection. Perfection is a condition, which, in addition to being prolific within the universe, implies that what has been perfected has been completed. Since nothing within AO can ever be complete or completed, the notion of "perfection" is largely fictitious; just because it is out of our sight, does not mean it does not mean further development cannot exist.. Moreover, perfection as such, if it were possible, would imply that there is nothing more to do. Therefore, to seek perfection is self-destructive, both because the target itself does not exist, and because something perfected is something that no longer develops, something that has no purpose. To be without such is not why we are here. We are here to continually develop and to do, we are not meant to be without purpose.

What then is excellence? It is the state of mind that leads us to pursue continuous self-improvement, that impels us to dedicate ourselves consistently to something and be devoted to it mind and body. In this pursuit, present talent and social origin, wealth, state of health, beauty, race and education count for little. Simply because it is not the present position that matters, but rather the determining direction. The inner state of spirit and mind is what spawns excellence, and it is our practical mental and physical efforts that bring it to fruition. This means that provided we harbor a sufficiently strong desire to excel, we already possess all the prerequisites for achieving excellence. It devolves upon us as our obligation towards ourselves and AO to become aware of this, and trust the wisdom of our inner guide when it leads us to our chosen goal. Be forever mindful of this: You must never let the accepted and average levels of beauty and capability in this world delude you into believing that the second best is good enough. Your present situation will be different from that of tomorrow, if you want it to be. If your devotion is sufficiently intense, sincere and faithful, you will in due course attract the very best of qualities, abilities and circumstances into your existence. If you are not content with mere cozy harmony and the resultant self-satisfied mediocrity, but desire supreme quality, then you must be prepared to sacrifice whatever it costs in time and effort to actualize your aims. If you do this, you will discover something magical: You are rewarded with great joy in your life, not only because you see the fruits of your efforts, but because you will be true towards yourself by realizing what is your essence.

Next, we are obliged towards ourselves as well as towards our sisters and brothers, we are obliged to help them to reach the highest possible degree of mental, spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical development, in order to assist all in realizing our innate potentials. No area of activity and experience is unimportant, and development of all our faculties in accordance with our individual potentials and abilities, by means of personal motivation combined with a willingness to share its fruits with our fellows, meaning the successful alliance between the self-assertive and the integrative principles, should be in all, our collective ideal.

A further point to make when it comes to the concepts of quality and excellence in different areas: It is a fact of life that not everything or everyone reaches the highest standards at this moment. This has led some to believe that we should refrain from having standards for anything, be it artistic or aesthetic values or ideals for mental and other practical abilities, on the ground that it is unkind towards the "losers" to value some qualities higher than others. This is a very unfortunate misconception. What is ultimately heartless is to fail to hold up high standards, ideals and examples that in all instances serve as incentives and models for growth and development. This applies irrespective of whether or not any given individual manages to reach or fulfill the standard at this particular point in time. Bear in mind that quality and excellence are desirable qualities, and that it is erroneous but above all irresponsible to take the stand that everything is equally good or worthy. If everything is considered equally good or worthy, then nothing can be truly excellent. It is precisely the presently less talented or gifted who are most in need of being impelled towards improvement. Even though improvement is a slow and more often than not a laborious process, failure to realize potentials brings incomparably greater pain. The acid test is this: To what ultimate extent do we accord every member of the community equal rights and opportunities to aspire towards ideals and to reach high goals?

Remember: To seek excellence is the right thing to do, and we must also stretch it out to our fellows. To deny others the same possibilities we rightfully claim for ourselves is in fact a cardinal sin. To help them when they want to change for the better is the foremost expression of social responsibility and true love.


ON THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF COMPETITION


There is a common belief that competition is intrinsically evil and detrimental to togetherness, compassion, social empathy and solidarity. It is imperative to realize that this is an oversimplification, leading to a dangerous misconception. Of course, an excessive competitive impulse is harmful. However, this does not imply that competition is undesirable. We must understand that the class of social behavior called "competition" most realistically is viewed as a line, representing an unbroken continuum. This continuum stretches from an imaginary point zero, which is distinguished by total absence of competition, leading to passivity, even lethargy, and lack of initiative, growth and development. One could say that this condition is a semi-stuporous one in which most incentives toward change, growth, activity and a sense of common and individual Purpose are absent. This is an absolutely perilous situation, albeit not always conspicuous as such, which must be avoided.

At the other end of the continuum lies the point which is marked by an unbridled competitive drive. Here the intensity of competition has been escalated so far as to create a state of general strife, rivalry and hostility. Solidarity is largely absent in such an extreme condition, selfishness reigns, the goal is to destroy and bring about the downfall of your opponent. Under such circumstances the aggressive behavior permeates the whole social group to a degree where disruption and eventual disintegration becomes the result. This situation is likewise dangerous, more immediately noticeable as such.

