Thou Shall Not Cause Suffering to Humans
Contemplating the Commandments: Thou Shall Not Cause Suffering to Humans
On the 19th Day of Tehuti, human beings were given the gift and responsibility of the Seventy-Seven Commandments, or the Code of Human Behavior. We convinced the Gods on that day that we wanted to be like them and replicate their world. We vowed to follow the Seventy-Seven Commandments, as the Commandments were given to humanity to ensure the quality upon Earth.
On the 19th of Tehuti, we were also told that we would be judged based on the Commandments. We would present ourselves before the God Wsr, and the history that we wrote for ourselves would be evaluated and weighed, based on how closely we followed the Commandments. The Gods blessed us with the Seventy-Seven Commandments but did not give us an understanding of them. It was and is still our obligation to seek an understanding of the Commandments. Some are clear-cut and easily understood, while others can leave the mind puzzled and confused. The short articles below attempt to help the seeker understand the Commandments and are written by various Earth Center Initiates.
This Commandment, "Thou Shall Not Cause Suffering to Humans", is a rather simple one to understand. To suffer means 1. to endure death, pain, or distress; 2. to sustain loss or damage, or 3. to be subject to disability or handicap. This commandment is a great deal more challenging than it appears. I used to think that if I did not go around killing, punching, and kicking people I was pretty much clear of breaking this commandment. This is not nearly the case. Suffering can be caused individual to individual, institution to institution, individual to institution, or institution to individual. When one thinks of it in these terms, suddenly it becomes a lot more difficult to not cause suffering to humans.
Within a capitalistic society, human suffering is virtually unavoidable - and as long as one contributes to his society, he is, in fact, causing this suffering. Even by purchasing a banana at a local grocery store, one is contributing. If we trace backward from the point of our purchase, there is no doubt we will find human misery. The grocery store employee may be working for minimum wage with no health benefits and forced to stand on her feet for - hours at a time. The truck driver who brought the bananas must drive for hours every day in order to earn his wage, possibly suffering from back problems and loneliness while his family must endure his absence for long periods of time. The workers at the Mexican border who load the bananas onto the truck suffer from even harsher working conditions than us. And the plantation workers who toil all day for slave wages picking the bananas suffer worst of all. And by paying fifty cents for a banana at the grocery store, we have contributed to all of that suffering. We can trace similar paths to almost every consumed item in America. That is part of what makes it so difficult to live a spiritual and righteous life within this country. Even by buying food to feed the poor, we are causing suffering!
Also, when you are part of an institution - i.e., just about any job one can have in America - which causes suffering to others, then you are also responsible. For example, the cashier at the grocery store that sells those bananas is contributing to her own suffering as well as the suffering of those truck drivers and plantation workers, etc. It is so difficult to avoid being a part of institutionalized cruelty.
There are also other ways in which one can cause suffering to humans that are a little more elusive. Some would argue that spanking children causes them to suffer, but it is incomparable to the suffering an undisciplined individual endures in this life. So by not disciplining our children, we are contributing to the suffering of humans. Also, some might argue that not giving money to beggars is causing suffering, but when one can see that the money will probably go to sustain a drug addiction, then by not giving the beggar money we are not causing suffering. But what if by not having the drug, the beggar experiences severe pains of withdrawal symptoms? Or what if our own guilt causes us to suffer?
Another way to understand this commandment is to focus on a single human being not to cause suffering to - namely, yourself! When we break commandments we cause suffering to ourselves, both in this life and after we die. So if we look to protect ourselves from suffering, the first place we should look to is the commandments. By following them we can be assured that we are not causing any humans to suffer. In fact, by following the commandments, we can help ease the suffering we are experiencing, as well as that of others.
-Matiati HaSati, Third Generation M'TAM Initiate
This is a very serious commandment, as millions of people across the world suffer every day. It is important to try and make sure that we are not the ones to cause the suffering. This is a very difficult task, because human beings always have good intentions. The most important thing is the final product or outcome. Intentions mean nothing if the final product still results in destruction, pain, suffering, etc.
For example, a person could think that they are helping the world and being a good person by teaching younger generations. What if the teacher is teaching knowledge that has come from an oppressive system that does nothing but cause suffering to not only the rest of the world but also to its own people who run it? You will be spreading suffering to a generation that will then spread it to the next generation, and so on.
Another example is a poor single mother who is trying to raise her child the best that she can. She is often gone at work, so the child is constantly around negative people who try and pull him toward corruption. The child grows up seeing his mother struggle and suffer to make ends meet and decides to help her out. He has no job so he sells drugs, breaks into houses and cars, and robs people, just so he can help his mother to buy groceries and pay rent.
The boy's intentions were good but look at all the suffering he has caused. Selling drugs to your own people will never be a way to stop suffering. The cars he broke into and the property that he stole causes suffering to those that have sustained losses. Eventually, the boy’s mother finds out how he has been making his money; she had been thinking that he had a job and becomes filled with sadness. He now has caused his mother more pain and suffering than before. After seeing his mother's disappointment, he becomes disappointed in himself - he has now caused suffering to himself.
One last example of causing suffering: you have two friends who have grown up together since childhood. At a young age, they promised to never become enemies and to never hurt the other. They went through school without one single fight. When they entered college, they began experimenting with marijuana.
One friend enjoys it for a while but stops so he can focus on school. The other ventures deeper into drugs and partying. The first begins to succeed in school while the second is on the verge of dropping out.
The first friend feels obligated to say something to his dear friend about his drug use. Before he says anything, he remembers the promise they made when they were younger: to never become enemies or hurt each other, so he says nothing because he doesn’t want to hurt his friend.
The drug user drops out of school and ends up living on the streets. Eventually, he dies of a drug overdose. The other friend, the one who has succeeded, ends up being a failure because he never said anything while his friend was killing himself for fear of upsetting his friend. He became an accomplice. He might as well have been buying drugs for the friend. So not only did he cause suffering to his friend, he caused suffering to himself.
If you don't do what you can to prevent what is wrong, you become a partner in crime.
Marrwho HaSati,
Third Generation M'TAM Initiate
