When your own free will can (and probably will lead you astray), that is the time when you need strong principles that you will not break

We dream on, as destiny take us in directions we could never have imagined. But destiny take us onward, but it does so only half way. At some point, free will kicks in, and then (as can you might expect), things go terribly wrong. However, during the period in one’s life that destiny is in control, even if you sin and do dumb things, generally destiny ignores it. After all, “There is a purpose to everything under the sun” (Ecclesiastes) even you. But when destiny stops, and has done what it set out to do, that is when you need to watch out. That is when your own free will can (and probably will lead you astray). That is the time when you need strong principles that you will not break. I have thought long and hard about these principles and I would like to share some of them. First of all is to speak the truth at all cost. Lying has to be as hard as pulling teeth. Not to speak lashon hara (i.e., not to speak negatively about anyone). There is however an argument about lashon hara between Rabbainu Yona and the Rambam. To the approach of Rabbainu Yona there are times and circumstance outside of the court of law that allows one to speak negativity about someone for the need of some benefit. To the Rambam, no such circumstances exist. If you have to critique someone, it has to be in a court of law or not at all. (Otherwise it is straight forward lashon hara.) I tend to see the point of Rabbainu Yona when it comes to warning someone. I have thought long and hard about these principles and I would like to share some of them. First of all is to speak the truth at all cost. Lying has to be as hard as pulling teeth. Not to speak lashon hara (i.e., not to speak negatively about anyone). There is however an argument about lashon hara between Rabbainu Yona and the Rambam. To the approach of Rabbainu Yona there are times and circumstance outside of the court of law that allows one to speak negativity about someone for the need of some benefit. To the Rambam, no such circumstances exist. If you have to critique someone, it has to be in a court of law or not at all. (Otherwise it is straight forward lashon hara.) I tend to see the point of Rabbainu Yona when it comes to warning someone. There are other principles that I think are important but not to the degree of thee first two. Some are to stick with the basic path of the Gra as much as possible in terms of learning Torah, both by bekiut (fast) and beiyun (in depth) [however, I think that using Torah to make money is not exactly along the line of the Gra. people nowadays assume it is ok to use Torah to make a living but to me it seems that this is improbable]