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Metanoia: A Movement Towards Our Best Selves

By SADAF AYAZ

April 12, 2018

**Originally published on REV 21 Media

“Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”

——


met·a·noi·a
metəˈnoiə/
noun change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion.

Origin: 

Late 19th century: from Greek, from metanoein (change one’s mind).

Throughout life–perhaps due to age, experiences we have and will continue to go through, or the influence of those around us–one thing is clear: we will all continuously go through an inner change.

So many people go on diets to maintain fitness–working on their bodies, losing extra layers of fat, and then toning out their muscles, and overall improving their stamina.

WE WILL ALL CONTINUOUSLY GO THROUGH AN INNER CHANGE.

We eat healthy to glow and grow. However, we rarely take a step back to take a good look at the things the mirror cannot catch. Our mental state, our spiritual state, our emotional state–we let them all flow their way, never really stopping to ponder over them and working to actually improve on them.

But almost all of us come to a point where we realize what we have forgotten to put our attention to. Lucky for us, there are people out there who we know we can strive to become like: the compassionate among us, the empathetic, the kind, the positive, the ones who create beautiful imprints on this world, the ones who are struggling and trying to make this world a better place. Each and every one of those people will leave you questioning some of your own intentions and feelings.

Moreover, there are several books and online content out there that can help us refocus and restart. Below is one of the things we came across that truly left us pondering.

Have you ever read a code of ethics?

Regardless of the origin of the list, most codes of ethics provide a sort of guideline of how to live the best life. Whether it be a religious text, an ancestral list passed through every generation, or cultural pact, codes of ethics help define our lives for the best and inspire us to do and become better.

The Native American Code of Ethics has 21 codes that hold a strong lesson behind it.

The following codes teach you about life, about yourself, and about those around you.

We can only hope the following codes are as fruitful for you as they were for us.

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.

2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.

6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth – whether it be people or plant.

7. Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.

9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.

11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.

12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.

13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others.

14. The poison of your pain will return to you.

15. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of one’s will within this universe.

16. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

17. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

18. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others – especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.

19. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.

20. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.

21. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

Try following one at a time. Try step by step, it can’t be easy to follow all of the following, and even any of the following immediately, but maybe try by writing them down, and really thinking of the meaning of each in your life. Really think about how each code can change your life and how you can start applying it in your life as well.

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