Frontier Commitments
A frontier commitment is a commitment that is so effectively contradictory to widespread hurts that they work for almost everybody and tend to open up all the other distresses to be vulnerable to contradiction and discharge.
Against the influence of past distress
Since thinking is necessarily fresh thinking, I hereby decide that I will never again let any distress from the past influence the way I act in the present or future and I will repeat this decision as many times as necessary to achieve the clear-cut results that I want.
To be your own elegant, wise, and powerful self
From this moment on, the real (your own name)! This will mean _____________.
I can.
Against pretense
I am obviously completely incompetent and completely inadequate to handle the challenges which reality places before me. However, (fortunately or unfortunately), I happen to be the best person available.
To reclaim power
From now on I will see to it that everything I am in contact with works well, and I will not limit or pull back on my contacts. This will mean _____________.
Against identifying oneself with patterns
Recordings of past distress experiences have no power of their own at all. They only have the appearance of power and influence to the extent that I slavishly submit to letting them use my power and my influence. (If I think of them as pieces of recorded tape, they have, at most, a trifling historical significance, unless I insert them in the tape recorder that is myself and allow them to play me, an action which I am free to decide to do or not to do.) Therefore, I now decide to deny past distress any credibility in the present, any influence, or any operation in my life. And I will repeat this decision as often as necessary to free my life completely from the influence of past distress.
Against identifying as a victim
I now know, that every one of my distresses is simply a literal recording of everything that happened at a time when I was not able to process that information. I also know that these events, as well as all the other events of my life, have contributed in important ways to the unique, completely good, and wonderful human being that I am today.
Therefore I promise, that from this moment on, I will always cherish every moment of my past as being completely right and good, and I will never again wish for any of those moments to have happened in any way different from exactly the way they did happen.
However, I will never again act on any of the distortions that my distresses have tended to impose on my thinking. Instead, I will vigorously pursue the discharge of these distress recordings, in order to gain full and flexible access to the precious information that they do contain.
Against Criticizing
From now on I will view each person in the light of his/her value to me, to the RC Community, and to the world. I will under all circumstances think no critical thoughts of anyone; and I will under all circumstances notice and comment on the slightest contribution, service, and evidence of growth; because no matter how slight these actions feel to me, they are immense if they lead toward the re-emergence of me and my students. And I will repeat this as often as necessary until the ancient habit pattern of criticizing has been broken.
To unity of all human aspirations
From now on I will inspire, lead, and organize all people to eliminate every form of humans' harming humans. This will mean _____________.
World changers
I have chosen the responsibility to change society, but I also choose to be intelligent in the way I do it. The future needs me, well-rested, well-nourished, and well-exercised. The past is useful as information, but never as a substitute for my own fresh thinking. Mao respected Marx, but did his own fresh thinking. I will respect all past thinkers but my thinking will necessarily be more brilliant than theirs because I stand on their shoulders. If I am not enjoying what I am doing, then there is something wrong with how I am doing it and I will correct it.
To end preoccupation with distress
It is logically possible and certainly desirable to end the ancient habit of paying attention to past distress and replace it by a new attitude or posture of paying attention to interesting and rewarding concerns, including the present time situation, and so I now decide to do this and will repeatedly so decide until the ancient habit is broken.
RC leaders
I promise that, from this moment on, I am in complete charge of absolutely everything, including the entire RC community. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! (In tones of triumph, satisfaction, and power.)