My Guiding Principles and Practices

My Thoughts on Living a Meaningful Life

My Guiding Principles and Practices

There is almost no doubt that future generations will look back on ours appalled by some of our norms and practices for this has been the case throughout most of human history. Whether it be the treatment of different races, the treatment of the sexes or the treatment of those with sexual preferences at odds with the status quo, the history of our race is littered with views we now see as abhorrent.

The majority of the most admired figures of the past were products of their society and, as such, held views that, by today’s standards, would be considered sexist, racist and violent. This truth often drives how I try to behave, regardless of whether it is at odds with the status quo. My aim in life is to act in a way that I believe to be morally right, regardless of where the societal consensus is.

Recently, becoming a father has only strengthened this feeling, and I want my children and grandchildren to say that I was a good man - not that I was good, but I had some troubling views.

Below are some of the values, beliefs and practices I have come across that guide my life and are a core part of who I am. These values are there to be challenged and I welcome your thoughts on them.

EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM

‘The challenge for us is this: How can we ensure that, when we try to help others, we do so as effectively as possible?’

- William MacAskill, Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You

I have always been compelled to try to make the world a better place and research shows that most of us want to make a difference. However, we often base these decisions on emotion, not reason and rationality, which can result in us doing very little actual good or even, in some cases, causing more harm.

After reading William MacAskill's excellent book Doing Good Better, I re-evaluated my own charitable giving and took the Giving What We Can pledge to give at least 10% of my earnings before tax to the most effective causes until the day I die. I have been doing this for many years with my 10% being split between the causes below:

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT FUND - 40%

This fund supports organisations that work on improving and saving the lives of some of the poorest people in the world.

More Info>>

LONG-TERM FUTURE FUND - 25%

This fund supports organisations that work on improving long-term outcomes for humanity. Grants go to organisations that seek to reduce global catastrophic risks such as pandemics, nuclear war and the threats posed by advanced artificial intelligence.

More Info>>

ANIMAL WELFARE FUND - 18%

This fund supports organisations that work on improving the wellbeing of animals. This pot is divided amongst several organisations to achieve large-scale reductions in farm animal suffering and promote research and plant-based and cultured animal products.

More Info>>

EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM COMMUNITY FUND - 17%

This fund is set up to increase the amount and quality of money, talent, and ideas available to tackle the world’s biggest problems.

More Info>>

Based on the best available evidence it takes just £3,000 to ensure that there is someone alive today who wouldn’t have been, had that money not been given. If you feel disheartened by politics, this is an incredibly empowering and easy way to make a real difference. Ten per cent often seems like a lot, and there was some adjustment at the start. It may be that you initially feel anxious about the commitment, as I did, but I always try to frame it as, ‘Would you take a 10% pay cut for a dream job where you can make a real difference all over the world?’ The answer is invariably yes. A large proportion of us have that opportunity right now.

More Information - https://app.effectivealtruism.org/funds

LYING

‘To lie is to intentionally mislead others when they expect honest communication.’

- Sam Harris, Lying

After reading an essay by Sam Harris on lying, I made a commitment to never lie again regardless of the intention being to do good or if it seemed an innocuous white lie. A lie wilfully misrepresents the reality and truth of the world, and when we do that, we create a barrier in a relationship that ultimately weakens it. It really is astonishing how often we take part in this self-sabotage and how much pain and suffering we cause for ourselves with it. To pick up a newspaper and read the headlines is to explore a world of pain built on personal betrayals, infidelities and governments wilfully misleading the people.

The damage done when we lie is clearly evident and the world would be a far better place if people took the step to choose to be honest. Granted, there are some extreme life and death cases where this should be lapsed, and I am referring to intentional misleading when people expect honesty, absolving jokes, performances, poker players etc.

Lying, Sam Harris - https://samharris.org/books/lying/‍‍‍‍‍‍

VEGANISM

‘There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.’

Charles Darwin

‘Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.’

Thomas Edison

An area where I believe we will be viewed particularly unfavourably by future generations, should there be any, is in our treatment of animals and, in particular, the meat and dairy industry. There simply is no just explanation for the cruelty to animals on a mass scale or the degradation and destruction of large parts of our planet due to intensive farming practices. Ignorance of the issue is now, in the Western world, a poor excuse. Choosing to live a plant-based life is one of the biggest ways you can make a difference, and I am happier and healthier because of it.

‍‍‍‍‍‍Every Argument Against Veganism>>

MEDITATION

‘Every experience you have ever had has been shaped by your mind. Every relationship is as good or as bad as it is because of the minds involved. If you are perpetually angry, depressed, confused, and unloving, or your attention is elsewhere, it won’t matter how successful you become or who is in your life—you won’t enjoy any of it.’

‍‍‍- Sam Harris, Waking Up‍‍‍

As someone who has suffered from mental health issues, in particular anxiety, OCD and insomnia, delving into meditation has been an invaluable tool in my mental health locker. After making it a regular practice and going on several silent retreats, including ten days in full silence, I can honestly say it has changed my life massively for the better and completely altered the landscape of my internal world.

My mind is now a calmer, more rational place and it has allowed me to focus on what is real, not the constructs or stories my mind tells me. When applied correctly, it promotes humility, empathy, and compassion, and the scientific research on it is very promising, though it is still in its infancy. Through neuroplasticity, you can literally alter the physical structure of your brain by meditating and making it a calmer place, more in touch with the world. Ultimately, it has allowed me to cultivate presence in my everyday life and has given me the ability to use my mind rather than have my mind use me.

Sam Harris's Waking Up - https://samharris.org/books/waking-up/

RATIONALITY

‘A reliable way of making people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.’

- Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow

‘But it’s in the nature of progress that it erases its tracks, and its champions fixate on the remaining injustices and forget how far we have come.’

- Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

We are all, due to our evolutionary psychology, prone to faulty reasoning and succumbing to biases. Research shows people are far more likely to accept evidence which confirms pre-existing beliefs, that their empathy is more likely to be aimed at those who are of the same group and that we are more affected by individual cases of suffering than by large numbers of people suffering. We also are hardwired to take short-term threats seriously when slower, emerging, longer-term threats, such as those posed by advanced artificial intelligence or global warming, rarely evoke the reaction they warrant. We are also blind to the very real progress we do make and have a habit of looking to the past through rose-tinted glasses and ignoring the harsh realities that were present.

Recognising these limitations in our reasoning is crucial to making progress. Steven Pinker’s excellent book Enlightenment Now is a brilliant defence of reason, rationality and science and shows how the world is immeasurably better in almost every area we look at. We live longer, are healthier, safer and inhabit a more peaceful world than ever before, and it is always worth remembering that. There is no denying that we face some huge obstacles at the moment, but these are challenges we are capable of solving. Using reason, compassion and science rather than gut intuitions, faith, and emotions will help us do just that.

Is The World Getting Better or Worse>>

As mentioned, I’m open to re-evaluating these, so please feel free to share any thoughts or comments you may have.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year!