He spoke of very simple things - that it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form. ~Richard Bach from Jonathan Livingston Seagull . First of all I want to say that I don't really like rules and I don't have any or many here at CTC. I don't have a clear direction in mind for this group either... I guess I feel like it will evolve into whatever it needs to be for whoever the members are at any given time. I do have one underlying dream though... and that's to bring differing beliefs together in harmony. Because of some of the things that have happened here in the recent past it's become clear that personal attacks and deliberate attempts at stirring up drama are not in the best interest of the group. Because of that I'm going to start a '3 Strikes You're Out' policy. I'm not even going to give warnings because that, in and of itself, creates drama. People know when they are attacking others and stirring up drama, no one needs to point it out, that's too much like parenting. But... I will do what's in the best interest of the group.             "...The implications are clear: the world reflects our beliefs to us, it does not create them. Therefore it is not necessary to try to change anyone but ourselves; in fact, it's impossible. The truth is that change can only occur when each of us, the individuals who make up humanity, change. Since we are all fundamentally connected, individual change does create collective change. When this change manifests, the validity of abstract concepts such as synchronicity and critical mass is revealed." ~ don Miguel Ruiz These aren't rules, I just put them on this page because I like them and they serve as a reminder to me of what I hope to do and not to do.   The Four Agreements A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom The Four Agreements are tools to help us in the process of personal transformation. This transformation requires an inventory of our beliefs, which are based on agreements we have made with life. We can transform our beliefs and break our old, self-limiting agreements by practicing the Four Agreements. http://www.miguelruiz.com/ I have them in a longer version at the article annex. [Here] . < 4 of them     Be Impeccable With Your Word Say only what you mean. Don't Take Things Personally Each of us lives in our own personal dream, and what we say, what we do, and the opinions we give come from the agreements that we have in our own minds - they have nothing to do with anyone else. When we make the assumption that whatever happens is because of us, we continue to hurt each other and brood about what we call injustice. A huge amount of freedom is gained when we take nothing personally. Don't Make Assumptions We make assumptions when we think we know what others mean, or when we think they know what we mean. The problem with making all those assumptions is that we believe them as the truth, and we blame others for the assumptions that we make. Always Do Your Best This agreement makes the other three possible. When we simply do our best -- not more and not less -- we avoid self-condemnation and we have no regrets.       .