Arthwollipot's Cardinal Rules
Created | Updated Jul 25, 2002
The Rules
This is a list of three rules by which I live my life. When reading and thinking about this list of rules, always keep in mind Rule 1. Elaborations follow.
RULE 1:
All rules have exceptions, including this one.
RULE 2:
There are always more rules.
RULE 3:
There is no such thing as an unintersting subject, only an uninterested person.
Elaboration
OK, so let's have a think about these three rules. I have always found Rule 1 to be accurate, and here's why:
Have a look at Rule 1. Think about it. Notice the self-reference. This is what makes Rule 1 applicable when discussing 'rules' of all kinds. What that last bit means is that even Rule 1 itself has exceptions. For example, in most civilised places there is a rule which states 'don't kill people'. This is an example of a rule without an exception. There is no justification for killing someone. However, if you live in, say, Texas, there is an exception to the rule, and that's capital punishment. I am not going to get involved in any discussion over whether capital punishment is civilised or not. That's not my purpose here.
Now Rule 2. There can never be any complete list of all the rules. There are always going to be more rules, even if some of those rules are exceptions according to Rule 1. So compiling a complete list of rules is pointless in the first case and impossible in the second.
Rule 3 may look out of place in this list, as it is the only rule which isn't a metarule. However, I have found it also to be true in all situations. Whatever dull and boring subject you can think of, there is someone in the world who finds that subject interesting. No subject is 'inherently' dull. No subject is dull in a vacuum. Saying that a subject is uninteresting is only a way of saying that you are not interested in that subject. It doesn't say anything about the subject itself, it only says something about you. It is this rule which guides my own diverse set of interests.
More Rules
There is also a Rule 4 and a Rule 5.
Rule 4 states "Do it now". This is the rule that I invoke whenever I have to do something that I don't want to. Do it immediately, and it's over with. You don't have to continually worry about not having done it. For example, the best time to wash a cooking pan is as soon as you've taken the food out of it. Run it under hot water and scrub it with a brush. You'll find that the gunk comes straight off - no detergent needed. If you wait for it to dry and get cold it's much harder to scrub that pan.
Rule 5 states "It's under something". If ever you can't find a thing, remember Rule 5, because as soon as you do you will find that thing you've lost, because it's under something.
