Respect

All of us need to be respected and would like to be respected. To be respected as human beings; to be acknowledged for what we are. Respect has to be earned, but first of all we must respect ourselves, if we don’t how can we expect others to show respect? Someone in a high position may be entitled to respect – the President of the US, for example, certainly deserves respect, but has the incumbent earned it? A company CEO may be entitled to respect, the position indicates that this should be so, but is this so, has he (or she) earned it?

A former High Court Judge may, normally, be entitled to respect but when he arrogantly believes he is above the law and lies to the Court to avoid a $77.00 speeding fine and is then subsequently charged with attempting to pervert the course of Justice - does he deserve respect?

So how does one earn respect? In fact what is respect? Respect is the deference, honour or esteem felt or shown towards a person. It is a quality that is difficult to define because of its subtlety. We all have different ideas about this and may respect someone that others do not. All animals defer to the dominant, or Alpha male in a herd, troop or group of animals or flight of birds. This is a natural and useful attribute to maintain the strength of the gene pool and for the general safety of the group. The Alpha male has t he attributes which the others accept as the ‘best’, in that it may be the biggest, strongest, fastest or it display some other factor which gives it the ability to rise to the top of the ‘pecking order’.

Human beings are much more complicated than this. Many in positions of influence or power – dictators in their own way - are feared and force their followers or subjects to ‘show respect’ by abasing themselves when in their presence. All dictators demand this subservience and abasement, i.e. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and many others, some in the corporate field. To be truly respected, however, a human being needs to have many attributes, some of them very subtle. This ‘respected’ person must have human qualities of the highest order. These qualities are ones we have all met before – the qualities of Honesty, Justice, Courage, Temperance, Compassion, Kindness, Humility and Love for one’s fellow beings - in other words all the old fashioned virtues! Someone who has these qualities is trusted to keep their word; can be relied on to do the job to the best of their ability; can be called on for help in a dire situation. Anyone who has these qualities to a high degree is revered – think Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and those with long memories may remember the late Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

These qualities are the essence of good relationships with all Life’s forms; they are the essence of ethics, of virtue and of morality. People with these qualities lift the human spirit; by their actions they lead us to greater understanding of what it is to be Human; that Humanity has a grandeur and a nobility that in our wiser moments we may come to acknowledge; that we are all capable of greatness in our own way, given our circumstances; that we must respect ourselves for what we truly are; that we all are better than we believe or think we are.

This is respect. This is what all people honour. This is what we all hope to aspire to.

The Company we keep

The other day, while driving my mother-in-law’s old car, to keep it running while she is away, I tried to pull out of a service station. Well, a young bloke in a high powered V8 cut in front of me and gave me such a withering look of utter distain, “Just look at that heap of junk! How dare you try to get in front of ME??” he seemed to be saying. I just had to laugh but it set me thinking about road rage and the seemingly random attacks on individuals or small groups, when death and severe injury have occurred, that are reported daily in the media. What is the trigger; what is the motivation?

All people, particularly the young, have over the ages been encouraged to keep ‘good’ company, or at the very least, advised to avoid ‘bad’ company. The reason is that the company we keep influence our thoughts and therefore our actions. The effects of the company we keep may be temporary or longer term, depending on the duration of the association with that ‘company’ and the strength of the emotional attachment to the company. In this context, it should be emphasized that ‘company’ includes music, books and magazines, pictures, movies as well as human companions. Many of us have experienced the effect of ‘bad company’, either personally, or have witnessed it through the effect it has had on our friends or family, particularly children.

We, all of us, will behave in a socially unacceptable manner when with certain other people, who we may consider ‘good blokes just having some fun’ – particularly if fuelled by alcohol. And yet away from that company, and in a different environment, we would not dream of behaving in that same manner. All of us will ‘pick up’ patterns of behaviour when in the company of certain others, that, on reflection, we are ashamed of, and would not like to be widely known. Normally decent people are often enticed, pressured or encouraged to engage in degrading, foolish or generally unacceptable behaviour, again particularly if alcohol is involved. Positions of power or influence often have the effect of deluding the incumbent into believing that they are either above the law or that they will not be discovered, and because of this erroneous belief, they may then be tempted into engaging in criminal acts (physical abuse, abuse of financial trust and sexual abuse are not unknown in these situations).

A well known and more public example of unacceptable behaviour is the violence induced by ‘mob rule’ at some football matches, or at any other place where emotions are highly charged. Anyone who has ever attended a ‘rock concert’ knows well the power of lyrics or words, combined with music, drugs and alcohol; how the crowd gets in the mood, as it were.

If we ask, “Why should this be?” and follow this through, we will find, if we examine our normal reaction to any given situation, it will be a certainty that in most cases our reaction seems to occur without thought. It appears to arise from habit. And what is habit, but a many times reinforced action or re-action? For instance if we are shouted at in anger, our normal reaction is to shout back with equal vigour and anger. How many people have reacted angrily when hooted at, or given a rude gesture when driving in traffic? If we are slighted or injured in any way, even if the injury is only a perceived injury, the general normal reaction is to retaliate. Extreme examples of this are vendettas and the feuds that prevail within families or between families, sometimes for generations, and the relatively new phenomena of “road rage” and “air rage”. Much of this comes from arrogance – I am better than you; therefore you must be worse than me; therefore because I am better than you I can do what I like. Sound familiar?

