It is a struggle to maintain psychic equilibrium in
a society that demands submission to the rules of social intercourse but
refuses to ground those rules in a code of moral conduct.
"The capacity for a noble, even a
holy life, is born within us. It's part of
human nature, not something put in from
elsewhere. That's shown by the fact that we
know the difference between good and evil, kindness and
cruelty, truth and pretense, and we are, at our best,
drawn to the better options." - Davidson Loehr
"It should be pointed out that considerable moral,
intellectual, and practical advantages can be gleaned from an understanding of
the ponerogenic processes thanks to the naturalistic objectivity required. The
long-term heritage of ethical questions is thereby not destroyed; quite the
contrary, it is reinforced, since modern scientific methods confirm the basic
values of moral teachings." - Andrew M. Lobaczewski
"No system - capitalism,
socialism, whatever - can work without a
sense of ethics and values at its core. No matter what
reforms we put in place, without common sense, judgment and an ethical standard, they will prove
inadequate." - Fareed Zakaria"If I have seen that from an ethical
point of view I am just one person among the many in my society, and my interests are no more important, from
the point of view of the whole, than the similar interests of others within my
society, I am ready to see that, from a still larger
point of view, my society is just one among other
societies, and the interests of members
of my society are no more important, from that larger
perspective, than the similar interests of members of other
societies… Taking the impartial
element in ethical reasoning to its logical conclusion means, first, accepting
that we ought to have equal concern for all
human beings." - Peter Albert David Singer
Ethics is
defined as:
A set of principles
of right conduct.
Motivation based on ideas of right
and wrong.
The
philosophical study of moral values and rules.
The study of the general
nature of morals and of the
specific moral choices to be made by a
individual; moral philosophy.
The
science of human duty;
the body of rules of
duty drawn from this
science; a particular
system of
principles and rules concerting duty, whether true or false;
rules of practice in regard to a single class of
human actions; as, political or social
ethics.
"I expect
this ethics reform to last maybe a couple of weeks, and then it will be the
same old dirty business by the Democrats that the
Republicans honed so well. You can
change a person's clothes, but you don't change the body inside the clothes.
Why doesn't someone ask why grown men and women, supposedly mature, elected to
national office, need to create an
institutional set of ethical
rules to govern themselves with integrity? Why
wasn't their ethical sense already built
into them in childhood? If this weren't so disgustingly tragic, it would be
utterly hilarious. So the nation observes these moral
infants scurrying around trying to find a way to keep their colleagues' hands
out of the cookie jar. It's no wonder that the general public regards the
ethics of our congressional members as ranking
somewhere between used car salesmen and card sharks at the casino." - David H.
Wallace 01/07/07
"The whole of ethics rests upon the same
foundation. For men find that they best promote their own interests in the long
run not merely by refraining from injury to their fellows, but by
cooperating with them.
Social cooperation is the foremost
means by which the majority of us attain most
of our ends. It is on the implicit if not the explicit recognition of this that
our codes of morals, our rules of conduct, are ultimately based. "Justice" itself consists in observance of the rules or
principles that do most, in the long run, to preserve and promote
social cooperation." - Henry
Hazlitt
Fundamental moral
issues, such as peace, social justice, the healing of the sick and the
alleviation of poverty, are traditionally the core values of the
followers of Jesus. The espousal of these
issues may be considered by some as a political
platform statement. It is a political platform
statement in that a honest and truthful soul that
intends to follow the path laid down by Jesus will comply politically with tradition core values taught by Jesus.
The rightful role of men who
faithfully follow Jesus' path is to boldly
stand up and follow the moral path of Jesus'
words which proclaim that all shall be given
mercy and
justice, that
all life is sacred -
as all life is animated by
the breath of God, that peace will reign on Earth
when all men learn to live compassion, that
men stand in stewardship of
God's creation, that a
man experiences empathy and gratitude
for his life and express' that gratitude as compassion for his neighbor who he treats as
he wishes to be treated - "his neighbor" includes the family next door, the family
in the nation next door, the family on the other side
of the Earth as well as the hummingbirds, the
opossums, the racoons, the coyotes, the dove and the
hawk.
rules of conduct
"It seems at first sight a very rational
way of testing any proposed
rule of conduct is to ask - How will it
work? Taking men as we know them, and institutions as they are, what will
result from carrying such a theory into practice?
