Twelve Principles

My book Twelve Principles: Living with integrity in the twenty-first century was published by Finch Publishing in 2003. The book is now out of print, but it's available in Australian libraries.

Twelve Principles explores the relationship between personal and global change, and offers guidelines for a peaceful and sustainable future. It includes inspiring personal accounts by twelve people around the world who have made a difference in their own lives and communities. The principles are briefly summarised below.

Relationship

1. One people
   Humanity is one people. There is no 'them'; there's only us.
2. One planet
   The Earth is our home. When we disrespect it, we endanger all life including our own.
3. Responsibility
   Each of us bears a share of responsibility for our communities, and hence for the world as a whole.
4. Making a difference
   Each of us can contribute to making the world a safer, happier place to live.

Awareness

5. Learning
   Living requires constant learning, and questioning can help free our minds to learn.
6. Seeing
   Being aware means seeing with our hearts as well as our minds.
7. Self-awareness
   Self-awareness helps free us from the fear and ignorance that obstruct relationship.
8. Global awareness
   To live responsibly we need to understand the global consequences of our actions.

Action

9. Respect
   To respect is to acknowledge the sacred in the Earth and in all living things.
10. Simplicity
    When we are inwardly rich, outwardly we need very little.
11. Love
    When we feel a sense of communion with the universe, we can act from love.
12. Integrity
    Integrity is the clarity of intention that comes with understanding and love.