On the other hand if we are greeted with a smile, the natural reaction is to smile back. Likewise, the natural reaction to a kind, generous or compassionate action is to respond in like manner. What are these if not conditioned responses?

So it is with life and ethics. We need to try and be ethical in all our dealings with our fellow beings; to ‘condition’ ourselves to behave with courtesy and excellence at all times. This is not easy – but what is the alternative? Isn’t it better to love one’s fellow man rather than experience fear or hate?

Why Good Thoughts are Important

On many occasions I have jabbered on about the importance of our thoughts and how they affect our actions and by default our own well being and that of people around us. What follows is some of the reasoning behind this.

Consider now the effects on the populace when a politician, just before an election, makes promises to his electorate that he knows, and the electorate know, and he knows they know, will never be kept? Cynicism? Lack of trust? What effect will this have on young developing minds? – “if a politician can lie and get away with it (or appear to get away with it) why can’t I?” And so a lowering of moral and ethical standards becomes accepted as normal behaviour. An interesting example of this was highlighted by a onetime ‘power broker’ in the Australian Labor Party, former Senator Graham Richardson when speaking at the Harry Sorenson Business Ethics Lecture at Curtin University (Perth, Western Australia) in 1997, when he said, “Politicians lie to the public because they want to win elections and the public expects a certain level of dishonesty from their politicians”. This extraordinary admission was made by a leader! Leaders in politics and business set the standards. After all, leaders are supposed to lead and we generally follow. (Notice the recent events, reported in the media, which have dogged Graham Richardson!!)

If we further examine the concept, from a different aspect, of the importance of thoughts it will become clear why the effect of a thought will always be felt somewhere. First let’s examine why thoughts are so important and where they get their power.

Using the old classical definitions of the elements (for the sake of explanation and simplicity), if we proceed from the grossest to the finest matter, in relation to Human Beings, there is a certain inescapable logic. For instance, in extreme circumstances a person may be able to survive without food (grossest matter, as it is of the earth) for a considerable time, before death occurs (well over a month, as witnessed in hunger strikes). Survival without water (matter that is finer than food), is possible for only about three days. Deprived of air (finer matter than water) a human being may survive some three or four minutes. Yet without thoughts or impressions (the finest ‘matter’ of all), death is instantaneous. If a person is unable to think, hear, see, experience the sense of taste, touch, or smell, that person is dead. This last statement may be better understood if it is recalled that sensory deprivation has always been considered as the most severe punishment that can be meted out. People incarcerated in solitary confinement have been known to go insane, or to commit suicide. Thoughts should therefore be understood to be the most important things in our lives.

Thoughts are the basis for every action. Thought – word – deed or action, this is the flow. Thoughts are formulated in the mind and transformed into words (vocalised or not). From these words, vocalised or spoken in the mind, come deeds or actions.

It is evident then that thoughts and impressions are paramount and we should, therefore, be very careful about what we think about. Generally little or nothing is done to expect or encourage people to think only the finest thoughts. Most schools today (schools with religious studies, excepted), no longer offer moral instruction, or attempt to educate the young in the concepts of the virtues, or in ethics. There is therefore no correlation in the minds of most people between their thoughts and their actions and the effects of such actions. Most of us have no idea of the full effect of our thoughts, which may take years to develop, but which are eventually translated into actions and often material forms, and which will always effect someone, especially the thinker, in one way or another.

This is clearly expressed by a wonderful passage in the Dhamapada, (the sayings of the Buddha):

We are what we think,

All that we are arises with our thoughts,

With our thoughts we make the world.

Speak or act with an impure mind

And trouble will follow you

As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

Speak or act with a Pure Mind

And happiness will follow you

As your Shadow, unshakeable.

Why Genetically Modified Foods are Dangerous

The prospect of the large scale production of genetically modified (GM) foods rears its ugly head every now and again and I feel very strongly about it - I am very strongly against the use of any GM foods. I sincerely believe that the moratorium on GM crops, currently in place in some countries and in Western Australia, should remain for many years. There needs to be a great deal more research into and greater understanding regarding the long term effects of genetically modifying food crops and the ramifications such genetic engineering will have on the ecosystem and humans.

As a ‘non-scientist’, but someone who has read extensively on the subject I have grave reservations about the validity of much of the ‘science’ behind GM and the wisdom of such modifications to the food we eat which will, undoubtedly, affect our well being and that of our children and grandchildren. I am aware, for instance, that genetic engineers have never taken the reality of gene transfers into consideration when they have introduced genetically modified organisms into the environment. Genetic scientists generally have a ‘silo’ mentality and still consider each species to be unique, to stand alone and remain unaffected by other species. This limited thinking is not only naive but highly dangerous to Life as we know it.

