What keeps you on the straight and narrow?

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Looking back at my wild days, and just shaking my head.

I had to rely on the wife to teach my kids morals.

Being a social creature.

A wife who loves me.

I credit my mother with excellent parenting! She is missed!

MaggieD said:

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

I was brought up that way and having thought about it all, it usually makes sense.

Through various life experiences I've had a front row seat for what life could be like if I'm not on the straight and narrow. It's a constant reminder.

MaggieD said:

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

Straight? Narrow? What's that?

God n' stuff.


And family tradition. And good example for the kids.


That sort of thing.

I stay on the weird and wide.

I just keep it tucked out of sight.

Read every myth I could find and examined all the worlds religions.

All of which tended to point to the golden rule.

Bill and Ted said it best.

"Be excellent to each other!"

Ucmj.

PirateMk1 said:

Straight? Narrow? What's that?

Click to expand...

You know, :wink

MaggieD said:

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

Well, I'm not straight so.....

Not thinking too much. Not expecting too much. Not competing and trying to control too much.

Because those who think too much has nothing to think about but their own thoughts, and like this they loose touch with the reality.
Expectation makes us blind to sides opportunities and joyful things.
Control is a illusion. You can not see and predict every single aspect and influences in life or anything else. Anything you do with skill you do not by trying to control what you do, but just by listen and dance with the music. Like playing in a band or dancing, if you do paying too much attention on every aspect of what you do it will look like awkward, disconnected and artificial. The skill comes when you actually don't have to think too much on what you are doing, don't try to have any control, but just connect to it, and you will feel have whatever it is on your hand as if you were god.

My Wench and my brats. :mrgreen:

MaggieD said:

I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

Yes, yes I do.

Family. I get along pretty good with my wife and kids, as in I get along with them as 'friends'. I think that's important.

The old saying 'why is it so easy to love family members but so hard to like them'. I like them, and they like me.

Makes it much easier to stay the course, to stay 'straight and 'narrow''. Though my waist line isn't as 'narrow' as it use to be. Oh, wrong narrow.

MaggieD said:

I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

Yes I do, 100% of the time. Also 'what goes around comes around'.

MaggieD said:

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

I actually couldn't tell you specifically. its a random mix of things

First my family and what they taught me, when i was younger i did what they said cause they were my family who loved me and if i didnt well i got beat LMAO
when they sat me down and gave me an explanation of logic and asked me questions to help me learn and teach myself with a mix of groundings and ass whoopins it was very effective.!
I was a much better kid than i would have been without it. We went to church and stuff too but it was more them than anything. (pre teen)


Next as I got a little older and understood more another thing added to it. I wanted to not disappoint and bee seen as a good person also. with the whoopins and being taught it made sense to me, logically when i thought about it, (teenage to 20s)

After that it was a feeling i got from being a good person, it feels right, it feels good to me because of all the ways my brain looks at it. And now being an example for family, friends and the kids i coach and mentor is a part of it too.

a frequent compliment i get that never gets old and makes me genuinely feel good is when im told:
"J you are always the same person every time i see you, a happy guy and you always treat me the same, whether it was 10 years ago or no and no matter where we are or who you are with"

Ive gotten that compliment in many various forms over the years and nothing feels better than that in regards to nonfamily members giving me a direct compliments. Its just a feeling of "hey i guess im doing something right) besides the compliments of people feeling i was a great dad. They are at the top for sure.

so family, subjective opinion and logic of right and wrong, setting an example (do unto others) and a personal good feeling about it

MaggieD said:

Me? I’m a control freak, so I don’t relish giving anyone power over me by doing something wrong. I subscribe to the do-unto-others doctrine. You?

Click to expand...

Thank you for shedding light on why you lash out when wrong. Is that "do-unto-others doctrine"...is that like, do unto others as you would have them do to you...or is it more like the Trump version...someone screws you, screw them back tenfold? Just curious.

Me? Nothing keeps me on the straight and narrow except my own moral values as necessary...why would anyone wish to live life on the straight and narrow? Sounds boring.

Looking back it is hard to believe I survived until I was 25. I have to give most of the credit to a retired judge I did plumbing work for. We became good friends and we spent a lot of time on his porch drinking a beer while he opened up my eyes. He spent a lot of time showing me how I was headed down a one way street the wrong way. The only poor judge I ever worked for. I asked why he didn't live in a big fancy house the way all the rest do? He would always say because I was not a crooked judge. I never knew if he was being truthful or just messing with me.

Someone who will love me seriously.

PIPEWRENCH said:

He would always say because I was not a crooked judge. I never knew if he was being truthful or just messing with me.

Click to expand...

I'd submit, based on my experience, you can take that to the bank...be thankful you found the good side of that equation...as did I.

I suppose his honor did bump me toward "straight and narrow"...just always struck me as a bit ironic that it included him, in his chambers, instructing me to go into another courtroom and when the judge asks if anyone made any deals, after pleading guilty to fourteen felonies...I was to lie and say no.

Upon which, the judge will refer to a probation report suggesting, due to a lack of priors (funny how that disappeared), he would sentence me to 31 days in jail, no probation...the reason it is 31 days, I can get out in 16 with good time...30 days I'd have to do all 30...btw, it was "less time served" on the 16 so I got credit for three...who wouldn't lie under oath on that deal...under judges orders? With two judges conspiring? Justice in America...but that's another thread...laughs...that was just a "bump".