Thou Shalt Not! (if that's okay with you...)

Call me an aging curmudgeon (I know I sound like one) prone to reactionary nostalgia for biblical-sounding imperatives, but wouldn't you agree that these days we aren't inclined to follow very many "thou shalt not" pronouncements, and even if we did, we wouldn't know what to do with them. They wouldn't inspire us to go about avoiding specific behaviors with any degree of seriousness. (Examples: Thou shalt not worship false gods! Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife! I can hear people yawning already. Not me - them!) It used to be that a society defined itself according to a somewhat rigid set of "do's and don'ts" with emphasis on the "sacred prohibitions."But if a person tries to say nowadays "Thou shalt not be inordinately snarky toward people whose articles you are reading online," or "Thou shalt not neglect hygiene or decorum when standing in a crowd," or even better "Thou shalt not share intimate details of thy private life or go in search of publicity, self-promotion or other vain immodesties for the so-called benefit of people who really don't seek to inquire into your business"  how many people would automatically nod in agreement? And so - (huge sigh) -  I'm trying to make a short list of any actions that we absolutely will not tolerate as a community of like-minded moral agents here in America. But it's hard. Let's see...what can we all agree upon? Well, for starters, even these days, thank goodness, you (#1) cannot go around killing people at random or (#2) assaulting people (against their will) or (#3) slandering them on the basis of skin color without serious repercussions. So that's three big restrictions on our freedom right there that I hope no one will quibble with. And it's also somewhat unacceptable (again, thank goodness!) to (#4) abuse or harm children without incurring public wrath and infamy...And while we're at it, you'd be strongly advised against (#5) major forms of theft, trespass or extortion against another person's livelihood (to couch this crime in broadest possible terms). Since I don't hear a chorus of temper-tantrums breaking out, let me go one step farther. Wouldn't it be really, really helpful, wouldn't the world be that much more pleasant and hospitable (!),  if people on various parts of the globe (specifically, men) could start  treating their spouses, sisters, friends, girl-friends, mothers, daughters, grandparents, complete strangers who happen to be women, etc. etc. with greater degrees of respect on a consistent basis? But - oh heck - we're still working on that one. That's just too much re-adjustment for some backward males to adapt to. It should be on the list though - eh - at #6 if not higher up. And women, be nice to the men in your midst. I'm sure you will...And let's see, I'd like to see something about honesty and fidelity as well. There would be room at the #7 slot, but given that people lie on average 27 times a day just to get by, and show spotty fidelity to friends/spouses as they go, that's another one that we just can't put on the list without people sort of rolling their eyes at us. So in place of that can we agree to avoid whatever gratuitous trashings of the environment we are tempted to commit - unless we happen to work for large oil and coal conglomerates? (They forced me to add a loophole.) There. I'm stuck at seven. What am I forgetting???  It would be nice to get to ten.