{"id":106811,"date":"2025-02-18T15:50:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T16:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=106811"},"modified":"2025-02-28T17:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T17:00:13","slug":"mobsters-knights-and-samurai-have-a-code-do-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/mobsters-knights-and-samurai-have-a-code-do-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobsters, Knights, and Samurai have a code. Do You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2007, Italian police arrested Salvatore Lo Piccolo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This dude was an actual boss from the real life Sicilian Mafia.<\/p>\n

As they explored his house, they stumbled across what they believed to be their\u00a0<\/span>official \u201c10 commandments\u201d of their crew<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In other words, \u201cIf you want to be a good mobster, follow these 10 easy steps!\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No-one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Never look at the wives of friends.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Never be seen with cops.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Don’t go to pubs and clubs.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty – even if your wife’s about to give birth.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Appointments must absolutely be respected.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Wives must be treated with respect.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. People who can’t be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn’t hold to moral values.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These rules certainly don\u2019t cover every single decision that every mobster needs to make every day, but they are rules that somebody can learn, internalize, and apply when they find themselves in a precarious situation and are unsure how to act.<\/p>\n

    The Mob isn\u2019t the only crew that has rules either.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ancient Samurai in Japan, had \u201cBushido\u201d aka \u201cThe way of the warrior.”\u00a0<\/span>8 rules for their personal code of conduct:<\/a>\u200b<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Righteousness (Justice)<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Courage<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Benevolence (Mercy)<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Respect<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Honesty<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. Honor<\/span><\/li>\n
    7. Loyalty<\/span><\/li>\n
    8. Self-Control<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Elsewhere, knights in medieval Europe had a \u201cCode of Chivalry,\u201d which covered things like \u201cprotection of the weak and poor, courtesy and respect, courage and military prowess.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator and his fellow soldiers always picked each other up with \u201cStrength and honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

      In\u00a0<\/span>300,<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>Spartan Soldiers knew to \u201ccome home with your shield, or on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

      We have\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Rules for the Nerd Fitness Rebellion<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>too!<\/strong><\/p>\n

      I bring up these rules because we might not be mobsters, knights, or samurai\u2026<\/p>\n

      But I bet adding some rules to your life could help.<\/p>\n

      Rules can help us make decisions.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      Life is complicated, and our brains are capable of talking us into and out of various decisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      However, when we have a rule in place, it allows us to make a clear choice rather than agonizing over it.<\/p>\n

      More importantly. We can make a rule ONCE, and then we don\u2019t have to waste any brainpower or willpower on each decision later on.<\/p>\n

      Here\u2019s a quick example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Most of the successful popular diets are simply a list of rules that people follow that\u00a0<\/span>get them to eat fewer calories<\/a>.<\/p>\n