As much as I love the Christmas period with all the food and drink you can consume, as well as spending quality time with loved ones, there are times when it can all become a stress-filled, conflict-ridden and decadent exercise which can do more harm than good to one’s mind, body and spirit.

Everyone, I guess, is entitled to self-indulge (within reason, mind) at least once a year, but we must be careful not to enter the new year carrying too much weight, anxiety and damaged relationships.

Christmas should be a time to reinvigorate ourselves and to reconnect with friends and family who we have, directly or indirectly, long since neglected.

Surely, we’re not too busy for the important things in life?

Just to let you know that I don’t belong to any religious faith whatsoever, but felt the need to propose the following ten commandments (with a bit of humour thrown in for good measure) of my own for you to adopt towards having a happy Christmas of moderation.  So no belief in God or morality are required.

These precepts or maxims may or may not  help you to negotiate life more wisely, as well as put you in very good stead for the coming New Year and beyond.  Just remember to have fun along the way.

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This post is part of the ‘Ancient Egyptian Wisdom’ series, please read the following first part: Ancient Egyptian Wisdom: Egypt – Source of All Knowledge and Wisdom?

Ptahhotep, (flourished 2400 bce), vizier of ancient Egypt who attained high repute in wisdom literature. His treatise “The Maxims of Ptahhotep,” probably the earliest large piece of Egyptian wisdom literature available to modern scholars, was written primarily for young men of influential families who would soon assume one of the higher civil offices. Ptahhotep’s proverbial sayings upheld obedience to a father and a superior as the highest virtue, but they also emphasized humility, faithfulness in performing one’s own duties, and the ability to keep silence when necessary.

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In a series of posts I will take you way back to some of the earliest Egyptian philosophers and sages in antiquity who imparted their writings (mostly in hieroglyphic form), maxims and quotes displaying their wisdom and virtues that have stood the test of time.

First we will discover the wise maxims of Ptahhotep, sometimes known as Ptahhotpe or Ptah-Hotep, who was an ancient Egyptian official during the late 25th century BC and early 24th century BC.

I will then share with you the quotes of wisdom of Akhenaten, who scholars described as the most progressive of pharaohs, and who took Egypt one step ahead of its time.

Then we will focus on Hermes Trismegistus who was the eponymous author of the writings that were attributed to him.  Hermes, who was suppose to be a contemporary of Moses, was also recognised as being the Greek god Hermes, and the Egyptian god Thoth.

Impact of Ancient Egypt on the World

As for the contributions towards humankind’s progress by some of the earliest known civilizations, it is fair to say that the modern world should be indebted for much of the knowledge it now possesses, most of which was derived from ancient Egypt and Greece.

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THE SYMBOLIC APHORISMS
OF PYTHAGORAS

Iamblichus gathered thirty-nine of the symbolic sayings of Pythagoras and interpreted them. These were translated from the Greek by Thomas Taylor. In the following ten sayings of Pythagoras the interpretations following are provided by Iambichus, circa 300 CE … Read more…

I never knew that old Macdonald could be so wise:

1. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

2. Keep skunks and bankers at a Distance.

3. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

4. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

5. Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

6. Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

7. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

8. Do not corner something that you know is meaner’n you.

9. It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

10. You cannot unsay a cruel word.

11. Every path has a few puddles.

12. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

13. The best sermons are lived, not preached.

14. Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

15. Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

16. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

17. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

18. Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin you none.

19. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

20. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

21. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

22. The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from The mirror every mornin’.

23. Always drink upstream from the herd.

24. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

25. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

26. If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

27. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

28. Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he’s too old to fight, he’ll jus’ kill you…

~ Proverbs From A Farmer