Both conditions are destructive, and equally to be avoided in a virtuous social group or society. Still, since we are talking about a continuum on which all elements have their place, here balance between the undesirable extremes is quite naturally the key. The formula can be laid down as follows: Competition, that is the practical result of your enthusiastic desire to emulate your competitor, is functional and desirable if it does never escalate beyond the point where antagonism enters and your competitor's failure becomes a goal for you. We have to appreciate that competition and solidarity are not mutually exclusive, but rather equally necessary and interconnected fundamentals present in any good society. The function of our competitive force and its resultant competitive activity is to provide the most effective incentive to individual as well as collective invigoration and stimulation towards inspired use and improvement of our abilities. If the elements are in balance, competition is a healthy and cooperative enterprise in which progress is certain, the whole society benefits from it, and the well-being of each individual is assured.

The same holds true for some of the essential aspects of competition; evaluation and selection. Selection and hierarchies serve to enhance the drive towards improvement and excellence. A sober and unbiased look at the whole history of life tells us that whenever some trait or quality is being selected for, it will be advanced and encouraged. It is erroneous and detrimental to think that it is "heartless" to distinguish between unskilled and skilled, low and high, the unfit for its role and the fit, the inferior and the excellent. This because selection always results in a movement towards a higher level, that is more excellence, which again leads to a higher-quality existence. Thus the beneficial effects by far outweigh the pain engendered by not being excellent at this moment. It is of supreme importance to know that discomfort which results from present inadequacy can only be alleviated by transcending the limitations in question. Which means further improvement, which is generated and propelled by precisely the selective procedures that illustrate what the ideals should be. If we think about all possible qualities a single individual can possess, be it intelligence, willpower, beauty, humility, perseverance, the capacity to endure, creativity, strength, flexibility in the face of a challenge, curiosity, compassion; the list is virtually endless, we see that without exception all our qualities and the degree to which they have been developed and evolved is a result of conscious or subconscious selective processes and procedures that are in operation throughout Nature and the Wheel. The qualities and strengths that have been and are conductive to the success in existence that is best described as fit for role are precisely those which have been and are selected for and chosen; by our peers, by our partners, by the social groups to which we belong, by ourselves and in the last analysis by the grand enemy known as I.

It is one of the most dangerous errors that we can make, when it is believed that because it sometimes feels painful and difficult to accept the variation in capability and all kinds of fitness between individuals, differences should be "democratized" and sought eliminated, and that there should be no ideals and standards for what is precious, honorable, beautiful, just, correct, skillful and desirable. Here the otherwise impressive intelligence many of us possess can play a very deceiving role. Elaborate philosophies and value systems have regularly been constructed in order to defend, in other words mentally rationalize, such a mistaken position. It is more than likely that paradoxically enough it is our past that is deceiving us in this way: When we all lived all the time in a very challenging environment, it was vital to conserve energy whenever possible, because life itself required an exceedingly high level of mental and physical activity most of the time. Thus we, like other life forms, are genetically predisposed towards a conservation of energy. The resultant treacherous inclination towards a desire for comfort and to scorn what is often falsely perceived as Nature's "cruelty" becomes destructive in a historical period where technical achievements enable us to supplant the intense use of mind and body with passivating technologies and magics. Typically the degenerative lifestyle which is the danger of that inclination is defended by negative ideas about the "harsh primitivity" of Nature. However, because that which is wrongly interpreted as Nature's ruthlessness is precisely what has created and will for eternity tend to create all sorts of high qualities, such thinking is seriously flawed.

Ideals and standards are the result of the realization, conscious or otherwise, that preference for the best is what spawns true excellence. Without conscious or subconscious ideals, there cannot be any growth and development. What is really evil, is to deny someone the right to seek the positive and constructive development towards a better condition that ought to be accessible to all. Nobody must be prevented from participating and improving because of present status or position. Privileges that are introduced only to protect positions and serve to stop others from reaching the same high levels are unjust. Excellence should be rewarded, nevertheless it is the eternal duty of the superior to assist the others. Moreover, even in those qualities where it is believed that immediate improvement cannot easily be made, ideals and standards are not only justified, but necessary, in order to secure high quality today and in the future. Simply because selective processes on every level then come into play and ensure that the most excellent solutions are those that are developed and furthered. This is what creates the most merciful condition, even though it requires a broad perspective to see it with full clarity.

