1. Do no harm. (nor, as Asimov would say, through inaction allow harm to come to others) We could get into a discussion about whether harming one or a few to save many is justifiable. I think that it is. In which case, the axiom becomes "Do as little harm as possible." Or something like that.
2. Respect every human at a baseline level to start out with. Adjust according to their actions and circumstances. (This sounds like judging, and actually it is. I have to be very careful with this. It is important to judge people in order to decide how involved I am going to be with them, but it is also important to NOT decide that my judgement is the one true value then condemn or deride people who are not in line with it. Instead I must keep more distance between them and myself. This is not about worth! All people have worth, and I don't buy that people exist on some better-than-me/worse-than-me spectrum. This is about level of personal involvement. In other words, I judge people in order to decide how close to let them get to me, and for no other reason. This is a matter of self preservation.)
3. Be a skeptic. Take nothing for granted. Go see for yourself. Research. Find scientific data if possible. Use those grains of salt liberally.
4. If you love, love completely. This is hard to explain. Love, for me, is not just a feeling. It's a decision. It's also a series of actions. It has a lot to do with accepting the shortcomings of my partners, being grateful, trying to find out their needs and meet them the soonest and best I can, and acting on impulse.
5. Happiness is your own responsibility. Nobody else can make you happy. You can't make anybody else happy. You can contribute to their good time, but really happiness is like love - not just a feeling but a decision and a set of actions. You have to decide that you want to be happy, be committed to doing what it takes to be happy, then do it, on a daily basis, most especially the small things. Happiness is not some goal you work toward. You seize it, every day.
6. Be an open book. This is a rule most people cannot live by. They need privacy. I thrive without it. My journal is a godsend, because it freed me. I don't know how to explain this, except to say that you can ask me anything, and you will get a straight honest answer. I will not compromise the privacy of other people, and I won't be completely unwise about what I say, but I will have an answer.
7. Do not eat your soul to fill your belly. This is actually a quote from unamerican.com, but it says succinctly what I feel about employment. If it rubs my ethics the wrong way, I can't do it.
8. WWWD - What would Worf do? :-) This just means to be as honorable as possible.
9. Everyone is ultimately responsible for themselves. You can't help people who refuse to be helped. You can't save people who refuse to be rescued. You can't fix everyone and everything; all you can do is hand them the tools, and maybe a diagram.
10. Remember that you know perhaps one millionth of a percent of human knowledge and wisdom. Probably less. Don't get cocky.
11. There is almost always more than one right answer. Any fewer than five is suspect.
11a. Sometimes the best answer is "all of the above".
11b. Sometimes the best answer is "none of the above".
11c. Sometimes the best answer isn't even listed.
12. If it didn't work, try something else. Can't never could because can got there first. Find another way. Etc.
13. Simplify, simplify, simplify. There is no reason for everything to be so complicated. Reduce everything to its simplest form, and then deal with it.
14. Discern what's in your sphere of influence and what isn't. If something is going on within your sphere of influence, feel free to do something about it, be afraid of it, worry about it, whatever. If it's not, then don't.
