Maat
Yes, Maat. No, I didnt mispel a word. Maat is a term from ancient Egypt that is very hard to put into modern parlance. Some suggested meanings are: truth, honesty, balance, doing what is right, etc. All of these are close to conveying the meaning of Maat, but dont quite get it. Following the idea of Maat is not a choice. It is not a code of ethics, a philosophy or a religion... it simply IS. Everyone MUST follow the ways of Maat, just as everyone must breathe. Like breathing, you can choose to not follow the ways of Maat, though not following Maat can have as bad of consequences as not breathing.
The consequences of not living a life in synch with Maat are usually leveled after death. The gods weight your heart against a feather... yada yada yada.
However, there were magi... priests... who could, if the situation warranted, enforce Maat. Such a thing was a mixed blessing. If you were a good, honest, just person, you would get great rewards as the karmic scales balanced. If you were small, petty, dishonest and secretive... well... it was time to duck 'n' cover.
Just a little religion and history I felt the need to share.
The consequences of not living a life in synch with Maat are usually leveled after death. The gods weight your heart against a feather... yada yada yada.
However, there were magi... priests... who could, if the situation warranted, enforce Maat. Such a thing was a mixed blessing. If you were a good, honest, just person, you would get great rewards as the karmic scales balanced. If you were small, petty, dishonest and secretive... well... it was time to duck 'n' cover.
Just a little religion and history I felt the need to share.