We, as Human Beings are part of nature. The chemical makeup of the universe is in every one of us as it is in every living organism. It has to be so – there is no other source of chemicals! Therefore, logically, every living organism is linked to every other one. In other words every living organism is related to us. They must be – after all we eat them don’t we? We are all so closely linked that “... we can no longer comfortably say what is a species anymore.” [Pennisi, E. (2001) “Sequences Reveal Borrowed Genes.” Science 294: 294: 1634-1635]. We humans are at the top of the food chain and we are what we eat. Tinkering with the genes of a tomato, for example, may not stop at the tomato, but could alter the entire biosphere in ways that we cannot see and may transfer into, and alter the character of the beneficial bacteria in the intestine. [Lipton, B. (2005) “The Biology of Belief.”]. And then what about the growth, which has actually happened, of highly resistant “super weeds”?

Genetic scientists either have no idea about the interconnectedness of all species, of their relationship one to another or of their ‘co-operation’ to create an environment that is suitable for all, or if they do they ignore it. We NEED the plants to absorb carbon dioxide and to provide food; we NEED the bacteria to break down the dead plants to fertilise the soil to grow the plants to feed us humans and all living creatures – those that don’t eat plants eat those that do; we NEED the animals to eat the plants and spread the seeds; we NEED the birds and the insects to pollinate the plants ... and on it goes. Altering one part of one “pattern” in Nature will have unforeseen consequences – pull one ‘thread’ here and something will unravel somewhere else and ‘spoil’ the pattern.

Messing around with all this is fraught. Our technical skills are out of step with ability to wisely use that technology. In this context it may be useful to recall the words of the old cautionary tale about the “Horse-shoe Nail” –

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the Kingdom was lost,

and all for the want of a horse-shoe nail.

In other words we can never know the outcome or implications of anything we do (or fail to do).

It has been said that one of the great social ills of our time is that we have ‘Science without Humanity’ (Mohandas – Mahatma – Ghandi). Because ‘scientific’ experimentation will continue to deliver results and outcomes which will affect generations still to come (vide the cane toad, DDT and CFC’s to name but a few), I respectfully suggest that Genetic Scientists determine, after very, very careful consideration, whether any project, any bottom-line, any “economic advantage” is more important than the well being of this Planet Earth which over millions of years has given us what we are - Humanity.

Now for the blame game

I see that the “Wall Street Blame Game” has really started in earnest. The rating agencies – Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s are in the firing line. These are the people who are supposed to have misled the world by rating the repackaged, sliced and diced, sub-prime mortgages and derivatives, as AAA investments, and so allegedly misleading all the world’s bankers and all the world’s financial houses into investing in these shonky deals. These agencies have been treated as if they were the oracles of all financial knowledge, which they are not, nor I believe have they ever claimed to be.

Ok, the rating agencies may have misunderstood the complexity of the issues involved, or they may have relied too heavily on badly designed computer modelling, or whatever, but the world’s bankers and financial houses have their experts too. They could have taken a drive round a suburb or two and looked at some of their ‘investments’, or just to think, “These are sub-prime (meaning poor risk) so how can they possibly be AAA?” It used to be called ‘powers of reason’ or simply ‘nous’. I mean, we are all members of the species “Homo Sapiens” – reasoning man - so why did they not use their reason; use their nous?

I know it is easy with 20/20 hindsight to criticize but, they, the world’s bankers and financial houses, must bear some of the responsibility for the financial turmoil. They are supposed to have their own prudential checks and balances; they are supposed to be cautious. They are, after all, using other people’s money!! So to blame the rating agencies, who merely issue guidelines which are there for others to accept or not, is a cheap shot. It was their choice to accept the veracity of the agencies guidance! To blame another party for something, which happens to turn out bad, but which they chose to accept – after, presumably, due diligence – is a bit rich.

Now we also read that the rating agencies may have been paid to promote particular products by some of the people who devised them. If this is true it is a really shocking indictment, and reflects very badly on the original mortgage providers, on their ethics, or lack thereof and their moral standards, and of course on the agencies which accepted such payments. It would then be a case of money at all costs and damn the consequences. Well I have news for them. The consequences have arrived and are here for all to see. What you sow, you also reap. They sowed the wind and now are reaping the whirlwind. It may be tough but that is the law of Cause and Effect – it always works that way. You do something and it will always have an effect, maybe not what was expected, but always an effect. Positive brings positive and negative will bring negative – that is just the way it works.

But don’t lay all the blame at the doors of the two rating agencies. Greed was the actual cause, and ignorance of what was being ‘packaged’ and therefore rated, and the banks and finance houses for accepting the junk that was sold as ‘good’, and us all for going along for the ‘free’ ride!!

Guilt

Guilt is one of the most debilitating human conditions. Guilt can make us feel miserable and may affect the way we relate to people. It really is the most useless of feelings – why feel guilty and flagellate ourselves over something we have done, should have done but didn’t, or should not have done but did! What is done cannot be undone. These thoughts of guilt keep circling around in our mind – we can’t seem to get rid of them!! “If only I had phoned.” “If only I had remembered.” “If only ....” “If only ....” We allow the feelings to build up inside us and this is really stressful. And stress is bad for our health.

Maybe we should write to our old ‘Aunt Jane’ who is eighty five years old, to thank her for the birthday present she sent us. But we keep putting it off until it becomes such an embarrassment that we hope it will just go away and she will forget about it. We feel guilty for not writing to her, yet we do nothing about it. Why? Is it because we can only offer some embarrassingly lame excuse?