Next, we should understand that in situations where competitors are directly measured against each other, it is not necessary to win the competition. It is our action and participation, the path of improvement, the process, that is meaningful. When we mature during this course, we understand that it is actually with ourselves we compete, because what it is all about is to rise above our limitations. Even the very best in a particular field has always started out with self-transcendence. There is no other way, and it is of immense importance to recognize that even the most "merciless" competition is intrinsically a collective and symbiotic cooperative effort whose effect is improvement. The other participants are actually helpers who are there to arouse, excite, inspire, motivate and strengthen us. Over time we experience that it is beneficial for us, because we develop a perspective wherein we appreciate the indispensableness of consistent striving and endeavor. This way we avoid to fall into a lethargic acceptance of lowliness, mediocrity and inertia, we hone our skills during the conscious effort to maintain and develop our potentials. Most important of all, we assist each other in collective endeavor, and we develop an awareness that for that reason the progress of our fellows is inextricably interwoven with our own and vice versa. The best formula for how to keep and encourage the competitive element in societies while preventing it from having adverse side effects is to bear in mind that we have to make allowance for the fact that not only do the level of individual abilities vary, but more importantly, the areas of competence are different between all individuals. Hence we should give credit to the different aptitudes, so that every member of the community can meet recognition for what is his or her special endowments in a given area. Again; this does by no means imply that rank and classification according to distinctive characteristics are or should be considered unwanted. On the contrary these are productive and positive phenomena, they are indispensable in order to distinguish the excellent and thereby give the others a high standard towards which to grow. The crucial question is to what extent the community creates a societal order wherein such improvement in each of its members is encouraged. It is the will of the Khan that we all shall realize this.

Lastly, chance as such is nonexistent in Universe. There is causality behind everything. Which implies that our present characteristics and attributes are the results of choice. This holds true whether or not one, like my ancestors, believes in the immortality of each and every action, in which case the qualities we possess are the products of our own personal former choices and actions as well as those of our cooperators/partners/competitors, which have then resulted in the subsequent genetic development that determined our inner and outer appearance and all our qualities. One may also believe in an one-life scenario, in which case our qualities are still the products of the cooperation, competition and selections performed by our ancestors, developed and materialized through our genetical characteristics. As will be understood, it makes absolutely no difference which outlook is considered "true": In both cases, the consistent preference for and choice of excellence has been and is the one fundamental prerequisite to continued excellence.

Racism

The issue of racism is serious: Not only because it is ethically reprehensible on the grounds of what they are, but on the ground that racism and the conflicts it creates are socially disruptive and thus a danger to the health of the whole society. Of course, racism as long been the cause of many things and wars and has commended considerable attention, and its historical and political complexity is hardly in doubt. Still, easy as it may sound, this problem should NOT be necessary. Let it once and for all be stated that the various species and races within creation represent nothing more and nothing less than adaptations to an environment. Obviously, it is entirely groundless to the point of idiocy to disrespect others because of their adjustment to the environment, and that such opinions are best left to yourself. Any who are a part of us, are us, as those who are not, are not a part of us; this is the only distinction one should draw.

On Value Judgements: Their Rightfulness and Indispensability


As we know, there exists a well-known notion that all value judgment, any statement to the effect that something is good, better and best, is inherently unfair and therefore unacceptable. Most often this position is being defended by reference to certain historically disfavored people, for example minority or racial groups and their struggle against unjust societal discrimination, typically expressed by lack of access to opportunities that are available to the privileged group(s), which may be accompanied by a general lack of societal acceptance of and contempt for the people or groups in question.

To realize that this is unjust is unproblematic. However, some jump from this sensible realization and to the more than rash conclusion that any ranking of achievement, as well as judgments of different qualities, are prejudicial, unjust and should be considered intolerable. This outlook has often been branded "egalitarianism," although it is, to say the least, unclear how a belief in the justice in any society’s equality with respect to social, political and economic rights and privileges can justifiably be extended to a declaration that "there are or should be no bad, good, better, best."

One can also encounter another form of rationalization of the denial of value judgment: Values and preferences allegedly hinders diversity by setting up rigid, limiting norms, ideals, rules or standards. This is a rather tortuous line of argument, since it is more than anything else the willful refusal to accept standards and values that prepares the ground for rigidity and constriction. The result of a misunderstood egalitarianism where it is forbidden to distinguish between bad, good, better and best, and where any phenomenon or manifestation is considered as "good" as any other, will be a low common denominator where true excellence is disparaged and stifled. Additionally, in a condition where value judgment is scorned and rejected, the way is made open for the ascendancy of those fads and fashions that have the upper hand, because they will be immune against criticism, since any criticism accompanied by a suggestion that something is or can be better would then programmatically be falsely labelled as prejudicial, unfair judgment, thus illegal. As we see, the notion that it is unfair and wrong to judge quality and value is nothing but an exceedingly rigid value system itself. Most importantly, it is wholly authoritarian, profoundly intolerant and very damaging in its consequences. It is akin to cutting off the legs of people so that nobody feels bad when some runs or moves faster than others.

Further; it is mistaken to believe that from an acceptance of differences and diversity and a resultant realization that inequality in opportunity is unjust, it then flows logically that "all value judgments are inherently unfair." To embrace such beliefs is fallacious thinking.

