Consequences

I know that I tend to be a bit repetitive about the importance of ethics and rabbiting on about why ignoring the effects of unethical behaviour and actions will have unforseen and generally negative effects on a person’s life but as I keep on repeating, what is the viable alternative?

Now with all my ‘knowledge’ of ethics and my supposed expertise in the subject please don’t think that I have a ‘holier than thou’ attitude and that I am better then you. I do not have that attitude and I am fully aware of my failings as a human being (after all I have a wife of nearly thirty years and she brings me back down to earth regularly!). I have fantasies that if acted out would land me in gaol; I have done things that I am not proud of, that people do not know about and I would rather they stayed that way. But that is life. We learn from the lessons our experiences – good and bad - teach us. As I say that is life, and I love life; I love beauty in all its forms – nature, music, art, poetry, literature, the study of philosophy – all these give me joy. But I know that there are times when my appreciation of beauty is dulled and cloyed with ‘earthy’ and mundane thoughts and desires. I have learned to recognise when these thoughts arise; I have techniques which I use to change any particular thought pattern to be more positive and appreciative.
But this is me, not you. I have my way of dealing with me and my understanding of life and its effects. What I do would not suit everyone which is why I am very careful when I coach, because everyone has their view of life and what it means – for them.

All this brings me back to ethics and its importance in everyday life. Open any newspaper or news website and just for a moment contemplate the contents. All the good news is because people have done the right thing – they have been ethical in their relationships with others – they have either not harmed anyone or they have achieved some milestone in personal growth (i.e. rowing across the Pacific Ocean, or some Aboriginal community has stopped the sale of alcohol etc.). All the bad news (apart from some natural disasters or personal tragedies like someone falling off a mountain) is brought about by unethical conduct – person greed, harm to others for personal gain etc, etc. Do these people experience joy? Are they happy?

Just think about it. The antics of the corrupt governor of Illinois are going to have unforseen and unanticipated consequences on Barack Obama’s presidency – he was Illinois’ former senator. Contaminated milk in China; cholera in Zimbabwe; the continuing actions of that dislocated organisation called the Victorian Police; Qantas caught out and fined for price fixing; the total lack of thought for and REAL concern (much hand wringing and tut-tuts) about the plight of the first Australians; political corruption and astonishing ineptitude in New South Wales and Western Australia and ... what state or country should not be listed??
All because people refuse to at least TRY to treat others the way they would like to be treated. Sometimes I feel I am trying to push water uphill but I am persistent and this is something I really feel very strongly about and I am not going to go away. So expect more of the same!!