Libertarian Librarian

Creed:
1. A formal statement of religious belief; a confession of faith.
2. A system of belief, principles, or opinions.
3. A rock band of some renown.

I've never really thought about having a creed. I have one-- I think we all do to some degree-- but I've rarely taken the time to actively think about what it is, and I've never really written any part of it down. Yet this summer I keep bumping into them, and I find the concept of a creed as an overarching framework on which to structure your thoughts and actions-- in a word, your life-- to be an appealing and intriguing one.

Perhaps something that merits more overt analysis and consideration. At any rate, here are the creeds I've come across this summer:

1) The Rotary Creed. I have been processing the records of a local Rotary Club and came across their creed. Number 4 leaves me a bit... iffy... but I like the concept of thinking of our actions and words in terms of truth, fairness and generating goodwill.

2) The Jaycee Creed. More religious than the Rotarians, but I'm okay with that. And principle #4, That government should be of laws rather than men, rings so amazingly true in the day and age of political ego, divisiveness and corruption.

3) Andrew Sullivan's American Creed. Sullivan sometimes goes off the rails when he's on a topic of particular passion-- mostly homosexual rights and U.S. torture, or alleged torture, abuses-- but he is a keen observor of what makes our country great, and when his passions cool, he often expresses himself as well or better than any other political pundit out there. This creed is one of those times. I particularly like the third paragraph where he distinguishes between the pursuit of happiness and its attainment. Very persceptive and an important point that too often gets ground beneath the growing entitlement mentality that is pervading our country.

4) The Apostle's Creed. The granddaddy of them all.

Roll these four together and you have a pretty good basis for being: A christian, an American, a citizen, a neighbor, and a friend. In short, a good person. Of course, #4 is dependent on your religion, so substitute in your own religious creed as necessary.

Now the hard part-- trying to live by those tenets.