Value judgment is nothing inherently unjust. On the contrary, it is everywhere crucial for the advancement and maintenance of excellence. Excellence in all possible contexts and meanings, as well as the diversity and variation which deliver the material to create it, are ultimately the products of selective and competitive adaptive processes on many levels coupled with cooperative constellations that can only come into existence and survive if each participating entity is of sufficiently high quality. They precisely require continual choice, selection, judgment and recognition of supreme qualities, forms, solutions, standards and values. In the realm of conscious thought, the concept of value lies at the root of all recognition. Yet some seem to feel that these things are "uncomfortable" and seriously disturbing, and on that account they declare them "unfair" and want to banish them from existence. How can appreciation of distinctive quality, beauty, superiority and magnificence ever be unfair? What is more unfair than denying the universal reality of excellence and superiority, and of its desirability? The ideologically founded belittlement of standards, values and excellence is a thoroughly unfair, outrageously disrespectful position that amounts to the rejection of everything that is valuable, beautiful, outstanding, excellent. How can that kind of outlook be of any constructive worth at all? Growth, development, achievement, excellence and greatness can only be achieved if high ideals, standards and values are present. Nature itself has determined that standard and value are universally valid, by making the survival and well-being of any organism dependent on success in the ubiquitous selective mechanisms. Whether or not any given organism is successful depends solely on its skill, that is fitness for the role it plays in its environment. Which is determined by a wide range of individual and interactive capabilities: Again quality and by implication value are encouraged and validated.

Lastly, any relation between organisms, be it competitive or symbiotic (and bear in mind that there are no clear boundaries between these, since most phenomena and processes display both tendencies) is invariably defined and refined by selective processes. There is no objective ground for disparaging, denying or rejecting value judgment on principle. Rather, it should be appreciated and recognized as indispensable to the Wheel and to us, on all areas of existence.


Excellence and Value Continued: Neutrality is Never Possible.



As it was stated earlier, refusal to accept the need for value judgment and standards is in principle similar to cutting off the legs of people to avoid the alleged pain for those who might feel inferior because someone is better. That it is so is shown by the last line of argument levelled by the people who would like to abolish all values and judgments about quality, namely the postulation that any criterion or set of criteria of performance or qualities is unfair on the ground that their existence is painful for those who fail to measure up to the standard(s) at this moment.
That is an interesting point of view, because its principal, albeit most often unconscious, message is that quality and excellence must be sacrificed, that is de facto suppressed, in order to avoid the alleged aggravation of feelings of inadequacy and inferiority complexes in some individuals. It should be understood that this is a more than problematic position: It is beyond doubt that in the extended perspective, the lack of standards and the lesser quality it tends to create, prepares the ground for immeasurably more pain and misery than anything else. Only the puerile wish for a shielded, carefree life without "uncomfortable" challenges can move to seek a condition without standard and value.
Neutrality is impossible, because the circumstances and milieux in which we live always have their own dynamics that will influence us to a smaller or greater extent. This means that in any given situation, the rather short-sighted non-judgmental attitude that is called "neutrality," "impartiality" or "non-discriminating," is bound to invariably favor those factors that happen to be the most influential in the moment. For this reason, the assertion that a "neutral," non-judgmental approach allows diversity is false. Judged from its consequences, the notion that there is something like neutrality is therefore also erroneous.


Destroying what is inferior versus encouraging what is superior


Throughout history, there has been much misunderstanding here. Both the sociopolitically irresponsible social Naturalists and ultra-rightists (For those who don’t know, those who believe that survival of the fittest applies to society as well, but at the same time practice such things as keeping oppressed and dismissed groups down without giving them the same chances as everyone else.) as well as representatives of the equally imprudent modern political equalitists and pseudoradicals have, to suit their respective political purposes, depicted the developmental processes in nature as something very destructive and barbaric. Needless to say, this skewed picture is a gross misinterpretation of these natural processes.

Selection for the best, be it conscious or otherwise, is an overwhelmingly positive phenomenon, where we should see that the constructive and advantageous choice of what is best is the main aspect. It is therefore erroneous to say that the pervading theme in Nature is "elimination of the weak." Even if the less fit or capable are selected away, this is a result of the positive selection of what is superior and preferable. Since this always results in a general improvement, it is objectively desirable that this should happen. This is a universal principle which applies to both the wilderness and the civilized realm.

Speaking of the civilized realm which is our main interest here, it is never desirable to attempt to promote excellence by concentration on the inferior. There is a vast difference between attacking the weak and encouraging what is superior. In the former pattern, the focus is on the lower, the substandard, the bad. In addition, building something always requires an emphasis on constructivity. Hence, the effect of trying to destroy the weak in order to add force to the superior will be largely counterproductive, because of some very subtle and not so subtle mechanisms. To put a main emphasis on destroying always means that a general impulse to destruction is sent out. This is detrimental to any constructive purpose, and will make it much more difficult to accomplish the beneficial and to attain excellence.

