God's Responsibilities

What if you were God--not just to yourself, but the whole world? What responsibilities would you have towards others?

To shepherd them towards morality, without taking free will
To answer their questions honestly, even if the truth is unpleasant
To listen to their prayers and try to help, if you can, without taking the free will of others, or being unfair to others, or stunt their growth by not making them help themselves
To forgive them when they show sincere remorse
To hold them accountable for their actions
To make them atone for wrongdoing towards you
To love them, unconditionally, no matter what
To bless and reward them, where it is possible and deserved
To protect them without making them dependant upon that protection
To respect their rights--to life, to their property, to free will
To respect the individual journeys that they are on and so not judge them or be impatient

You have these same responsibilites towards people in your life already--to advise them, when asked, to do the right thing, to tell the truth, to listen, to help, to respect free will, to be fair, to forgive, to see that they make up for their wrongs before giving trust again, to love them, to reward them--be it through gifts, honesty, love, trust, or even just loyalty, to stand up for them...

You have those same responsibilities towards yourself, and as Gods, the people in your life have these responsibilities towards you, too.

The daughters of Zues...

Zeus, the chief God of the Greek pantheon, and his aunt, Themis, goddess of eternal order, had six daughters. There were The Fates: Clotho, who spun the thread of life; Lachesis, who measured it; and Atropos, who cut it. There was also Eirene, who stood for peace; Eunomia, for law and order; and Clotho, justice.

We are all subjected to Fate, and we should all be servants of peace and justice. Even though we are gods, with our own free will, we should remember that. It's too bad that we don't always, but then, perhaps that's our Fate. Even if we don't learn from the consequences, becoming better people, others can learn better by watching us.

You can learn what to do through others--as well as what not to do, whether they learn it or not. We don't just need cruelty and suffering and unfairness so that there will be a contrast between them and kindness and joy and justice, but also to learn the importance of kindness, joy, and justice.

History needs people like Hitler--to serve as an example for future generations. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we didn't? But imagine if our history was clear of abominations. How would we know what acts would be an abomination? If they were erased from our memory, and we forgot, how easy it would be to allow them to happen again...

Without war, there would not be peace, because we would forget its importance. Without unfairness, we wouldn't value justice. It is long since we experienced anarchy, but perhaps the reason why each society establishes some form of law and order is because they saw the consequences of chaos.

All that happens is Fate--not God's will, but the Wheel of Fortune, keeping us moving onward, teaching us, shaping us. There is always a silver lining--for unfair suffering, for example, it's strength gained and a better appreciation for fairness. We each have our own destiny, and so does the world. It's not always beautiful--but it can be.

Man vs Nature

They say that animals cannot commit murder--that they do not kill out of jealousy or hatred or anger, but that's not true. Animals kill to eat, to avoid being eaten, to protect their families, and also to compete--for a position, for food, for a mate. Some animals simply do not get along together and dislike each other. Anyone who has ever owned more than a few dogs can make that observation. Cats kill more creatures for play than any other animal.

But it's not evil. It's nature--the survival of the fittest. When humans do it, it's evil. We are not so unlike our animal brethren. We are willing to kill for the same reasons as them, some good and some bad. But when we do it, it's evil. That's because we understand the ramifications of our actions. We're capable of reasoning and choosing a less severe action. We're conscious--and we have a conscience telling us right from wrong.

Despite that, we still do wrong. It's in our nature, just as it's in the nature of all living creatures. We can choose to stand up to that. We don't always do that, but we're not perfect. That's why we have guilt, shame, and remorse--so that next time around, we will choose rightly, and so that we can try to make amends for what we have done. Animals are no less divine than us, nor we than them; we simply have more evolved brains.

Perspective

The world doesn't revolve around you, but your world does.

You see with your own eyes, and the things you do impact you the most. You should be aware of how your actions impact others, but in the end, you have to do what the right thing is for you. No matter how selfless the act, if it's not right for you, it's the wrong choice. Sometimes the selfless act is the right thing to do, and sometimes it's not.