This very common-sense style of inquiry is that by which most
opinions on morals and politics are formed. People consider of any system,
whether it seems feasible, whether it will square with this or the other
social arrangement, whether it fits what they see of
human nature. They
have got certain notions of what man is, and what society must be; and their verdict on any ethical
doctrine depends upon its accordance or discordance with these.
If moral systems are adopted or
condemned, because of their consistency or
inconsistency, with what we know of
men and things, then it is taken for granted that
men and things will ever be as they are. And yet we
know human nature to
be infinitely variable.
Unable as the
imperfect man may be to fulfil the perfect
law, there is no other law for
him. One right course only is open; and he must either follow that or take the
consequences. The
conditions of existence will not bend
before his perversity; nor relax in consideration of his weakness. Neither,
when they are broken, may any exception
from penalties be hoped for.
Confounded by the multiplied and ever-new
aspects of human affairs, it is not perhaps
surprising that men should fail duly to recognise the systematic character of the
Divine moral law. Yet in the moral
as in the material world, accumulated evidence is gradually generating
the conviction, that events are wrought out in a certain inevitable
way by unchanging
forces. In all ages there has been some
glimmering perception of
this truth; and experience is ever giving to that
perception increased
distinctness. Indeed even now all men do, in one
mode or other, testify of such a faith. Every
known creed is an
assertion of it. What are the moral codes of the
Mahometan, the
Brahmin, the
Buddhist, but so many
acknowledgments of the inseparable connection
between conduct and its results? Do they not all say you shall not do this, and
this, because they will produce evil; and you
shall do that and that, because they will produce good? We imply such a faith, too, in our every day conversations; in our maxims and precepts, in our
education of children, in our advice to friends.
In judging men and
things we instinctively refer them to some
standard of ascertained principles. We predict good or
evil of this or the other scheme, because of its
accordance or discordance with certain
perceived
social laws of life.
Surely, then, if all believe in the persistency of these secondary
laws, much more should they believe in the persistency of those
primary ones, which underlie
human existence,
and out of which our every day truths grow. Either society has
laws, or it has not. If it has not, there can be no
order, no certainty, no system in its
phenomena. If it has, then
are they like the other laws of the
universe - sure, inflexible, ever active, and having no
exceptions.
How infinitely important is it, that we
should ascertain what these laws are;
and having ascertained, implicitly obey them! If they really
exist, then only by
submission to them can anything
permanently succeed. Just in so far as it complies
with the principles of moral equilibrium can it stand. Our
social edifice may be constructed with all possible
labour and ingenuity, and be strongly cramped together with cunningly-devised
enactments, but if there be no rectitude in its component parts—if
it is not built on upright
principles, it will assuredly tumble to pieces. As well might we seek to
light a fire with
ice, feed cattle on stones, hang our hats on cobwebs, or otherwise disregard
the physical laws of the world, as go
contrary to its equally imperative ethical
laws.
Yes, but there are
exceptions, say you. We cannot always be
strictly guided by abstract
principles. Prudential considerations must have some weight. It is necessary to
use a little policy.
Very specious, no doubt, are your reasons
for advocating this or the other exception.
But rest satisfied that they are not more complete impossibilities than are
your proposed exceptions, which similarly
conflict with the essential
social laws of life.
One breach of
moral law leaves a gap for numberless
subsequent trespasses. If the first false step has
been taken with seeming impunity, it will inevitably be followed by others.
Schoolboy promises of—"only this once" are not to be
believed. Make a hole through a principle to admit a
solitary exception, and, on one pretence or
other, so many other exceptions will by and
by be thrust through after it, as to render the principle utterly
good-for-nothing. In fact, if its consequences are closely traced, this
same plea for licence in special cases turns
out to be the source of nearly all the
evils that afflict us. Almost every wrong doing is
excused by the evil doer on this ground.