How many of us have borrowed something – money, or a book, from someone and either forgotten to pay them back, or deliberately not paid them back because we are short of funds (or we like the book!). Then by chance we happen to see them walking down the sidewalk towards us so, hoping they have not noticed us, we immediately duck into the nearest shop to avoid eye contact and having to speak to them. Sound familiar? Why?

Feelings of guilt arise because we allow them to. We are more often than not guided by what we think will be someone’s opinion of us. But so what! What he (or she) thinks of us is their problem not ours. And how do we actually KNOW that is what they are thinking? We cannot possibly know! It is what we think they will be thinking. We are so certain about this that there are no maybes, ifs or buts about it. That is what they WILL be thinking. So our immediate life, our happiness and well being is being coloured by what we think someone else is thinking! Does that really make sense?

And for goodness sake why take it so personally? No one ever does, or says anything because of us. They do and say what they do because of their view of the world – their reality and their dreams. This we cannot alter. They think that their view of the world, coloured as it will be by their experiences gives them the right to be judgemental about us. They do not actually KNOW us. They may have met us once or twice, even socialised quite often. However, they have no idea what our life was like up to the time they met us nor have they any idea of what we have done since we last met. So they have based their judgements and opinion of us on possibly a few hours of our life!

And why make assumptions – why assume someone thinks a certain way about us? It will be difficult but important to have the gumption to ask questions. Ask them why they are saying what they are about us. We need to talk to others; to communicate with others as clearly as we can to avoid misunderstandings. This will not be easy but it will certainly clear up many issues and can completely transform our life.

Guilt will disappear and a big load will be lifted.

Spring Cleaning

In the southern hemisphere it is spring; a time of renewal; a time for change. Spring time used to have both a spiritual and a practical meaning. I am not sure that it does anymore. With the seasons the ‘wrong’ way round down-under, there is no equivalent to the Easter ‘spring’ awakening and the associated festival.

The northern spring festivals are very ancient and predate Christianity by a long way. They have their origins in sun worship and the acknowledgement that a deity or deities are the source of all nature’s bounty. The return of the sun and warmer weather signalled the new growth of plants, the availability of food and the fecundity of Nature.

From a spiritual point of view there was an urgency to cast off the past and adopt the new; a sort of internal renewal. Clean up the mind and let go of old ideas and beliefs and then to vow to not make the same mistakes, nor to continue with old behaviour patterns. And with the notion that ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’, the custom developed to spring clean ones dwelling; to have a general clean up and to cast out unwanted items, brick-a-brack and the detritus that accumulates over time. Often this junk was burned in a bonfire – burned in the fire of redemption – or something! Bonfires are no longer politically correct, more is the pity – they we good fun. I can remember, as a child, helping my mother clean up and move things. I suppose it was in spring, I didn’t really pay much attention to the season, just the fun of it all.

No one seems to spring clean any more I suppose because we have all become so attached to the various items that we now identify ourselves with what we own. What we own gives us status and a position in the world. To get rid of the ‘stuff’ means that we are diminished by what was discarded. We, in our own eyes, consider ourselves to be reduced and a lesser person through this process. But do we really want to be identified with junk? Aren’t we better than that? Getting rid of stuff also signals change, and today we are scared of change. This is the big unknown. We no longer recall the need for spiritual renewal so we all like to scurry back to our home with all its stuff. This is our security blanket, our comfort. Lose this and we lose ourselves and that is scary!!

This spring cleaning notion came to mind when we decided that we (my wife and I) should sell our house and get something smaller and more suited to our age. Now I am VERY attached to my books and my CDs so getting rid of some of those, and I will have to, is going to be painful. That is not all, I am due to get a new knee joint in November. I am pretty attached to that knee, my left one – it has been with me through thick and thin for longer than I have been on this earth (by about nine months). After some twelve years of increasing pain I am about to experience a great deal of pain for a relatively short period (I hope and trust) with a longer period of recuperation with the pain reducing as I exercise to get the new knee joint back to full working order.

So there is definitely change in the air, and it is spring. In a strange indescribable way I am looking forward to it. Something new and fresh. That is the future, all shiny, new and fresh.

Why, Why, Why?

I have been caught out!! This is a sort of confession – I followed a politically correct course of action and not only disappointed a customer, but in effect lied to him! I did it to cover my backside and to avoid an (expected) unpleasant confrontation with a third party – money being the crux of the entire episode.

This matter, in fact rather pretty – except for the person lied to – has left an unpleasant taste which lingers. It cannot be washed away. It has shown me, to me, for what I am and I am disappointed with my actions, also humiliated and somehow diminished in my own eyes.

Here am I through this blog, my articles written for Evan Carmichael, and the messages of guidance and help offered on my website, trying to encourage and disseminate an ethical approach to Life and I go and trip myself up!! I know that this is not a huge deal, nor is the sky going to fall in but it is just surprising how quickly and how easily years of study and years of practice can turn to dust. I now find myself having to eat my own words. They don’t taste very nice!

