My husband called me on his cell phone as he was driving to an appointment in Flagstaff, Arizona.  I was at home making a whole-grain breakfast for myself.  We talked for a few minutes about this and that and then our discussion led me to ask this question:  Why do people do some of the dumb things they do?  Why do we do things that we know are bad for us?  How can seemingly innocent choices we make in the short run, turn out to be destructive habits in the long run?

We all do it.  It happens to all of us.  We have those moments in which we become lazy and thoughtless.  Like the time I was delivering newspapers for a local company.  It was 4:30 am  on a  dark Saturday morning.  I was tired and my papers had to be delivered on time.  So I justified  the idea that it was okay for me to drive carelessly.  After all, no one is awake and driving on the streets of Sun City at 4:30 am.  To finish my route as quickly as possible I found myself driving up on the sidewalks, on the wrong side of the street, and rolling through stop signs.  I was very proud of myself for being so efficient, that is until I noticed the red lights of a law enforcement officer flashing in my rearview mirror.

Oh man, now I had been caught!  The officer wrote me a ticket for not stopping at a stop sign.  Apparently he had been stopped at the stop sign when I whizzed right by him.  I found myself being grateful he hadn't seen the way I had been driving all morning.  That  choice I made earlier to drive carelessly cost me precious time and too much money.  Yet, I did it because I thought it would save me time as I earned more money.

Life is full of choices like this.  I set aside my lifelong principle of being a law-abiding citizen for some temporary fun.  Some of us go thoughtlessly through life living each day as it comes.  We do what we see everyone else do. Others of us are more goal-oriented and live each day with a little more purpose.  However, know matter what our style of living may be, we all live by some set of rules.

Why do we do some of the dumb things we do?  Well, first of all we are human.  But, setting that aside, could it be that we do destructively dumb things because of the rules we choose to follow in the moment?  I believe that some rules are better than others.  Some rules protect us individually and society as a whole.  The rules that have historically been found to promote the wellbeing of individuals and society at the same time are called principles.  Living by principles gives us a standard by which to check our thoughts, motivations, and behavior.

If however, we choose to live by rules that are not principles that have stood the test of time, we fall prey to the loudest voice shouting in our direction.  We do not have an immoveable standard in which to check ourselves, but an ever changing whirlwind of faddish whims that keep us confused and unfocused.  We are not protected and neither is society as a whole.

Choosing to live a life guided by principles is hard work.  It takes persistence and dedication.   In this world of constant change, it is deeply satisfying to know that we can firmly grasp a never- changing standard to guide us in our daily life.  Time-honored principles nourish our spirits making it easier for us to make better choices. Lazily following the latest fad diet of societal instructions starves our soul's choice-making power leaving us open to poor decisions and an unfulfilled life.