It says in the Bible that people should treat others the way they want
to be treated. I believe that to be wrongheaded. The reason for this is
that people have different needs, values and desires, and if I were to
treat others the way I want to be treated then I would be projecting
myself onto them, rather than seeing their unique selves and treating
them accordingly.

I am sufficiently familiar with cultural, genetic and psychological
variety among people to know that each person wants to be treated
differently from how the next person wants to be treated. I am male,
and I like to get to the root of problems in order to solve them and
help the other person overcome them. Many people, especially women,
don't want that; they want someone to listen to them and understand
them, or a shoulder to cry on, or someone to simply support them
emotionally. I want to be seen as a pioneering mind, but I know better
than to treat a Midwestern laborer or a Hindu sudra or an African
tribesman as a someone who wants to be seen as a pioneering mind.
That's not what they value, that's not what they believe in, that's
not what they want. If I were to treat them the way I want to be
treated, I would not be treating them the way they want to be treated,
and I would be imposing my needs on them rather than helping them to
fulfil theirs.

The serenity prayer, in the meanwhile, goes stark against the Biblical
teachings. The Bible quite clearly says that with God all things are
possible. Indeed it goes on to say, "Ye are gods." Thus, for as long as
you align your will with that of God, there is no limit to what you can
accomplish. This goes for internal change and for external change
equally. Which means that the correct prayer is not "Give me serenity
to accept things I cannot change and courage to change the things that
I can," but rather "Give me wisdom to know what is right and the
strength and courage to carry it out everywhere I go."

I repeat quite clearly: According to the Bible, nothing is impossible
with the Lord. Therefore true Christianity consists not of having
"serenity" in face of wrong, but rather of working with God to get rid
of wrong and replace it with God's goodness and righteousness. This is
something that Bush and Reagan, or people around them, have figured
out. Indeed the story of Bush, Reagan and Thatcher is a direct proof
that all things are possible with the Lord.

Regarding humility, when Layo asked me about it I said that it was a
shortcut to wisdom and empathy. Now shortcuts may work for many people,
but I've chosen to take the scenic route. I've experienced many things
that other people would find humbling: Living on the street and eating
from garbage cans, going to jail and institutions, having people attack
me left and right. I've needed my ego to refrain from capitulating to
evil people, evil societies, evil belief systems and temporarily
crushing circumstances. If I wind up with humility anyway, it will be
because God wants that outcome. Before I give up my ego, however, I'll
need assurance from God that He would protect my spirit from evil and
assimilation better than my ego can. For most of my life, my ego has
been a necessity for psychological survival, and I could only give it
up if I know that better technology is at hand.