As to why I did it? Well I suppose it was because I saw some advantage, to me, in doing what I did. I avoided what I thought to myself would be an unpleasant confrontation. Also it was a split second thing – nothing premeditated. That was the cause. Now I have to live with the effect, the consequences of not telling the truth, of not accepting responsibility for my actions. The other person can think what he likes – that is his problem, but I have to live with myself, with my thoughts.

‘Hoisted by my own petard’, I think the saying goes! This has shown me that I can never let my guard down; that in dealing with people I can never be too careful.

This leads quite naturally on to what I really wanted to write about – why we resort to anger and violence when our ideas of how ‘our’ world should be, are opposed by others.

No matter how you determine the age of the world, or how long humans have existed, we have been around now for quite a while. Why is it then that we have such great difficulty in living peaceably with each other, as individuals and as nations? One would hope (in vain it seems) that after 5 million years of human existence (from an evolutionary view), we would have worked out a better way of settling our differences than killing each other. But no, not a hope. I am baffled as to what people hope to achieve when they kill someone – what long term benefit. From an ethical point of view it just does not make any sense. It is completely outside my way of thinking. It seems that we always take the easy option whether or not it is the best one. It is often quicker and easier to kill someone than to reason with them.

It has been a repeated refrain of mine that we only ever do anything if we see some advantage to us. Otherwise why do it? So, following this assumption, someone will be killed or injured to gain some advantage for the perpetrator, whereas talking it over or negotiating a ‘settlement’ may be perceived as weak or unsatisfactory.

I am thinking particularly about the current fracas between Thailand and Cambodia over a tiny sliver of land on their common border, which each claims as theirs. The supreme irony is that on this land is an ancient temple; a place of worship; a place of God. Yet armies have been mobilised, shots fired and people have died. All this to claim ‘ownership’ of a structure built to honour God!

Fortunately good sense has prevailed (I suspect because Thailand’s revered King has ‘lent’ on someone) and the opposing military leaders are now talking to each other. Good on them.

Would that such good sense had prevailed before the Iraq war; before the troubles in East Timor; before the tragedy in Darfur; in fact before any conflict you can think of. No one gains anything. The innocent always lose in any conflict. Ultimately, because of the (unwritten) law of cause and effect, even the instigators of any conflict lose. So why start in the first place?

People have forgotten about the importance of ethical behaviour. Without ethics greed and power take over and we all suffer. People forget the absolute necessity of treating other people the way you would like to be treated. This may be difficult to always carry out (see my opening comments!!) but it is necessary to always try.

A new dawning

The definition of dawn used by the old desert Arabs (the Bedouin) – that dawn is that moment in time when there is sufficient light to distinguish between a white and a black thread – has a romantic appeal about it. There is a vagueness which opens up many trains of thought. One determination of dawn will be different from another. There are inevitable shades of grey implicit in the definition as is the quality of the eyesight and judgement of the observer. Also implicit is a tolerance and an acceptance that there will be differences in interpretation – that the beginning of the day – the beginning of anything is never finite. This level of tolerance and acceptance of differences of opinion is needed today, particularly when the ‘blame’ game begins.

This is not to say that the Bedouin were particularly tolerant or intolerant, students of Arab history will be able to shed light on this topic – it is the human quality of the definition that appeals. We each have our own views of the world as seen through the filters of our particular circumstance; our education; our life experiences; our society and culture but above all based on the view we have of ourselves and our position in ‘our’ world.

No one, repeat, no one, ever does anything to deliberately disadvantage themselves. Any action taken by anyone will always be because of some perceived benefit or advantage. Poor judgement may be evident as when a politician tells an ‘untruth’ and is instrumental in losing an ‘unlosable’ election; it is evident when a financier engages in corrupt dealings; it is evident when someone deliberately kills another. But the fact remains that at the moment the decision was made to carry out the action, it would never have been carried out if not for some perceived advantage – to try and cover up a mistake, to make more money or to eliminate a rival.

It is always a matter of choice – to carry out the deed or not to carry out the deed. To then deliberately seek punishment for the perpetrator is a natural reaction, but is it the best course of action? Remember that shades of grey exist and there is no absolute black or white.

Surely a new dawn in the treatment of criminals is called for – to educate them to have at least some understanding, that all humanity is related, would be better? We all have our strengths and weaknesses and no one can claim to be ‘better’ than anyone else. According to our understanding of life, we all do the best we can. To ‘blame’ someone for an error of judgement is a bit harsh. Society should be ‘blamed’; you and I should be ‘blamed’ because we make up the society that gave a particular person a view of the world that happens to differ from ours.

Educate the perpetrators so they may understand that there is a law or cause and effect. Teach them ethics. That treating others as they would like to be treated is the only viable option. That what goes around, comes around. That if you hit someone with a stick often enough they will sooner or later turn around and hit you back. This means in effect, you are hitting yourself. Not very clever!

We need some harmony and order in the world.

Nothing is permanent in Life. Nature is dynamic. Life is dynamic. It must be so, because everything that is alive, either moves, grows or in some way changes with time. Nothing stays as it was and trying to keep something as it was is similar to chasing rainbows. This is the order of Nature. The order that dictates that a salmon shall return to the river of its birth; the order inherent in the cycle of the seasons, in the ebb and flow of the tides; in the spiral galaxies, in the stars and their courses, the order can be sensed in the regularity of all turning things.

