A Teaching:
Rules for Being Human:
1. You will receive a body
2. You will be presented with lessons
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons
4. A lesson is repeated until learned
5. Learning does not end
6. “There” is no better than “here”
7. Others are only mirrors of you
8. What you make of your life is up to you
9. All the answers lie inside of you
10. You will forget all of this at birth
If life is a game, these are the rules – Cherie Carter-Scott, PH.D.
A Truth:
How the rules came about:
Cherie Carter-Scott said that in 1974 after a life crisis and subsequent awakening, she found herself helping people, “quiet the voices of the mind and listen to their inner spirit”. One day, she said, as she sat creating a training program to teach people how to find their own inner answers, the Rules for Being Human came through her and she included them as a handout in the program.
I have a canvas print of the rules hanging in my bathroom. I see them every morning as I’m getting ready for the day. It’s a reminder to check my ego and come back to my inner Self before going out in the world. All of the rules are meaningful to me, but here are a few that stand out:
There are no mistakes, only lessons. This statement takes the should’s and should not’s off the table. There’s a big difference between learning a lesson and dragging around guilt and resentment from our choices. The former is freedom and the latter is suffering.
“There” is no better than “here”. Being present in the here and now is a lesson that’s finally sinking in for me. Most of the time, I look back on the past with fondness instead of remorse for the memories with those that have passed, tender moments when my kids were little, or good times with friendships that have faded away. And (most of the time) I look forward to the future without worry or dread for whatever it may bring.
Others are only mirrors of you. It has taken me a long time and a lot of deep searching to fully grasp that whatever irritates or infuriates me about others is also in me. Whenever I blame others or the world for my stress or unhappiness, this lesson reminds me to look within.
All the answers lie inside of you. We are our own gurus. Our inner Self knows how to heal and bring us back to peace if we’ll just get out of the way and allow it to lead. I now understand that the most important relationship I will ever have is the one with my Self. Check out this post on Getting to Know Your True Self.
A Takeaway:
For many years the Rules for Being Human wasn’t attributed to Cherie Carter-Scott, and appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul as “Anonymous”. The Rules have been passed around, adapted, and translated many times throughout the world.
The version of the Rules I have hanging on my wall has been adapted to include one final statement. It says:
* You can remember it whenever you want.
I love that additional line. It opens the door of peace, joy, and love to everyone whenever we choose. We can — right now — stop believing our mind-made self is who we are and embrace the truth of who we really are: a piece of the divine having a human experience for a little while.
We don’t have to wait for inner peace to happen sometime in the future. It’s available to every one of us right now. You may not be happy about a situation, but you can have peace about it. Accept what is. Take action as needed. Surrender the outcome.
Do any of the rules resonate with, intrigue, or irritate you? If so, ask your inner Self why. You may be surprised by the answer.
