The Four Agreements

D

domer76

Verified User
From the book “The Four Agreements”, the First Agreement:

“Be impeccable with your word.”

Mostly, people use the power of their word to spread their own personal poison.

Anger
Hate
Jealousy
Envy
Fear
Guilt
Resentment

We use it against ourselves. To create division and distrust, fear and resentment, to seek revenge, to fix blame.

That’s what this forum does. From start to finish. It’s toxic through and through.

The question that then poses is why does one wish to be that way?
 
domer76 said:
From the book “The Four Agreements”, the First Agreement:

“Be impeccable with your word.”

Mostly, people use the power of their word to spread their own personal poison.

Anger
Hate
Jealousy
Envy
Fear
Guilt
Resentment

We use it against ourselves. To create division and distrust, fear and resentment, to seek revenge, to fix blame.

That’s what this forum does. From start to finish. It’s toxic through and through.

The question that then poses is why does one wish to be that way?
Click to expand...

You rarely post here. Why bother complaining.
 
We have the power to make ourselves impervious to resentment, jealously, hate, anger. Some try to exercise the power.

I hadn't heard of this book, but it sounds like the author just packaged up some tenets and maxims from Stoicism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism and just gave it a new nomenclature.
 
Cypress said:
We have the power to make ourselves impervious to resentment, jealously, hate, anger. Some try to exercise the power.

I hadn't heard of this book, but it sounds like the author just packaged up some tenets and maxims from Stoicism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism and just gave it a new nomenclature.
Click to expand...

Supposedly, it’s origins are from the Toltecs. But, your observation is pretty spot on regarding those philosophies.

The Four Agreements:

Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take things personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
 
Cypress said:
We have the power to make ourselves impervious to resentment, jealously, hate, anger. Some try to exercise the power.

I hadn't heard of this book, but it sounds like the author just packaged up some tenets and maxims from Stoicism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism and just gave it a new nomenclature.
Click to expand...

We do have that power. That’s the meaning of the Second Agreement.

“Don’t take things personally”

When one realizes that the toxicity of another’s word is nothing more than a reflection of themselves, one can easily let their comments pass without reaction.
 
domer76 said:
From the book “The Four Agreements”, the First Agreement:

“Be impeccable with your word.”

Mostly, people use the power of their word to spread their own personal poison.

Anger
Hate
Jealousy
Envy
Fear
Guilt
Resentment

We use it against ourselves. To create division and distrust, fear and resentment, to seek revenge, to fix blame.

I don't hate anyone, I am not jealous or envious of anyone here or anywhere else, I have no fear of anyone here, I do not feel guilty about anything I have said here, and I have no regrets for the words I have spoken here.

But thanks!

That’s what this forum does. From start to finish. It’s toxic through and through.

The question that then poses is why does one wish to be that way?
Click to expand...

I am only here to help, and I have never spread any poison here.
 
domer76 said:
Supposedly, it’s origins are from the Toltecs. But, your observation is pretty spot on regarding those philosophies.

The Four Agreements:

Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take things personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
Click to expand...

I read this book around the time it came out, late '90's. Probably the first book on spiritually I read after I openly questioned Christianity.
 
domer76 said:
Supposedly, it’s origins are from the Toltecs. But, your observation is pretty spot on regarding those philosophies.

The Four Agreements:

Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take things personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
Click to expand...

I think the only thing we know about the Toltecs is thorough archaeology and vague myth. I doubt we know anything substantial about their religion or ethical philosopy.

But it might be a good gimmick to sell books on the premise of an ancient Toltec wisdom.
 
Cypress said:
I think the only thing we know about the Toltecs is thorough archaeology and vague myth. I doubt we know anything substantial about their religion or ethical philosopy.

But it might be a good gimmick to sell books on the premise of an ancient Toltec wisdom.
Click to expand...

As I read the various philosophies, they pretty much distill down to a few common concepts. If I could choose one, they all deal with the concept of ego as the common enemy for us all.
 
domer76 said:
From the book “The Four Agreements”, the First Agreement:

“Be impeccable with your word.”

Mostly, people use the power of their word to spread their own personal poison.

Anger
Hate
Jealousy
Envy
Fear
Guilt
Resentment

We use it against ourselves. To create division and distrust, fear and resentment, to seek revenge, to fix blame.

That’s what this forum does. From start to finish. It’s toxic through and through.

The question that then poses is why does one wish to be that way?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reference, disagreed on your application to "this forum". It's the people who are toxic or not. The people who "spread their own personal poison" are the ones at fault, not a forum.
 
domer76 said:
As I read the various philosophies, they pretty much distill down to a few common concepts. If I could choose one, they all deal with the concept of ego as the common enemy for us all.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right.
I got the same basic set of ethical maxims and aphorisms from reading The Analects, the Dhammapada, the New Testament, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. But as a business model and marketing gimmick, it is a clever idea to compile those precepts and sell it under the rubric of 'ancient Toltec wisdom'.
 
Doc Dutch said:
Thanks for the reference, disagreed on your application to "this forum". It's the people who are toxic or not. The people who "spread their own personal poison" are the ones at fault, not a forum.
Click to expand...

When the overwhelming members of a forum like this become toxic, the forum itself becomes so.
 
Cypress said:
Sounds about right.
I got the same basic set of ethical maxims and aphorisms from reading The Analects, the Dhammapada, the New Testament, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. But as a business model and marketing gimmick, it is a clever idea to compile those precepts and sell it under the rubric of 'ancient Toltec wisdom'.
Click to expand...

Perhaps. The value of the content is no less, however.
 
domer76 said:
When the overwhelming members of a forum like this become toxic, the forum itself becomes so.
Click to expand...

If you are saying the members make a forum toxic, I agree. If you are saying the existence of the forum makes people toxic, I disagree.
 
domer76 said:
Mostly, people use the power of their word to spread their own personal poison.
Click to expand...

I believe that most people never even give it a thought.

I very rarely do. The internet isn't the real world to me.
If I were young, I'd find far better amusements--trust me.
But I'm not, so here I am.
 
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