We may not appreciate it but the universe is unfolding as it should – there is order and harmony in the way things happen. Nature is harmonious in its entirety. When order is absent and chaos reigns then there are problems. And have you noticed something – we humans are the only creatures on the face of the earth that can actually create disharmony? An ant cannot create disharmony, because an ant will always behave as an ant should; it is in its nature to do so; likewise with parrots or any other creature that you care to name. They cannot be anything other than the way nature (evolution, creation?) has dictated they shall be. Human beings on the other hand can and often do behave in strange and violent ways that cause havoc with the natural order of things.

The natural world is in our genes, we are all from the earth; when we die we return to the earth. We need order, we need harmony – chaos disturbs us, we become afraid and then panic sets. We cannot, as a species abide disorder and lack of harmony in our lives. Disharmony creates fear of the unknown and unhappiness is the result. Just look around at the world.

But we cannot expect harmony and order in the world outside, if there is no order or harmony within each of us, within ourselves. I cannot be happy and have harmony and order in my life if I know that my wife, or my children are unhappy, because of some emotional ‘disorder’ or ‘dis-ease’. It disturbs me greatly that there are others who are unhappy; who lack harmony within themselves and therefore are instrumental in creating disharmony amongst others.

Harmony between people can only come about when we treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. Harmony and internal peace and order will only be evident when we remember the Law of Cause and Effect. That what we do will affect not only our families but also many others. Remember the ‘six degrees of separation’? Knowing six people is alleged to give us a link to everyone in the world. So we must treat all sentient beings in an ethical way because we are all interconnected – it is in our genes. To do anything else is to invite chaos and unhappiness.

Where is the Leader ?

The world is in desperate need of Leadership to calm the panic and allay the fears that have crippled the normal flow of commerce. We need someone we can respect, who has the stature, the intellect and the ability to give the world confidence that, at last - at long last, there is now a leader who has the personality and the moral authority, to do what is best for the world. There is a need for statesmanship, high statesmanship. There is an urgent need to energize people, to activate latent human creativity and to give direction and hope to the world. A true World Leader, someone who can give us back some control over events in our lives. Once we lose even the perception of control, we tend to lose hope.

Such a leader must rise above tawdry party politics, and what he, or she, wants for their particular country. This leader must have a broader vision and to look to the needs of the world at large, for humanity. Because this is a human problem, it needs a human solution. It is people who are suffering – not money. People have attached themselves to money; they have made a statement that money identifies their position in the world and thus who they are. This is a tragedy. Human beings have the ability to rise above such limiting ideas when they come to realise that they are more than possessions. There is a grandeur and a greatness attached to the Human Psyche that transcends materiality. Once realised, it lifts the spirits of those who are weighed down by their fears; it shines a light in the dark corners of the mind and the fearsome shadows lurking there are shown to be what they are – just shadows.

This leader, and from the melting pot that is the current chaos and despair, a person of real stature will surely arise, will be someone who has a unique opportunity to show true statesmanship and bring unity to the world. At this time we all face the same trials and tribulations, the same loss of confidence; we have the same fears and doubts. There is a real concern about whether we will be able to make the next mortgage payment, or possibly where the next meal will come from. At this time any particular person’s best interests are the world’s best interests.

The current travesty, called ‘leadership’ in America, will soon come to an end. My hope and the World’s best hope is that whoever becomes the next President of the USA will be a person with the strength of character, the intellect, the courage, the moral fibre and wisdom to lift the world out of the recession, or even the depression, that now appears to be the situation. This will be a Herculean task.

This person will have to be the next American President because there is no other country with the strength, the regenerative powers or the inherent creativity to do what is necessary to firstly, solving its own problems and then secondly, applying its latent goodwill and moral authority – now gravely tarnished – to the task of curing the world’s current malaise.

Good luck to whom-so-ever it is.

Don't panic or be afraid

Debt is a fearsome prospect. The fear of debt numbs the brain; it reduces your ability to think rationally; it seems to diminish the range of choices available; it colours all thoughts and stifles initiative; it hangs like a dark cloud over your life. I know, because, as the saying goes, “I have been there and done that”.

Some twenty odd years ago in 1987, I was caught up in the crisis when interest rates hit 18%. What I did was to talk to people. I spoke to the bank and told them what I was trying to do. I spoke to my creditors and told them the same thing. I spoke to my debtors to let them know that I was in the same boat, caught up in the same whirlpool. We all helped each other. This experience taught me that communication is the most important business tool – talk to people. Never stop talking. Phone them every day to let them know how you are going and what you are doing. Believe me, they may have rolled their eyes when I phoned - again, but they appreciated my concern and the fact that I was keeping them informed about my situation. Also, and most important of all, I kept control of the events in my life. Nothing happened without my knowledge – I was never taken by surprise.

We eventually had to sell our house, but we sold it – not the bank. We sold it at a reasonable price and not as a ‘fire’ sale.