Thus we see that if one constantly concentrates the focus on the lesser and lower, one cannot possibly be effective in promoting excellence. Consequently, we should prefer and select the best, but also strive to encourage the improvement of what is presently substandard, because this will send out the general impulse to improvement, and because it serves to direct our attention and emphasis towards upgrading, enhancement and change for the better. This is what is meant by the necessity of "strengthening the weak." Which is not to be understood as a part of our ethics, but as the corollary of a universal principle: Excellence, in all its meanings and contexts, can only be successfully promoted through concentration on the positive which we want.


Residing in this physical world: An aspect of mortal reality often overlooked and neglected.


Why should we engage in conscious development of their physical nature, that is to undertake physical training? Why do so few actually train their physical selves? Most of us live at best a moderately active life. Two-leg experience and practice has proven many times over that a balanced, serious training regimen that comprises strength training, different types of cardiovascular exercise and possibly other physical disciplines like martial arts, so that the body is vigorously exercised every day, leads to a vastly increased bodily capacity for countless types of activity as compared to the less competent state. This adds to health not only because physical fitness demonstrably aids and illustrates general soundness and desire to achieve, but also, and more importantly, the capability of using one's own body at a high level is part of being healthy, because a sound concept of "health" should encompass the optimum development of all constructive potentials. There are legitimate reasons why we should look on it that way, when the psychological, emotional and ultimately spiritual effects of having at one's disposal a capable body are included in this picture. Let us then ask whether the level of physical fitness by which the average non-athletic is characterized is really adequate, given the criterion that to fulfill our potentials mean to develop all our faculties is an aim towards we should all steer. Why, then, should we accept the average physical level of the untrained as "normal" and sufficient? Indeed, the average adaptive limits of a "normal" untrained being being should be considered insufficient and intolerable, in view of the vast potential of our bodies. Let it be stated that it should be in your mind that it should be your goal to unlock your true, unfettered potentials.

Everyone agrees that we ought to train our mind and mental capabilities, and nobody would earnestly suggest that we stop reading or writing, or for that matter any cease the practice of any other science or mental discipline. On the contrary, developing our mental and intellectual faculties as far as individual potentials dictate is regarded a necessity and a birthright for all, and rightfully so.

However, when it comes to our bodies, which we literally carry around 24 hours a day all our life, there is strangely enough no such societal consensus on the desirability of obtaining and maintaining a high physical capacity. This in spite of the fact that the difference between untrained and trained is immense. The countless physical activities we all can perform when properly trained are astonishing, and as a high level of physical activity and capacity can easily be kept into a very advanced age, leading to a wide spectrum of activity both in terms of scope and duration, we have every reason to include vigorous physical training into our everyday schedule. Why should not the daily and lifelong physical training, leading to a high level of physical knowledge be as natural as a lifelong activity and development of our mental side? In both cases, training increases capability, and superb capability implies the possibility of high achievements.

Why is it seemingly so difficult for many to include high bodily competence and accompanying daily physical activity in our essential range of experience?

Let us avoid the pitfall to perform exercise with the negative motivation to avoid health problems. Large numbers of us have lived utterly sedentarily and begun to do otherwise unhealthy when they were young, and continued this habit until their death at an old age, and yet they have remained "healthy," in the sense that they were not attacked by any chronic or fatal disease. Your health is dependent on numerous factors, and certainly it significantly increases your potentials for being healthy if you train physically. However, training is by no means a prerequisite to the successful avoidance of overt disease, any more than the development of our intellect is so. Hence, the rather limited aim of good health cannot be our main motivation for developing a capable body. The only sensible reason why we want to develop ourselves is that when our strengths and capabilities increase, so does our total possibilities in life.

The question is this: Do we want to consciously choose to be able not only to perform the daily chores, but also to be capable of achieving with our well-trained physical selves, the same way as mental performance is equally rightfully seen as desirable and important? Those who in their heart truly determine that they want to break out of the adaptive limits of the untrained, and strive to do so through conscious effort, will achieve it, without necessarily having any special genetic talents. Their reward will be an ability to use their physical bodies at consistently high levels, and to experience daily the feelings and sensations that go with it. These cannot without great albeit perhaps unrealized loss be replaced with virtual realities and electric stimulation of the brain, simply because these artificialities do not give any high bodily capability, that is physical knowledge.

We are relatively unaccustomed to recognize that the capability to do things with our body is a form of knowledge, but that is precisely what it is. That high physical knowledge, which is available to all who desire it, should be what motivates us to train our body. To train because we want to avoid disease is way too narrow-minded, and cannot serve as a sufficient permanent motivation. Only our joyful desire to obtain and to have a capable physical nature, and to use it, can do so.

