beterwas

honestly misbehaving

About

Beterwas - pronounced “better ways” - is devoted to the idea that being upright and honest, that following the rules, that being a mensch is in itself an effective form of protest. In a society that substitutes political correctness for manners and etiquette, disclaimers for truth and moral relativity for right and wrong; what better way to confound authority than to do the right thing at all times, and expect nothing less in return?

The signs are all around you. Everywhere you go, you see signs disclaiming responsibility, declaring hostility, and warning of consequences. Every stranger you encounter regards you with some level of suspicion. Degrees of lying and stealing have become acceptable. Is it any wonder that we are so divided?

We can all agree on very few things, but one of them is sure to be our belief in good and evil, right and wrong; but in our day to day lives, so much of the world is gray, it can be diificult to see where right ends and wrong begins.

I want to plant a flag on the good side. I want to lead a good, honest and caring life.

I wasn’t always that way. I was once a selfish prick, just like any other. But it never made anyone’s life better, especially not mine. I slowly realized that lies and deceits were laborious to maintain and pyschologically damaging to me and those around me. As that veil lifted, I became aware of the enormity of the lies and deceits we maintain that permeate our lives. So accustomed we have become to the daily struggles we put ourselves through, that eventually we don’t notice them at all.

How much money do you make? How much is something you own worth? What do you think about…? If your answers depend on who is asking, then ask yourself why.

Having one answer to every question - and the easiest to remember - the truth unloads a burden that you cannot imagine. It has to really be the truth; not some technical truth or forced perspective (You know when bullshit is coming out of your mouth. If not, see a doctor). But once you start, it gets easier and easier. It puts some people off, but only those that need you to play along. To others, you will be simply difficult to approach. But to kindred, your company will become an oasis from their own personal theatre of the absurd.

For the record, I do not claim to have mastered this. I only wish to share my journey and aid my fellow travellers. But this has become my experience.

Soon you will find that doing the right thing is both easy and something to be proud of. Personally, my favorite discovery was that it’s nice to be nice. But best of all, you’ll confound authority. No one expects people to do the right thing and when someone does, they sometimes have a little panic attick (that can be fun to watch). But I usually talk them down (without talking down to them) by suggesting that they should raise their expectations.

So that’s what beterwas is about: Better ways. Finding them. Living them. Sharing them.

Changing the world.