The other vital fact I learned at the time, and I have never forgotten it, is the importance of having a good, strong, honest and trusting relationship with someone, in my case, my wife. I learned that we had a symbiotic relationship, that we were stronger together, rather than as two individuals. She was my partner in every sense of the word and my best friend. This was such a comfort. Our home was a refuge, a welcome oasis at the end of the day. By the time the crisis was over I knew that I was a better and stronger person than I was before – I had learned a great deal about myself.

There are certainly going to be difficult days ahead for many people – mortgagees and borrowers of money generally, but there is no need to panic, everything comes to pass and ‘even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea’.

Of a certainty the sun will arise the morrow morn. Every dawning is the beginning of a new day – for new Life experiences, new roads to travel and new friends to meet. Keep happy!

Remember:

“It matters not how strait the gate;

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.” (Invictus by W. E. Henley)

Honour Killing

As a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, living in Australia, the practice of ‘honour killings’ is something I cannot get my head around. Some girl, who, if she besmirches the family honour (whatever that is), by being seen with a man not approved by the family, or involved in some activity not authorised by the family, is then stoned, shot, or killed in some way. This is supposed to somehow restore the family’s honour? To my way of thinking it does the reverse – it both diminishes the perpetrator(s) and dishonours the family.

I can understand, but not accept, that this is a carryover from tribal days, when a woman may have been “sleeping with the enemy” and thus betraying tribal secrets. But it is a very patriarchal attitude, with women considered as chattels, especially when a man can do the same but is never accused of anything. In fact there are cases on record where a girl was raped and then accused of dishonouring the family! This has nothing to do with religion or spirituality.

There have been cases recorded in Australia, with fathers severely mistreating their daughters for not obeying them, by being seen with a man of their own choice – not the father’s. And even worse cases such as when a girl is lured back from Australia, or some other country, to the tribal homeland and then killed. All for family ‘honour’!! It is as always women who “dishonour” the family.

A similar situation arises in parts of India when a girl whose dowry does not satisfy the new ‘in-laws’ is either killed or disfigured in some way (often by fire), in any event, if still alive, she is returned to her parent’s home, as ‘used goods’. She is no longer a virgin and so no longer considered marriageable. Her fate is uncertain and disfigurement, being buried alive or in some way severely injured or killed is her likely lot. Again this has nothing to do with religion or spirituality.

There is no indication of love – in the broader sense of love for one’s fellow beings, and certainly no parental love for the children, at least not as I understand it. Honour comes first – these are barbarous customs and practices; they are immoral and without virtue. There is no acknowledgement of the nobility of women (comprising some 50% of the human race); and seemingly no recognition by these very people, both men and women, who carry out, or are complicit in these vile acts, that they were themselves born of women – their own mothers! They were fed on mother’s milk – where now is their “milk of human kindness”?

Fortunately there are a few courageous women who are prepared to take a stand against these customs and fight for morality, virtue and human dignity.

Long live whistleblowers

It is an unfortunate indictment against businesses, governments and their agencies generally, that whistleblowers exist at all. In fact, sometimes it has become necessary to rely on ‘whistleblowers’ for the truth. They are the ones who risk a great deal to expose the corruption, fraud or other criminal or unethical activity that is present in some form or another.

It is also an unfortunate trait of the human condition, that any activity in relation to the receipt of money, or to the acquisition of power, or positions of influence, are the most frequent targets for unethical and criminal conduct. This is where whistleblowers come into their own.

But why are ‘whistle blowers’ always treated harshly by those upon whom the whistle has been blown? It is because people in positions of authority, in business or government, will justify (to themselves) their questionable actions in any way possible, rather than face the consequences of a straight forward acceptance of their activities. They do not want to accept that what may be divulged is actually a reflection of who they are. Such people will blame their, alleged, abuse as a child; or poverty; or diminished responsibility brought about by the effects of alcohol, or drugs; or peer pressure, anything, rather than accept personal responsibility. Businesses or governments caught out often blame the media for misrepresentation; or being quoted out of context.

It is, however, natural to tell the truth. It is a relief to tell the truth. When we admit our actions to ourselves, or family, or friends, or business associates and we ‘come clean’ regarding something we have done; something we are not very proud about, we feel relief. Non-acceptance of personal responsibility is stressful.

It is a fact that ethics applies to every situation relating to human conduct, every walk of life, and as with all aspects of life and human conduct, there are rules which apply. The basis of all rules is the application of certain (usually minimum) standards. These are to ensure fairness between opposing views; to ensure that no one obtains unfair advantage by using illegal or under hand means, such as when a stockbroker uses privileged information to gain unfair personal advantage.

We need to be totally familiar with the subject and the Rules and Regulations which apply. We have to live them. The rules or regulations must be applied and practised until they become second nature. This is proven time and again.

So it is with ethics.

All corruption, all fraud, all criminal and unethical behaviour is behaviour that should not, indeed need never occur, if we, all of us, took some time to reflect on our actions and the motives which prompted them. The thing is we all know what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’; it is an inherent faculty. It is, however, very often so overlaid with habits and ideas about ourselves that it is difficult to discriminate or to correctly choose a course of action. We are, however, all uncomfortable when we have made a ‘wrong’ choice and contented when we have made a ‘right’ choice. It is also a fact that we are all more comfortable dealing with ethical people, and are less prone to stress when we ourselves behave in an ethical manner. Ethics seems right.