There is a widespread sentiment that the physical is subordinate to the spiritual, and that perception is of course completely true. However, that does not detract from the significance or meaningfulness of physical manifestations, since the relation between the spiritual and physical is that of cause and effect. To maintain and develop high bodily abilities is to choose and use a spiritual Principle, since the resultant corporeal capabilities exist as a result of this underlying Principle to which we choose to attach ourselves. By determining that we consciously aspire to a certain condition in the physical world, a corresponding spiritual Principle is invariably invoked and so at the same time fortified, creating the conditions for the fulfillment of our aspiration, and at the same time that of others.

One argument frequently used against regular, extensive and consistent physical training for normal people is the allegedly strict constraints imposed upon us by work considerations and above all family obligations. This is in reality a matter of social tradition. If a degree of physical competence above the daily functional level is regarded unimportant, it is of course not valued, but rather defined as something that takes time from other areas in life.

However, if we determine that physical ability is to be considered an essential component of mortal existence, then our having family and children actually imposes an additional obligation to maintain high bodily ability, to train regularly and thereby educate our children to realize that the possession of a high level of physical fitness is a normal and desirable condition for a healthy being. Children who are fortunate to grow up seeing it demonstrated by their parents, will integrate this consciousness in their own mentality and find it natural to endeavor to develop and maintain lifelong physical fitness themselves. Immense vistas of joy, play and intensive, vigorous experience as well as relaxed, easy use of the body then becomes available to them. We ought to give our offspring as well as all other individuals with whom we come in contact, this opportunity to learn and to become motivated by our example of what mortal can and by implication should be, by the vivid illustration of a capable body as the harmonious, natural companion to a similarly trained mind. Doing so is a social obligation indeed. Obligation? Might it not be said that it is first and foremost an expression of love?

My ancestors rightfully held that certain elements of civilization are detrimental to life. They held the unrestrained lifestyle of the nomads up as a better alternative to life in a single place, which they saw dulled and diminished the Life-Force of those who lived that way in many ways. We cannot all be nomads, but that is not the point. The point is that we all can say "no" to these elements of civilization that threaten to remove us from participation in the intense pulsations of life, and instead choose to put ourselves in a condition where we are able to enjoy Nature, to be partakers in our own intense Life-Force as well as that of our environs. We have the opportunity and the choice to develop a spirituality that includes our vigorous, feral Life-Force in all its aspects.

Through artificial means and simulation it is possible to have or rather mimic many sorts of natural experience, from participation in sports to trips into nature and sexual satisfaction and reproduction, but it will not be quite the same principles and effects involved. Even though it may be argued that this must be natural since nothing unnatural can happen in a natural world, it is undeniable that deviation from the "wild" and basic natural forces that characterize Nature implies a rejection of the untamed instincts and abilities that are a prerequisite to the experience of powerful, intense and wild natural instincts and the intense activities, sensations and feelings they create.

The portions of intelligent life that reject the primal forces of Nature, typically do so with the rationalization that they are somehow "primitive and unworthy." This is the result of an embrace of values that dictate that our inner and accordingly also our physical Nature must be subdued in order to get rid of the instinctual and feral which is so deeply despised within this outlook. Some will predictably choose to line themselves after this scenario, which will be akin to the civilization that my ancestors criticized as dulling and detrimental to the senses, bodies and feelings of mortals. And they were correct in implicitly foreseeing that a portion of intelligent life was likely to reject and move away from the wild forces that permeates Nature, and instead create their own artificial world.

Ultimately, our principles stand for an alliance between what we for want of better words must call "uncivilized" and the "civilized," between the "primitive" and the "cultivated." In this alliance, there is no merger where each part loses its characteristic identity, but it is a cooperation between the natural forces, or physical and feral nature, and the scientific, magical, and intellectual powers of us. This implies a harmonious connection of the feral and the civilization, which must not be allowed to damage the natural, fiercely intensive Division performed by AO. From these principles and priorities, together with those of other traditions of a similar content and direction, will intelligent beings be given the opportunity to choose to evolve spiritually in concert with the real experience of the genuine activity and sensations of natural contact with ourselves and our surroundings, and to make our choices accordingly. It is by no means clear whether all theoretical future strains of intelligent life will have their home within creation, or how or where the different principles are going to manifest. Also, it should be borne in mind that these matters are being decided by our choices and actions all the time. Development is thus not at all a linear process, even though it seems so with a superficial look. Further; the morphogenetic fields of a phenomenon, a lifestyle, a manifested Principle are there for eternity, and probably in all the Wheels that are and will ever be. It is a potential that is available to us, it is up to all entities who live to connect. Certainly, it is possible to combine the highest spiritual development with sedentariness, or with untamed vigor and natural intensity. We have the choice.

To those who may balk at the distinct shamanistic/pantheistic philosophy in these lines, it must be said that it is simply should be our point of view, and it is of course not necessary to accept the finer, more intricate metaphysical details of this to understand the fundamental principles and critically important choices involved.

