Ethics Blog
The Effects of Greed on an Interconnected World
I believe the number one threat to humanity is our tendency to greed. The greed of a single person can effect many people on this small planet with an immense population. Greed leads to theft, hoarding of food and water, and an overall sentiment of selfishness and narcissism. There is a tremendous amount of greed in our culture. The fundamental concept behind capitalism is to maximize ones own profit in the pursuit of happiness, and if everyone is competing the money will stay fairly equal in a …
Ecology
Ecology is the one unifying condition on the earth that unites the many different cultures, languages, and economic systems. This concept includes our care for the earth, future generations, and welfare of sentient beings that we live around and with. From aspiring to follow this concept we see that all things are interconnected and it is not sufficient these days to care for only ourselves or the small community that we may live in but to care for the entire Earth. Through the last half of …
We choose our future. The Way is Open...
I recently finished the book “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. I will not go into detail, but the theme of the book surrounds the story of Cain and Abel from the Book of Genesis. If you are not familiar with this story then here it is in short: Cain and Abel were brothers, one of them herded sheep, the other grew crops. When Abel went to offer the Lord the firstlings and fat of his heard, the Lord was very pleased, and respected Abel. But when Cain went to offer the Lord the fruit he had grown…
Capitalism: Just Another Class System
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. When will everyone learn that capitalism is a pyramid scheme? We even warn you by printing it on the back of a dollar bill--kind of like the cancer warning on your pack of cigarettes. Instead of you seeing it for what it is or realizing it's true danger, you are sucked into the world of getting ahead. Materialism pleasures you--kind of like that buzz from the drag of your cigarette. You strive your whole life to make it to the top, but the climb …
The Finnish Way
Robert Kaiser, an associate editor of the Washington Post, asks Americans a troubling question in his article “In Finland’s Footsteps: If We’re so Rich and Smart, Why Aren’t We More Like Them?” Kaiser is referring to the success of Finland’s welfare-state. Kaiser, a well known politically-conservative writer, is asking a crucial question of social justice in America. Kaiser writes that within Finland's social democracy or egalitarian system, all people will “…have essentially identica…
The Pursuit Of Happiness
There are countless numbers of problems we face concerning the rapidly degrading environment: Pollution, destruction of the rainforests, CO2 emissions, storm water run-off, tainted water, lack of food, over-population. The list can go on and on and often we see articles or books that for cast as doomsday scenario. At times, it does indeed seem that we cannot and will not be able solve all the problems and create a sustainable world that we can live on forever. But, even though there is an alm…
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