Negative Commandments
The tough ones.
Long ago a Dr told me that I had psoriasis. I've been lucky in that I haven't really felt symptoms - mostly strange stuff with my nails - until lately. Lately I've had a 'flare-up' and my back is an itchy mess. A new commandment has been imposed: Thou shall not scratch thine back.
This commandment is VERY hard to obey. I'm not doing very well and I need to do better.
Here's the problem: My body responds to the itch before I'm aware of the itch or the response. Scratching actually feels good - I like it. Often my first awareness that I am scratching is that very pleasure feeling.
I've never been good at self-discipline. I would have been a very bad fit in military culture. I'm trying other lines of defense. Just wearing enough layers of clothes that it's hard for fingernails to find skin is effective. I'm re-learning that if I focus my attention on the itch then the itchiness (i.e. the desire to scratch) goes away.
Christianity has it's 10 Commandments. Aside from being commanded about God I find them to be pretty reasonable guides for getting along with others in a complex society. There are positive commands like "honor your parents" that I find fairly easy to obey. It's the negative ones like don't cheat on your spouse that seem to cause all the trouble.
A negative commandment brings to mind the very idea that one is trying to keep out of the mind. It brings to mind the old vaudeville skit.
Father says to young man seeking his daughter's hand - Are your intentions honorable or dishonorable?
Young man - Sir - I didn't know I had a choice.
What do you think?
I present regular philosophy discussions in a virtual reality called Second Life.
I set a topic and people come as avatars and sit around a virtual table to discuss it.
Each week I write a short essay to set the topic.
I show a selection of them here.