Some lines of thought hold the opinion that the natural and the "primitive" must be eradicated in order to remove violence, war, pain and disease in all its aspects. The answer to this way of thinking must be: To be able to walk entails all the risks and mishaps that can be avoided by staying forever in bed; at the same time staying in bed deprives us of all that can be done, felt and experienced when we move around. If all had so feeble bodies that they could not even walk, there would be no more physical war or violence. With strong bodies, there will be physical violence, but also the opportunities for physical sensations and pleasure that in my view are on balance more significant and weighty. To put it in another way: What is to be accorded the greatest weight: The pain associated with childbirth, or the joy and pleasure associated with the whole process of sexuality, conception and procreation? It is much like the difference between one who is physically untrained and one who is in excellent shape. The untrained individual will probably view intense physical action as a punishment which only leads to pain, whereas the physically trained and able person, be it a child, female or male, will enjoy every healthy form of vigorous physical activity, and consciously and actively seek it.

As this example illustrates and implies, to what ultimate extent we are able to love Nature and its "primitive" components and facets is determined by what kind of conditioning we undergo in our lives, which is all the time determined by our choices and actions. Moreover, it is precisely my ancestor’s critique of civilized societies that they are in danger of not only evolving into presenting admirable scientific and intellectual levels, something that was always desired by their Great Chieftain themselves, but also of rejecting and destroying the "wild," untamed Life-Force that empowers pain and pleasure, the scintillating ferocity and intense feelings, sensations, adventures and joy in the inner and outer wilderness. If these things are consciously sought and lived in all the way in our journey in the Wheel(s), we make ourselves more capable and therefore much more happy and complete. Which portion of intelligent life will prefer to "lie in bed," and which portion will elect to maintain abilities to maintain the "primitive" elements of our nature, "stay out from bed," and also accept both the pains and pleasures that go with that? As for the belief in a dichotomy between mind and body, there is little ground for holding it. Even if we accept the metaphysical notion of the mind as an independent unit that can exist independent of our corporeal body, the crucial meaning of physical manifestation in the scheme of things is easily apparent in the real world. Let it be said that the innumerable sensory stimuli generated by bodily motion and activity have played and play a very significant role in the development of our formidable intellect.

For those who may not be familiar with the difference between the concepts "natural selection" and "sexual selection": Natural selection covers as most know, the environment's favoring certain emergent genetic characters and configurations that will have a greater chance of survival as compared to others. Sexual selection, on the other hand, entails the selective processes where individual organisms which reproduce sexually choose and mate with each other. This is now believed to contribute much more to evolution than previously believed, because sexual selection implies a rather powerful preference wherein the individuals select the best and most excellent sexual partners to mate with. The net effect is a consistently high quality of the offspring, and this with respect to all possible characteristics.

Our mental and physical characteristics and abilities are formed by these abovementioned factors, without the presence and effect of which they could never have been developed. Therefore, if we want to retain and develop further our capabilities in the future, we have to let our life contain sufficient challenges and selective mechanisms to ensure the promotion and growth of them.

Since the spiritual, according to the shamans, is what lies under/behind the manifested, these underlying Principles can, if we choose to attach ourselves to them, express themselves at will and transform the existing circumstances and conditions. The aforementioned point that it is the direction that matters, holds true also in the enormity of the Whole perspective. If light fades and life within creation dies, the energy fields and Principles will still continue to be able to manifest every place where conditions so permit; and may then not the conditions, or the movement of the Wheel(s) itself, be influenced by its spiritual inhabitants, that is, by their conscious energy fields? If so, all living beings create their destiny, their past, present and future at the same time, for most part without realizing it. It is in all its complexity so easy and clear, yet many people deny it, or they ascribe the directing consciousness to a remote God who has other things to do, namely somehow to sustain the Universes so that all the consciousnesses in them can have a home.

One element in life does never in itself eliminate another, it is up to us how we act upon or let the present possibilities influence us. It is so hard for many people to realize that we are the sole creators of our destinies, and that AO is not interfering with individual entities, it is only that all actions have an accompanying re-action. The outcomes of everything is not decided at a singular point in time, it is being decided continuously, chaotically, and can be predicted with the same precision as the probability field of an elementary particle in an atom. That atom is made out from the same pattern as we are (Most of us anyways), and that is the reason why the position of an elementary particle can be described not by a designation of definite locality, but only in terms of probability fields. Since the probability field is still capable of forming solid manifestations like planets, dogs, and humans, chance must be nonexistent, instead the phenomena must have a consciousness that directs the formation. At the same time, since its position and movement is a probability, not a certainty, the chaotic, continuous and free yet causal, determinable nature of our existence and destiny is scientifically proven, it is unfortunate that most scholars have for several hundred years failed to perceive that proof for what it is.