The evil doer confesses his act is at
variance with the moral law, which he
admits to be, and in some sort believes to be, the
best guide. The evil doer
thinks, however, that his interest requires him now
and then to make exceptions.
All men do
this; and see the result.
The
evil doer is laying claim to a
perfect knowledge of
man, of society, of
institutions, of events, of all the
complex, ever-varying phenomena of
human existence;
and to a grasp of mind that can infer from these
how things will go in the
future. In short, he is assuming that
omniscience, which is requisite for the
successful carrying out of such a system. Any
departure from principle to escape some anticipated evil, is a return to the proved errors of expediency. And it is yet further enforced by
the reflection, that to think we can better
ourselves by deserting the road
marked out for us, is an impious assumption of more than divine
omniscience.
If the foolishness of
such conduct needs illustrating by facts, there are plenty at hand. The
constant failure of schemes devised without consulting
ethical principles has been already
exemplified. Let us now, however, take a few cases specially applying to the
present point - cases in which benefit has been sought by going in palpable
opposition to those principles -
cases in which men, dissatisfied with the
road whose
finger-post declares that "Honesty is the best policy," have diverged into
the byways of injustice, in the
hope of more readily attaining their
ends.
The enslavement of the negroes serves as a
good example. Nothing could have seemed more conclusive
than the reasoning of unscrupulous colonists on this
matter. Here were rich
soils, a splendid climate, and a large
market for the sale of produce. Now, could but a
sufficiency of labourers be imported and reduced to servitude, what profit they
would bring to their possessors! Maintained at a cheap rate; made to
work hard, and to keep long at it, what a
surplus would they not create! Here was a mine of
wealth! Well: the planters
acted out their thought - did that which, although
it might not be just, was apparently "the best policy," so far as they were concerned.
Their golden visions have
been far from realized however.
Slave
countries are comparatively poverty-stricken all over the
Earth. The southern states of America are far behind their northern neighbours in
prosperity—are in process of abandoning slavery one after another, in
consequence of its ruinous results.
Somehow the scheme has not answered as was expected.
Though worked in some cases sixteen hours out of the twenty-four; though
supported on "a pint of flour and one salt herring per day;" though kept to his work by whips, yet did not the
slave bring to his owner the large profit
calculated upon. Indeed it has turned out that, under like circumstances,
free labour is much cheaper. And then, besides the
disappointment, there came results that were never looked for.
Slavery brought in its train the
multiplied curses of a diseased
social state; a reign of mutual
hatred and terror; of universal demoralization; of
sin-begotten recklessness; of extravagant
expenditure; of bad cultivation, exhausted
soils, mortgaged estates, bankruptcy,
beggary. After all, the moral law would
have been the safest guide.
Let us remember also, the failure of those attempts to profit at the expense of our
American colonies; and the disastrous results to
which they led. Our governors thought it would be
highly beneficial to the mother country, if the colonies were constrained to
become her customers; and in pursuance of this conclusion, not only prohibited
the settlers from purchasing certain goods from any other country than England,
but actually denied them the right to make those goods for themselves! As usual
the manœuvre proved worse than abortive. Nay, indeed, that outlay was
wholly thrown away, and worse than thrown away; for it turns out that
artificial trades so obtained entail
loss upon both parties. Then too came the
punishment, the resistance of
the settlers, the war of
independence, and the hundred and odd millions added to our national
burdens!
What an
astounding illustration of the defeat of
dishonesty by the eternal
laws of right conduct we have in the
history of the
East India
Company! Selfish, unscrupulous, worldly-wise in
policy, and with unlimited
force to back it, this oligarchy, year by
year, perseveringly carried out its schemes of
aggrandisement. It subjugated
province upon province; it laid one prince after another under tribute; it made
exorbitant demands upon adjacent rulers, and
construed refusal into a pretext for aggression; it became sole proprietor of
the land, claiming nearly one-half the produce as rent; and it entirely
monopolized
commerce: thus uniting in itself the
character of conqueror,
ruler, landowner, and merchant. With all these
resources, what could it be but prosperous? From the spoils of victorious
war, the rent of millions of acres, the
tribute of dependent monarchs, the profits of an exclusive trade, what untold
wealth must have poured in upon it! what revenues!
what a bursting exchequer! Alas! the Company is some 50,000,000l. in
debt.
