Life Policies ============= We all have a set of rules by which we try to live our life, be they just common sense morals or the ten commandments as set out by the Christian bible. Personally, I like to state to myself exactly what my rules are. This reduces the likelihood of inconsistencies. No Drugs -------- I will not take any drugs. This includes so-called "soft" drugs like cannabis, completely legal drugs, like tobacco and alcohol, and substances not normally considered to be drugs, such as coffee, tea, and other drinks containing caffeine or theine. I rely on my brain continuously. Programming, writing web pages, creating stylesheets, analysing the finer points of the meaning of life, testing, playing games: everything I do relies on my brain. Therefore I cannot afford to have it affected by any sort of external chemical that may alter my state of mind. Q: Surely a pint of beer would not affect your state of mind! A: Well, while that may be the case (and I would not accept that fact without heated debate), I know that if I start drinking, whatever that may be (for example, orange juice) I will keep drinking. For a long time. Thus, it is in my best interests not to allow myself even a little drink. Q: So how do you enjoy yourself when you go down the pub? A: I generally don't go down the pub. On the rare occasions that I do, then I enjoy myself quite heartily by merely talking to people who are themselves already drunk. Should you be a heavy drinker, and should you find yourself strapped of cash one night, I strongly suggest you try this. Don't drink any alcohol for the whole night. Within about two hours you will be rolling about with laughter at the mad things people around you are doing and saying. Q: What about cake? That contains some alcohol! What about chocolate? A: The levels of drugs in these foods are negligble and food is self-limiting (I can't eat enough to get addicted or to really have an effect), so I tend to not worry about drugs used in normal cooking. Q: What about painkillers and medical drugs? A: I don't take any medical drugs (painkillers, cough drops, etc) on a day to day basis. I do generally obey whatever my doctor says, though since I haven't seen a physician for anything but a checkup in around a decade, that's mostly academic. (For minor pains I sometimes use homoeopathic remedies, as their placebo effect seems to work reasonably well on me.) No violence ----------- I will never, if I can help it, hit or otherwise physically harm another being. In particular, I will to the best of my ability avoid killing other sentient beings. To its owner, life is the most precious thing in the world. Once removed, it cannot be put back. Therefore, I don't want to be the remover. Also, I don't enjoy being subject to violence of any kind... so I must assume others do not enjoy that either. Q: How do you relieve your stress? A: Live Action Role Play. Q: You kill animals to eat! A: They're tasty. Since I am selfish and worry about my life more than a cow's, I do not worry about the death of the cow if I eat one. I am against hunting if the animal isn't eaten though. Also, I have to stay alive, and that basically means killing (whether plant life or animal life). This is how the universe evolved. I would be against eating other sentient beings, however. No lying -------- I will always tell the truth. Detailed observations have shown me that it never pays to lie. Admittedly most of those observations came from noting the plot of very moralistic films, but still. Q: It's really difficult not to lie! A: You get used to it. Sometimes I lie by mere gut reaction. However, if I notice, I then catch myself and say "well, actually that isn't exactly true...". I do sometimes simply fail to mention something. That's fine. The rule is "no lying", not "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth", so lying by ommission does not break the policy. No affairs ---------- When I am in a loving relationship, I will be faithful to my partner. Experience and observation have shown me that it never pays to cheat on your partner. (Ok, so I'm stretching it when I say "experience", but you get the idea.) Furthermore, if I love and trust the person, why should I have an affair with someone else? This is really just an extension of the "no lying" rule. Q. What if this really gorgeous girl who comes up to you and asked you out... A. Whatever. Q. What do you mean by "affair"? A. For me being unfaithful implies not informing one's partner(s) of a new partner. An affair in this context would be a relationship in which one or more of the partners was being unfaithful to another partner not part of the relationship, as opposed to simply any relationship. No inconsistency ---------------- Consistency is a cornerstone of my existence. :-) I do lots of specification-related work, and inconsistent specs are such a pain in the neck that I abhor inconsistency. Also, I love logical debate (i.e., arguing), but it is impossible to back someone into a corner if they do not keep to a single opinion (i.e., if they are inconsistent).