Gurdjieff’s Father Had Four Rules for Youth

Some say that stolen bicycles are the currency of Venice Beach. Well, what if mental frameworks are the currency for lifelong students? 

Who doesn’t love a framework? 

Well, one of the greatest thinkers in the last thousand years, G.I. Gurdjieff, shares a framework from his father in his famous text, Meetings with Remarkable Men. While my intention in sharing this isn’t to copy and paste parenting advice into your internet browser, it’s to bring up thoughts and questions. 

According to Gurdjieff’s father, the aim of a human life from ages zero to eighteen should follow four commandments:

1. To love one’s parents. 
2. To remain chaste. 
3. To be outwardly courteous to all without distinction, whether they be rich or poor, friends or enemies, power-possessors or slaves, and to whatever religion they may belong, but inwardly to remain free and never put too much trust in anyone or anything. 
4. To love work for work’s sake and not for its gain. 

Commandments one and two feel like slam dunks. The lack of brevity alone in number three leaves a ton to unpack. I find it interesting that non-duality is introduced here to children. It basically says, work hard to give outward respect and also inwardly maintain your autonomy. That’s big stuff for a child! I dig it. 

Commandment four could possess a self-perpetuating machine of lessons and development. 

I’m curious, what comes up for you? If you read between the lines, are the themes of what he’s after good enough for a complete list?