These are but a few samples from a universal
experience. If diligently traced, the results of
abandoning the right to pursue the politic will uniformly be found to end thus.
Men who are insane
enough to think that they may safely violate the
fundamental laws of right conduct, may read
in such defeats and disasters their own
fate. Let them but inquire, and
they will find that each petty evil, each great
catastrophe, is in some way or other a sequence of
injustice.
Yet this commentary on the
moral code - this
history as we call it -
men for ever read in vain! Poring with
microscopic eye over the symbols in which it is written, they are heedless of the
great facts expressed by them.
Instead of collecting evidence bearing upon the all-important
question - What are the
laws that determine national success or failure, stability
or revolution? - they gossip about
state intrigues, sieges and battles, court scandal, the crimes of nobles, the
quarrels of parties, the births, deaths, and marriages of
kings, and other like trifles. Minutiæ,
pettifogging details, the vanity and frippery of bygone times, the mere decorations of the web of
existence, they examine,
analyze, and learnedly descant upon; yet
are blind to those stern
realities which each age shrouds in its
superficial tissue of
events—those terrible truths which glare out upon
us from the gloom of the past. From the successive
strata of our historical deposits,
they diligently gather all the highly-coloured fragments, pounce upon
everything that is curious and sparkling, and chuckle like children over their
glittering acquisitions; meanwhile the
rich veins of wisdom that
ramify amidst this worthless debris, lie utterly neglected.
But why all this
laboured examination into the propriety, or impropriety, of making
exceptions to an ascertained
ethical law? The very
question is absurd. For what does a
man really mean by saying of a
thing that it is "theoretically just," or "true in principle," or "abstractedly right"? Simply
that it accords with what he, in some way or other, perceives to be the
established arrangements of Divine
moral law. When he admits that an act is "theoretically just," he
admits it to be that which, in strict duty, should be done. By "true in principle," he means in
harmony with the conduct
decreed for us. The course which he
calls "abstractedly right,"
he believes to be the appointed
way to human happiness.
There is no escape.
The expressions mean this, or they mean
nothing.
Though told that such and such are the true roads to
happiness, he opines
that he knows
shorter ones! To the
Creator's silent admonishment -
commit only moral acts; he replies that,
all things considered, he
thinks he can do better! This is the
real infidelity; the true atheism:
to doubt the foresight and
efficiency of Divine moral law ,
and with infinite presumption
to suppose a human judgment less fallible!
If there be any
weight in the considerations above set forth, then, no matter how seemingly
inexpedient, dangerous, injurious even, may be the course which morality points
out as "abstractedly right,"
the highest wisdom is in perfect and fearless
submission to the
Divine moral law." - Herbert
Spencer
"Our continual observations upon the conduct of others
insensibly lead us to form to ourselves certain general rules concerning what
is fit and proper either to be done or avoided. The regard to those general
rules of conduct is what is properly called a sense of duty, a principle of the
greatest consequence in human life, and the only principle by which the bulk of
mankind are capable of directing their actions. Without this sacred regard to
general rules, there is no man whose conduct can be much depended upon. It is
this which constitutes the most essential difference between a man of principle
and honor, and a worthless fellow. The one adheres on all occasions steadily
and resolutely to his maxims, and preserves through the whole of his life one
even tenor of conduct. The other acts variously and accidently, as humor,
inclination, or interest chance to be uppermost. Upon the tolerable observance
of these duties [ justice, truth, chastity, fidelity] depends the very
existence of human society, which would crumble into nothing if mankind were
not generally impressed with reverence for those important rules of conduct." -
Adam Smith
"The need of adhering inflexibly to general rules of
conduct is plain. Even the qualifications to rules must be drawn according to
general rules of conduct. An "exception" to a rule of conduct must not be
capricious, but itself capable of being stated as a rule, capable of being made
part of a rule, of being embodied in a rule. The great principle that
David Hume discovered and framed was that,
while conduct should be judged by its "utility," that is, by its consequences,
by its tendency to promote happiness and well-being, it is not specific acts
that should be so judged, but general rules of conduct. " - Henry Hazlitt
"It is time to
separate unchangeable morals from local
manners." - Mary Wollstonecraft
"Law and morality are two distinct systems. A
system of law can be procedurally legitimate and at the same time rest on an
immoral foundation." - H.L.A. Hart
"Socialization is not just a matter of morality; we
are socialized to conform to many norms of behavior that do not fall under the
heading of morality." - Theodore John
Kaczynski"We are born with a rudimentary moral sense, and as
soon as we build on it with moral reasoning, the nature of moral reality forces
us to some conclusions but not others.
