Category: Care

The poisoning starts in childhood.

At this time of the horrific attacks in Mumbai can we consider the possibility of more than revenge?

The current attack on innocent people visiting Mumbai from around the world, as well as numerous local people, is apparently supposed to help obtain wrongs, real and/or imagined, going back to 1947.

What might happen if 10% of the cost of the last 5 or 10 wars was invested in cultural understanding, pan-national education and peace-building?  There are lots of able people out there to develop creative ways and means.

On the issue of justice, real and/or imagined, America , Europe, China and India must support the development of the United Nations along with global institutions of justice along with a global convention to sort out border and territorial disputes.

It is good at this time to reconsider the one ethic that needs to be taught universally The Golden Rule (see SEARCH for posts on this site),  which combined with a world judicial system might start to lessen the prevalence of such atrocities.

Only by strengthening the sense of world citizenship and respect, over and above our pride in our nation can create ‘a federation of spirit and a spirit of federation’

It is also good to reconsider The Declaration of a Global Ethic which arose out of the spirit of the Golden Rule;

THE DECLARATION OF
A GLOBAL ETHIC

“There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions.”
“No world peace without peace among religions;no peace among religions without dialog between religions.”

From “Global Responsibility,” a book by Hans Küng, Theologian

The following declaration was prepared by about 200 scholars who represented many world religions after a two year consultation. It was presented at the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in Chicago, IL on 1993-SEP-4. The declaration, with The Principles of a Global Ethic appended,  was signed by 143 respected leaders from all of the world’s major faiths, including Baha’i Faith, Brahmanism, Brahma Kumaris, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous, Interfaith, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Native American, Neo-Pagan, Sikhism, Taoism, Theosophist, Unitarian Universalist and Zoroastrian. The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions offers it to the world as an initial statement of a group of rules for living on which all of the world’s religions can agree.

Towards a Global Ethic (An Initial Declaration)

The world is in agony. The agony is so pervasive and urgent that we are compelled to name its manifestations so that the depth of this pain may be made clear.

Peace eludes us…the planet is being destroyed…neighbors live in fear…women and men are estranged from each other…children die!

This is abhorrent!

We condemn the abuses of Earth’s ecosystems.

We condemn the poverty that stifles life’s potential; the hunger that weakens the human body; the economic disparities that threaten so many families with ruin.

We condemn the social disarray of the nations; the disregard for justice which pushes citizens to the margin; the anarchy overtaking our communities; and the insane death of children from violence. In particular we condemn aggression and hatred in the name of religion.

But this agony need not be.

It need not be because the basis for an ethic already exists. This ethic offers the possibility of a better individual and global order, and leads individuals away from despair and societies away from chaos.

We are women and men who have embraced the precepts and practices of the world’s religions:

We affirm that there is an irrevocable, unconditional norm for all areas of life, for families and communities, for races, nations, and religions. There already exist ancient guidelines for human behavior which are found in the teachings of the religions of the world and which are the condition for a sustainable world order.

We Declare:

We are interdependent. Each of us depends on the well-being of the whole, and so we have respect for the community of living beings, for people, animals, and plants, and for the preservation of Earth, the air, water and soil.

We take individual responsibility for all we do. All our decisions, actions, and failures to act have consequences.

We must treat others as we wish others to treat us. We make a commitment to respect life and dignity, individuality and diversity, so that every person is treated humanely, without exception. We must have patience and acceptance. We must be able to forgive, learning form the past but never allowing ourselves to be enslaved by memories of hate. Opening our hearts to one another, we must sink our narrow differences for the cause of world community, practicing a culture of solidarity and relatedness.

We consider humankind a family. We must strive to be kind and generous. We must not live for ourselves alone, but should also serve others, never forgetting the children, the aged, the poor, the suffering, the disabled, the refugees and the lonely. No person should ever be considered or treated as a second-class citizen, or be exploited in any way whatsoever. There should be equal partnership between men and women. We must not commit any kind of sexual immorality. We must put behind us all forms of domination or abuse.

We commit ourselves to a culture of non-violence, respect, justice, and peace. We shall not oppress, injure, torture, or kill other human beings, forsaking violence as a means of settling differences.

We must strive for a just social and economic order, in which everyone has an equal chance to reach full potential as a human being. We must speak and act truthfully and with compassion, dealing fairly with all, and avoiding prejudice and hatred. We must not steal. We must move beyond the dominance of greed for power, prestige, money, and consumption to make a just and peaceful world.

Earth cannot be changed for the better unless the consciousness of individuals is changed first. We pledge to increase our awareness by disciplining our minds, by meditation, by prayer, or by positive thinking. Without risk and a readiness to sacrifice there can be no fundamental change in our situation. Therefore we commit ourselves to this global ethic, to understanding one another, and to socially beneficial, peace-fostering, and nature-friendly ways of life.

We invite all people, whether religious or not, to do the same.

Reference

* Joel Beversluis, Ed, “A SourceBook for Earth’s Community of Religions”, CoNexus Press, Grand Rapids, MI & Global Eductional Associates, New York, NY, (1995), P. 131 – 138. It is currently out of print. However, Amazon.com online book store may be able to obtain a used copy for you
* Hans Küng, “Explanatory remarks concerning a ‘Declaration of the Religions for a Global Ethic,’ “. Essay includes the declaration itself. See: http://astro.ocis.temple.edu/~dialogue/Antho/kung.htm

The poisoning starts in childhood – its prevention must also start with our global trans-religious, trans-cultural care of today’s children.