THE ORDER OF CURSED MEN
The Measure
No man stands outside it.
No man above another.
Every person has equal human worth. Wealth, beauty, talent, status, and influence confer no greater claim to dignity.
Readings on this tenetCare is not purchased.
How we treat someone who can offer us nothing matters. A person who cannot repay kindness still deserves it.
Readings on this tenetCarry what you can.
Receive help without shame when you need it. When able, help sustain that care for others through your time, skills, attention, or resources. Contribution follows capacity.
Readings on this tenetPower grants no exemption.
Greater influence carries greater responsibility. Prosperity does not release a man from the standards he expected others to uphold when he was powerless.
Readings on this tenetDo not pass on the curse.
Suffering gives us no permission to humiliate, exploit, or dominate another. We are responsible for the harm we cause, whatever harm we have endured.
Readings on this tenetA word given has weight.
Speak honestly. Keep confidences. Make commitments carefully and honor them. When you fail someone, acknowledge it and make what repair you can.
Readings on this tenetNo man owns another’s conscience.
Every member remains free to question, disagree, refuse an undertaking, and depart. Belonging does not require surrendering judgment.
Readings on this tenetWisdom remains open to correction.
Seek to understand before passing judgment. Examine your own motives. No person, tradition, or teaching is beyond question, including these tenets.
Readings on this tenetWhat is held in common is held in trust.
Shared money, resources, and authority serve the people who entrusted them. Those responsible must account for their decisions and remain answerable to the membership. Accusations require evidence and a fair hearing.
Readings on this tenetMake something worthy of those who follow.
Create, teach, repair, and protect. Give the next person something useful to inherit. The Order’s purpose must find expression in what its members actually do for one another and for people beyond its circle.
Readings on this tenetWe are all the cursed man.