The human moral sense turns out
to be an organ of considerable complexity, with quirks that reflect its
evolutionary history and its neurobiological foundations.
Two features
of reality point any rational, self-preserving social agent in a moral
direction. And they provide a benchmark for determining when the judgments of
our moral sense are aligned with morality itself.
One is the prevalence
of nonzero-sum games. In many arenas of life,
two parties are objectively better off
if they both act in a nonselfish way than if each of them acts selfishly.
You and I are both better off if we share our surpluses, rescue each other's
children in danger and refrain from shooting at each other, compared with
hoarding our surpluses while they rot, letting the other's child drown while we
file our nails or feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys. Granted,
I might be a bit better off if I
acted selfishly at your expense and you played the sucker, but the same is
true for you with me, so if each of us tried for these advantages, we'd both
end up worse off. Any neutral observer, and you and I if we could talk it over
rationally, would have to conclude that the state we should aim for is the one
in which we both are unselfish. These projections are not quirks of brain
wiring, nor are they dictated by a supernatural power; they are in
the nature of things.
The other external
support for morality is a feature of rationality itself: that it cannot depend
on the egocentric vantage point of the reasoner. If I appeal to you to do
anything that affects me - to get off my foot, or tell me the time or not run
me over with your car - then I can't do it in a way that privileges my
interests over yours (say, retaining my right to run you over with my car) if I
want you to take me seriously. Unless I am
Galactic Overlord,
I have to state my case in a way that would
force me to treat you in kind.
I can't act as if my interests
are special just because I'm me and you're not, any more than
I can persuade you that the spot I am
standing on is a special place in the universe just because I happen to be
standing on it." - Steven Pinker
Moral
blind spot about passive harm
Moral is defined as:
Arising from
conscience or the
sense of right
and wrong.
A concisely
expressed precept or general
truth; a maxim.
Conforming to standards of what is
right or just
in behavior;
virtuous.
The lesson or
principle contained in or taught by a
fable, a story,
or an event.
Rules or habits of conduct,
especially of sexual conduct, with reference to
standards of right and
wrong.
Relating to
duty or obligation; pertaining to
those intentions and actions of which right and wrong, virtue and
vice, are predicated, or to the rules by which such intentions and actions ought to be
directed; relating to the practice, manners, or conduct
of men as social
beings in relation to each
other, with regard to
right and
wrong, so far as they are properly
subject to rules. Many people falsely judge others by
their personal rules of conduct which may or may not
be standard within a social culture
and which may or may not conform to the natural moral order.
universality of moral
maximsA few moral themes seem to be universal - harm, fairness,
community, authority and purity. Most people across the face of the Earth think
it's bad to harm others and good to help them. They have a sense of fairness:
that one should reciprocate favors, reward benefactors and punish cheaters.
They value loyalty to a group, sharing and solidarity among its members and
conformity to its norms. They believe that it is right to defer to legitimate
authorities and to respect people with high status. And they exalt purity,
cleanliness and sanctity while loathing defilement, contamination and
carnality.
{I have been labeled a psychopath because, although I
respect people I trust like my parents, I do not respect celebrities,
politicians, bankers, neo-evangelists, plutocrats, military officers,
corporatists, CEO's, CFO's, etcetera - all those who have been lifted up by
mass media and/or the almighty forces of the invisible hand. I have no respect
for those who have been illegitimately granted high status by the propaganda
machine or who have become wealthy on the backs of others.}
For a moral
maxim to be true it must have universality, which is to say that it must be
disconnected from the particular physical details surrounding the proposition,
and could be applied to any rational being.
