The Gospel of Being Good

To the patrons of RoF, I am writing this to you to explain how we should conduct ourselves both in public and private. The focus of this Gospel is simple yet hard for most to accomplish. Just BE GOOD. There it is. Simple isn't it, yet nowadays it seems more and more people strive against it, or simply don't know what it means. My goal here is to layout what it means to be good and not good. Everyone has a relative concept of what it means to be good. As a whole society tho, having a relative concept of good doesn't work. What one person considers to be good, another may not. This gospel lays out an absolute concept of what is good so that everyone in RoF knows what is expected of them and strive to be that way.

Chapter 1 - A Definition of a believer in RoF

There are a few characteristic that make up a true follower of RoF.

Kind

We are a kind people. Always willing to help out our fellow inhabitants of this world. We reach out our hands and welcome all.

Courteous

We know when to be proper and when to be obnoxious and we strive to never mix the two. We show respect to others and expect the same in return.

Trustworthy

As humans, our word is what defines us and gives us creditability. When we say we will, we do. When we say we won't, we don't. When people come across a member of RoF, they should instantly believe that this person can be trusted.

Loyal

We are loyal to ourselves, friends, family, and RoF. We know where we stand and never turn our backs on what we believe.

Helpful

We are willing to help and assist anyone whenever we possibly can. We selfishly lend our time and energy when we can.

Friendly

We are friends to the world. We welcome any and all with open arms. Everyone is a friend of RoF until they choose not to be.

Brave

We are kind, but we are strong. We stand up for what we believe and will fight to the end. We do not run and hide. We face adversity head on. We will not let fear stand in our way.

Chapter 2 - Good To self:

One must be good to self. One must always keep one's health, both physically and mentally in mind. Take time for self-evaluation whenever possible. Make sure to evaluate what is going on in your life, and make sure you are on the path in life that you want to be on. If you are not on or straying from your path of choice, figure out your priorities, evaluate what is holding you back/keeping you from your goals in life and then make changes to get back on track. Sometimes, priorities and obstacles can be the same thing, as for example kids. If this is the case, one must then figure out how to keep their responsibility and still push ahead. One must always keep the responsibilities that they have imposed on themselves.

Change can only come from within:

Ask for help if you need it or need another perspective of your life. When asking for help tho, be sure to be prepared for the absolute truth, most likely a truth that will hurt and shake you to your core. Do not take other opinions and help for granted either. They are trying to help you, so be sure to follow through with any plans that are agreed upon. Do not make them feel that they have wasted their time and energy by helping someone that doesn't seem to want to change. People can only offer assistance but if you want change, only you can make that happen. In the end, only you are responsible for you and how your life is and will be.

Mistakes Happen:

No one is perfect. When mistakes happen, there is only one way to handle it. Admit your fault, both privately and publicly, offer your apologizes and restitution if applicable to whom ever may have been affected, and learn from the mistake. Mistakes happen and are fine, however repeating the same mistake over and over again is not OK. In every mistake is a lesson. Learning those lessons from our mistakes is how we grow and evolve to being adults and higher members of our society. Be sure to also share your lessons learned to others, especially the younger, so that they may avoid repeating your mistake. Sometimes however, lessons have to be learned first hand, but having the knowledge of others that have already had these lessons will help resolve the new mistakes quicker.

Cliffs:

1. Be good to yourself
2. If you don't like your life, change it. Only you have that power.
3. Seek help if needed, but follow through with it.
4. Mistakes happen, learn from them and move on.

Chapter 3 - Be Good to Others

Be good to others. Treat people better than you think they want to be treated. This is not limited to anyone. Regardless of race, sex, background, religion, sexuality, or anything else you see as different from yourself. Treat everyone equally. Regardless of where you live, the color of your skin, which gender you are attracted to, what faith you follow; everyone should have the same rights and freedoms of anyone else. Anyone who discriminates against anyone else and would restricted their freedoms is not a follower of RoF. This is not to say that you can't dislike someone. If an individual happens to be mean, dislike that person for who he is individually. Do not however dislike them for what he is. A follower of RoF treats everyone with the same respect as anyone else until that individual proves that he is not worth that respect. Anyone found to be discriminating against anyone else will be banned from RoF until they can prove that they no longer partake in any thinking and action of discrimination.

Assist when you can:

If someone looks to be in need of assistance, known or stranger, offer your assistance without hesitation. If someone asks for assistance, comply if able, without asking for compensation. If a previous obligation prevents you from assisting someone, politely inform them of previous obligation and offer an alternative time that you will be able to help them. For example, if your neighbor ask for help fixing a fence, offer your assistance. Expect the same for when you need assistance and ask. If someone abuses your assistance or refuses to assist you in need, let that person know that what they are doing is wrong. If they continue to refuse or abuse your generosity, stop providing it. Never ask for compensation in a personal setting. Your compensation should be the unspoken promise that they will return the favor and help you in need. However, if additional compensation is offer, i.e. gifts or goods, you may gladly accept. If currency is offered, refuse unless insisted upon. In the reverse, when someone helps you, offer them a gift or some goods if able and always hold the promise to help them in need.

Be kind, not a victim:

While everyone should strive to be kind and considerate of everyone else, but don't let your kindness be mistaken for weakness. Do not let someone abuse or take advantage of you. There is no fun in being of victim of abuse, physical or mental, and being used can be a major drain on you and keep you from taking care of your needs and responsibilities. Let the person know your position and if need be, never be afraid to seek assistance either by friends, family or authorities if you aren't able to stand strong on your own. Also respect other people's voices and opinions. If someone is informing you that you are being abusive, take that to heart, do some self-evaluation and figure out what about you is being abusive and fix it.

Leave property out of it:

Never cause any harm or destruction to another person's or public property without the express permission from the owner. If you have a problem with someone, deal with them, not their property. If an accident happens, you are obligated to replace any property damaged with equal or greater quality. An example of accidental property loss would be if you borrowed a shovel and it happened to break while you were using it. regardless of its condition when you borrowed it, you are obligated to purchase a replacement for the owner. With that said, be careful when you borrow something. If what you are borrowing isn't in good condition and you can't guarantee its safe return, then don't borrow it.

Be conscious of others feelings:

Never tease, name-call, ridicule, demean or anything else that would cause someone's feelings to be hurt. If someone says something to you that you feel crosses the line, let them know that they crossed that line. They should stop immediately and offer an apology. If that doesn't happen, stand up to them, let them know that they are being rude and unbecoming of a human being. Then separate yourself from them since no one needs to be around someone like that. If they refuse your request for separation, seek assistance as necessary. Teasing and friendly banter between friends is fine, but make sure that the both sides know that it is in jest. Sometimes tho, you or a friend may not be in the mood for banter and jest. Communicate that so accidental hurt feelings don't happen.

Communication:

Just remember, communication is how we interact with each other, and the more one communicates, the more one is able to provide good to both self and others. Communication is how we come together as a society. Don't be afraid to communicate with anyone. To be a productive member of any group or society, you must be able to express yourself how ever you can. Communication is the corner stone of any relationship too. Don't be afraid to talk and be sure to take time to listen. Communication breeds learning and the more we all know as a whole the better we will all be.

Cliffs:

1. Everyone is equal
2. Always lend a helping hand
3. Be kind, but never be a victim
4. A persons property is sacred and should be treated as such
5. Be aware of other people's feelings
6. Communication is what binds us.