" My wife and I learned that if you ask yourself such a question, and you genuinely desire the answer (no matter how disgraceful and terrible and shameful), then a memory of something you did that was stupid and wrong at some point in the generally not-distant-enough past will arise from the depths of your mind. Then you can go back to your partner and reveal why you’re an idiot, and apologize (sincerely) and that person can do the same for you, and then apologize (sincerely), and then you two idiots will be able to talk again.
Perhaps that is true prayer: the question,
“What have I done wrong, and what can I do now to set things at least a little bit more right?”
But your heart must be open to the terrible truth. You must be receptive to that which you do not want to hear.
When you decide to learn about your faults, so that they can be rectified, you open a line of communication with the source of all revelatory thought. Maybe that’s the same thing as consulting your conscience. Maybe that’s the same thing, in some manner, as a discussion with God.
It was in that spirit, with some paper in front of me, that I asked my question:
What shall I do with my newfound pen of light?
Write down the words you want inscribed on your soul. I wrote that down.
What shall I do next year?
Try to ensure that the good I do then will be exceeded only by the good I do the year after that.
What shall I do with my life?
Aim for Paradise, and concentrate on today. Hah! I knew what that meant. It’s what Geppetto does in the Disney movie Pinocchio, when he wishes upon a star.
The grandfatherly woodcarver lifts up his eyes to the twinkling diamond set high above the mundane world of day-to-day human concerns and articulates his deepest desire: that the marionette he created lose the strings by which he is manipulated by others and transform himself into a real boy.
It’s also the central message of the Sermon on the Mount, as we saw in Rule 4 (Compare yourself to who you were yesterday …), but which deserve repeating here:
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:28-6:33).
What does all that mean? Orient yourself properly. Then—and only then— concentrate on the day. Set your sights at the Good, the Beautiful, and the True, and then focus pointedly and carefully on the concerns of each moment. Aim continually at Heaven while you work diligently on Earth. Attend fully to the future, in that manner, while attending fully to the present. Then you have the best chance of perfecting both.
What shall I do with my wife?
Treat her as if she is the Holy Mother of God, so that she may give birth to the world-redeeming hero.
What shall I do with my daughter?
Stand behind her, listen to her, guard her, train her mind, and let her know it’s OK if she wants to be a mother.
What shall I do with my parents?
Act such that your actions justify the suffering they endured.
What shall I do with my son?
Encourage him to be a true Son of God.
How shall I educate my people?
Share with them those things I regard as truly important. That’s Rule 8 (Tell the truth—or, at least, don’t lie). That is to aim for wisdom, to distill that wisdom into words, and to speak forth those words as if they matter, with true concern and care. That’s all relevant, as well, to the next question (and answer):
What shall I do with a torn nation?
Stitch it back together with careful words of truth.
What shall I do for God my Father?
Sacrifice everything I hold dear to yet greater perfection.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them
(Matthew 7:16-7:20).
How shall I deal with the enlightened one?
Replace him with the true seeker of enlightenment
What shall I do when I despise what I have?
Remember those who have nothing and strive to be grateful.
What shall I do when greed consumes me?
Remember that it is truly better to give than to receive.
What shall I do when I ruin my rivers?
Seek for the living water and let it cleanse the Earth.
What shall I do when my enemy succeeds?
Aim a little higher and be grateful for the lesson.
What shall I do when I’m tired and impatient?
Gratefully accept an outstretched helping hand
What shall I do with the fact of aging?
Replace the potential of my youth with the accomplishments of my maturity.
What shall I do with my infant’s death?
Hold my other loved ones and heal their pain. It is necessary to be strong in the face of death, because death is intrinsic to life.
What shall I do in the next dire moment?
Focus my attention on the next right move. The flood is coming. The flood is always coming. The apocalypse is always upon us.
What shall I say to a faithless brother?
The King of the Damned is a poor judge of Being.
What shall I do to strengthen my spirit?
Do not tell lies, or do what you despise.
What shall I do to ennoble my body?
Use it only in the service of my soul.
What shall I do with the most difficult of questions?
Consider them the gateway to the path of life.
What shall I do with the poor man’s plight?
Strive through right example to lift his broken heart.
What shall I do when the great crowd beckons?
Stand tall and utter my broken truths
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