First formulation of the
categorical imperative:
"Act only according to that maxim whereby you
can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." -
Immanuel Kant
Second formulation of
the categorical imperative:
"Act in such a way that you treat humanity,
whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same
time as an end and never merely as a means to an end." -
Immanuel Kant
Third formulation of the
categorical imperative:
"Therefore, every rational being must so act as
if he were through his maxim always a legislating member in the universal
kingdom of ends." - Immanuel Kant
Examples of actions that can not become universal if a civilization is
to continue to function:
Deception - If it is universally acceptable to
lie, then no one would believe anyone and all truths would be assumed to be
lies.
Theft - If it is universally acceptable to steal then there could
be no ownership. Thus has the proposition logically negated itself.
Suicide - If it is universally acceptable to commit suicide when faced
with the realization that life might not give you what you desire then it is
likely most life would be taken as many human desires can not be naturally
fulfilled.
The moral sense is as vulnerable to illusions as the other
senses. A corrupt moral sense confuses morality per se with purity, status and
conformity. A corrupt moral sense tends to reframe practical problems as moral
crusades and thus see their solution in punitive aggression. A corrupt moral
sense imposes taboos that make certain ideas indiscussible.
"In my research on the role that
emotions play in
morality, I have found that acts of virtue, nobility
and honor create feelings of moral
elevation in those who witness them. When people feel morally elevated they tend to behave in an
morally elevated way themselves and they
admire the person that elevated them." - Jonathan HaidtAlthough
all religions include moral rules some rules may not be
applicable in modern society. For example polygamy is
outlawed in America but it is acceptable in the
Old Testament(and certain
Mormons). When Hebrews clashed with other tribes in the Levant the men were often
killed and their wives and
children would need to be taken care of
so they were married to living
men, typically a relative of their deceased husband,
who already had a wife or wives.
REMEMBER, THINGS
THAT ARE SOCIALLY LAWFUL ARE
OFTEN MORALLY WRONG!!
"It is a total waste of time,
effort and tax dollars to even discuss an
issue such as abortion because it is a
personal issue and not one the
government should be involved in. It is a
moral issue that should be decided by the
individual. Anything less
amounts to legislated religion." - Tony R. Elliot
"The fact is that traditional morality has
practical authority, independent of whether God
exists or not and whether or not we
know God's will. Traditional
rules of conduct emerge over years, centuries and
millenniums through a process of trial and error."- Jonah Goldberg*
Native American Indian Traditional Code of
Ethics
1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening
before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the
good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little
more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for
the courage and strengthto be a better person. Seek for the things that will
benefit others (everyone).
2. Respect. Respect means "To feel or show
honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to
treat someone or somethin with deference or courtesy". Showing respect is a
basic law of life:
a. Treat every person from the tiniest child to the
oldest elder with respect at all times.
b. Special respect should be given
to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.
c. No person should be
made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a
deadly poison.
d. Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially
Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you. e. Respect
the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person's quiet moment or
personal space.
f. Never walk between people that are conversing.
g.
Never interrupt people who are conversing.
h. Speak in a soft voice,
especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom
special respect is due.
i. Do not speak unless invited to do so at
gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you,
should you be in doubt).
j. Never speak about others in a negative way,
whether they are present or not.
k. Treat the earth and all of her aspects
as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and
the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to
defend her.
l. Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others. m.
Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are
saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.
n. Respect the wisdom of the
people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer
belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen
intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your
idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are
true and good, even if those ideas ideas are quite different from the ones you
have contributed. The clash of ideas brings forth the Spark of Truth.
3. Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that
no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an
error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.
4.
Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.
5. Always treat
your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best
blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.
6. The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of
all.
7. Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as
members of the human family.
8. All the races and tribes in the world
are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As
children of the Creator they must all be respected.
9. To serve others,
to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the
main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself
with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness
comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.
10. Observe moderation and balance in all things.
11. Know
those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your
destruction.
12. Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart.
Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet
solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.
See Original
Sin
See Ernest
Hemingway
See American
aristocracy
See Natural Law or
the Law of God |
