CHATT: My personal morality.
I frequently refer to CHATT, the acronym I came up with to express my personal morality. I'm doing some inner work right now about creating some boundaries. I already wrote something up, but it doesn't quite feel right yet, so I'll keep plugging away at it till it feels like I got the boundaries where I want them to be. For now, since many of you are newer to my life and my blog, I thought I'd like to share a few thoughts on CHATT.
I do tend to write like I'm writing to grade-schoolers, so please don't take it personal. I just like to be understood as much as possible.
But for those not up on the very specific meanings of words like morality: Morality is a set of ideas about what makes a choice a good choice versus what makes a choice a bad choice. Morality is the way in which an individual patterns their choices.
Religion, politics, and other scientific/mythic/magic movements use morality to say what choices are good and what choices are bad.
I don't believe there are good/bad choices in that linear sense. I don't think yelling at someone is inherently a bad choice. I think it is the way you go about yelling that determines whether it is a good or bad choice. Putting it in a deeper, more esoteric, way: I think it is who one is BEING as they make a choice that determines whether the choice is good or bad.
So it could be easy for some people to look at this acronym--CHATT--and question what it has to do with morality. Well, if you look at it, you'll notice that each part of the acronym describes a way of making a choice, not what choice is made. This is quite deliberate. I don't think a given choice is bad just because it was made. I think it is bad because of who a person was as they made the choice. And in my view, bad choices hurt the maker of those choices more than those who are hurt by the choices made.
As I often say, "Forgiveness is its own reward. Lovingness is its own reward. Honesty is its own reward." Or, "Keeping grudges is its own punishment. Hatred is its own punishment. Dishonesty is its own punishment."
With all that covered, here are a few quick words on each aspect of my personal morality, CHATT.
C.ompassion
H.onesty
A.uthenticity
T.ransparency
T.hankfulness
I'd like to briefly describe each of these ideals, especially for the benefit of those newer to my life.
Compassion is an attitude one has about the world around oneself. It is an awareness of our inter-connected unity. It is a deep desire for the well-being and peace of others as part of one's desire to experience well-being for oneself.
Honesty is an attitude one has in their relationship with Self. It is a devotion to truth above self-interest and gain. It can be described as the choice to embrace what is true, even if it is a painful embrace, and even if in embracing truth one loses things held dear to oneself.
Authenticity is an attitude of remaining loyal to oneself, regardless of how it affects one's reputation with others. It can be described as the choice to express what is true within oneself, even if it creates difficulty and problems outside oneself.
Transparency is a choice to own one's intentions and motives openly in one's relationships. Transparency is the choice to express openly how one is affected by others, as well as what one intends to do as a result of that inner reaction.
Thankfulness is an attitude that recognizes the blessing it is to have each moment one has. It recognizes that every person in one's life contributes something to one's life. It is the choice to embrace each circumstance as a gift from Divinity. It is the choice to demonstrate to those in one's life all the many ways they are a blessing.
I conjured these ideals up around a year ago. I use them to guide me when I feel lost. If I am being who I most wish to be in a given moment, then CHATT would have been present as my inner/outer truth in that moment.
I do tend to write like I'm writing to grade-schoolers, so please don't take it personal. I just like to be understood as much as possible.
But for those not up on the very specific meanings of words like morality: Morality is a set of ideas about what makes a choice a good choice versus what makes a choice a bad choice. Morality is the way in which an individual patterns their choices.
Religion, politics, and other scientific/mythic/magic movements use morality to say what choices are good and what choices are bad.
I don't believe there are good/bad choices in that linear sense. I don't think yelling at someone is inherently a bad choice. I think it is the way you go about yelling that determines whether it is a good or bad choice. Putting it in a deeper, more esoteric, way: I think it is who one is BEING as they make a choice that determines whether the choice is good or bad.
So it could be easy for some people to look at this acronym--CHATT--and question what it has to do with morality. Well, if you look at it, you'll notice that each part of the acronym describes a way of making a choice, not what choice is made. This is quite deliberate. I don't think a given choice is bad just because it was made. I think it is bad because of who a person was as they made the choice. And in my view, bad choices hurt the maker of those choices more than those who are hurt by the choices made.
As I often say, "Forgiveness is its own reward. Lovingness is its own reward. Honesty is its own reward." Or, "Keeping grudges is its own punishment. Hatred is its own punishment. Dishonesty is its own punishment."
With all that covered, here are a few quick words on each aspect of my personal morality, CHATT.
C.ompassion
H.onesty
A.uthenticity
T.ransparency
T.hankfulness
I'd like to briefly describe each of these ideals, especially for the benefit of those newer to my life.
Compassion is an attitude one has about the world around oneself. It is an awareness of our inter-connected unity. It is a deep desire for the well-being and peace of others as part of one's desire to experience well-being for oneself.
Honesty is an attitude one has in their relationship with Self. It is a devotion to truth above self-interest and gain. It can be described as the choice to embrace what is true, even if it is a painful embrace, and even if in embracing truth one loses things held dear to oneself.
Authenticity is an attitude of remaining loyal to oneself, regardless of how it affects one's reputation with others. It can be described as the choice to express what is true within oneself, even if it creates difficulty and problems outside oneself.
Transparency is a choice to own one's intentions and motives openly in one's relationships. Transparency is the choice to express openly how one is affected by others, as well as what one intends to do as a result of that inner reaction.
Thankfulness is an attitude that recognizes the blessing it is to have each moment one has. It recognizes that every person in one's life contributes something to one's life. It is the choice to embrace each circumstance as a gift from Divinity. It is the choice to demonstrate to those in one's life all the many ways they are a blessing.
I conjured these ideals up around a year ago. I use them to guide me when I feel lost. If I am being who I most wish to be in a given moment, then CHATT would have been present as my inner/outer truth in that moment.