On Science and the Spiritual and Magical


With respect to the civilized two-leg’s insight in the workings of Nature and our being part of it, there was a better time when the spiritual and the scientific were not divorced into two separated realms as many of them have. The Karidtis Empire from my world had a brilliant representative for the combination of these two domains. Kra-Turama was a dracotaur academician and scientist, and he had received the highest academic credentials. He was a court advisor, astronomer and herbalist, but also an astrologer, further he both used scientific principles and medical knowledge and was a shaman who invoked the spirits at all times. Nowadays, one has been supposed to either live in the realm of knowledge and either deny the realm of Spirit and intuition, or else believe in "superstition" and as a result be brutally excluded from the respectability of many academic circles. Even though science does and should concern itself with what can be treated with the techniques and procedures of the scientific method, this gives no permission to deny the existence of what lies outside its domain. Far from all phenomena can be scientifically observed or documented; hence it has to be appreciated that it is a misinterpretation to take for granted that absence of evidence is evidence of absence.

During his time, any scholar who did not accept that the two worlds of Spirit and Knowledge exist together was considered ignorant. Many believed that this underlying reality should be reflected in the organization of our societies, and that the vigor and direct natural experience symbolized by the extremely intuitive nomad lifestyle should be a cornerstone of the line of development. The Great Cheiften’s lifework indicates that his ideal and aim was neither unalterable nomadism nor civilization in the urbanized sense; his emphasis on both nature and culture and his respect for knowledge show that his ideal and aim was an educated pastoral society. We should be aware that this is the kind of society that can without conflict, that is with sustainability, combine our consciousness and intelligence with contact with the Nature we for our own sake and that of the whole Universe should consider us an unalienable part of. Moreover, technological developments could be used to facilitate this, since a highly sophisticated technology enables means of production that can be decentralized and less wasteful of natural resources. Then it is up to us to seek Nature, both our inner as well as the outer, and choose to be part of it. In other words: It is up to you.


The Pursuit of Knowledge


Another component of society is that of mental activity, or Knowledge. As with other abilities, the limits of the untrained mind are way too restrictive, and they need to be expanded by learning.

This must be a major part of our legacy, and its importance cannot be overestimated. No social or economic efforts whatsoever should be spared in teaching each other, and our subjects under the Sun and beyond. Especially important, of course, is the education of children. They should be taught about the facts and mysteries of all real, imaginable and hidden Worlds even before they are born, for unborn babies, like every living entity in Universe, sense and appreciate the intents and wills of their surroundings. Needless to say, socioeconomic circumstances must not stand in the way of learning. The community must not fail to give all its members equal opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills.

Further; whenever you see the possibility of expanding another's mind and understanding about any subject, small or large, do it. It will assist those to whom you stretch yourself out in this manner, and the positive act you perform will circle the world fifty times and reward you fifty fold.


On Alcohol and Drugs


A considerable proportion of us regularly use big doses of alcohol or/and drugs whose sole function is to give the user an intoxication that he or she finds pleasant. We know that an increase of violent behavior and all sorts of accidents results from this. Large numbers of people are injured or diseased and vast resources go wasted because of inebriety and drug dependency. A little bit of drink enlivens a mind; but an excess befuddles it. Let it also be said that those who do not take substances to the point of befuddlement and uselessness should commend the highest respect.

We must be insightful and realistic about the use of intoxicating substances in order to fully grasp what should and should not be done. I am aware of the consequences of alcoholism. I’ve seen commoners drank away their horses, their herds and became beggars. However, to deny others the experience is inherently wrong, as it is a part of mortal being. As such, I say this: Those who are never intoxicated to the point of physical uselessness and mental befuddlement are to be treasured and given due respect.

Thus: The use of alcohol and doubtlessly other drugs has been around for a very long time, and as such we must also look at the pitfalls of it.

This problem can best be solved by a question everyone who abuses intoxicating drugs of any kind has to ask him- or herself: "What is more important for me, the intoxicating effects of that substance, or the full command and use of my abilities?"

It follows that the only effective antidote against destructive alcohol and drug use is to have meaningful and stimulating activities in our lives. Sports, sexuality, artistic and intellectual endeavors are examples of worthwhile elements to include in our existence. Certainly no one who has attained proficiency and/or beauty in any area will want to destroy it by poisoning away it all? Let it also be said in this context that the habit of using ‘hard’ drugs, in view of its demonstrably numerous deleterious effects, deserves our harshest condemnation.

Lastly, the issue here is not so much intoxicants, but what we prefer to fill our lives with. In other words, the most effective antidote against drug dependency in any form, is to fill your life with meaningful and stimulating experiences, sensory as well as mental and spiritual experiences that involve the use all our faculties, so that excessive and thereby debilitating intoxication becomes unnecessary and indeed no longer applicable in our lives. As such, the use of such drugs should not be forbidden except to the most destructive cases, but otherwise passively discouraged.





Seek Heaven through Violence.