Long live whistleblowers – they hold the torch of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct.

William Shakespeare has many quotable passages, and this one from Hamlet (Act 1, Sc. III) is certainly apt, when Polonius says:

“This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Businesses have forgotten about service

We, the public are continually being conned by businesses, particularly big businesses, into accepting what they want us to hear. The concept of ‘service’ is dear to my heart and I think many businesses have forgotten what it means to actually provide a service. Take the proliferation of ATMs as an example. They are on almost every street corner and in every shopping centre. Yet banks have closed their branches! If you write to the banks, as I have done, asking them why they are closing their branches they say it is because their customers want the ‘service’ provided by the aforesaid ATMs. When you point out, as I have done, that all an ATM does is to provide a facility, not a service, and that only another human being can actually provide a ‘service’, they get all shirty and start huffing and puffing about what their research has ‘proved’. I know the reason why, it is to save money. People, staff, continually cost money, whereas an ATM, being a machine, will be depreciated in the bank’s accounts and eventually written down to zero. Why can’t they be straight forward and honest and say so? I mean banks are there to provide a service to their customers. The current financial crises just drives home the point – without customer deposits to provide funds, banks get into trouble, real trouble. And what does a customer want? To be able to walk into a conveniently situated branch and to be greeted by someone who not only recognize them, but who knows their situation and whom they trust and they know will give them honest, helpful advice or guidance. I may be getting on in years, but I can remember when this used to happen.

Look after people, your customers, as a priority, provide a real service, and money will flow in. Banks then may no longer be considered as ‘bastards’.

The same thing applies to supermarkets. In Australia we have two giants who dominate the market. These two behemoths of the retail market refuse to price their items for sale at unit prices. They currently price per item, per can, per packet, per box or per bottle. This makes it very difficult, without carrying around a calculator, to work out if this 600 gram packet of frozen peas is cheaper, per gram, than that 1 kilogram packet next to it. I actually had this situation when I went shopping yesterday. It took me quite a while, using mental arithmetic, to work out that a 6oo gram packet of frozen peas was actually cheaper, per gram, than the 1 kg packet ‘on special’.

Why can’t they charge per kilogram, or litre, rather than the present pricing system?

They can, but they don’t because, a) they might lose some money – they fear that people would naturally gravitate to the lower unit cost items, and b) it might actually cost them something to do it.

But wasn’t the original concept of the supermarket to provide a service for the customer, people like you and I? A convenience store on the street corner is just that, and you often pay a higher price for that convenience. But a supermarket? The service they are providing is a service of sorts, but it is not the best and is certainly not ethical. It is business, and business to them, is all about money, about looking after the shareholders and maintaining market share, not about ‘servicing’ the customer needs. They are driven by greed.

Psychiatry as a psuedo-science

Many people see their local GP because they feel ‘low’ or ‘depressed’. They are, in many cases prescribed medication to alleviate a “mental illness”. This is unfortunate in every way, firstly, because the patient is obviously unhappy and secondly, because medication is usually thought necessary. In many cases there is nothing physically wrong with them; the symptoms often arise from a break down in a domestic relationship, or from a toxic ‘relationship’ at work – bullying, or abuse and unpleasantness of some kind – a general unhappiness.

Emotional upsets and pressures can have quite serious effects on us physically. Stress has proven effects on blood pressure, is a cause of hypertension and can bring on some headaches, none of which is good for the heart. Then there is the sometimes subtle reaction of the mind (notice that I do not use the word ‘brain’). The mind will often attempt to ‘retreat’ from unpleasant life circumstances. It will do so in the only way it can, by going to a place of refuge and shutting off the ‘hurt’. This can manifest in many ways – as ‘depression’, as apparently delusional thoughts or neurotic behaviour. Given the emotional stress that many of us experience on a daily basis, and the fact that we all react in our own unique ways to such stressors, how can any ‘expert’ (in the guise of a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist) determine – from checking the apparent symptoms, based on self reported experiences and observed behaviour, against criteria listed in a book (the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV-TR), that a ‘mental illness’ is the cause? Then to prescribe drugs to ‘cure’ the alleged condition! Is such a diagnosis and treatment ethical or morally defensible? This is pseudo-science.

Given that, as I said before, we each of us react in our own different ways to emotional stress and trauma, who is to judge what is normal? And then, based on what is read from a book, to make an enormous leap and assume that the causes are biological! This defies belief.

Now read this carefully – there is no biological test, blood test, ECG, scan, or any other test that will prove that you are ‘depressed’, are suffering from ‘schizophrenia’ or ‘bi-polar disease’, and no drug can ‘cure’ these so called ‘mental illnesses’.

Then there are those who say ‘mental illness’ is in the genes. Codswallop! A gene is not ‘self emergent’, i.e. it cannot activate itself (a gene is a switch, which means it needs a trigger to turn it ‘on’ or ‘off’). The only thing that can possibly activate a gene is something external, or something ingested (generally a poison - alcohol, or drugs, or radioactive material) or as a reaction to something seen, heard or experienced – in other words, a deeply felt emotion.

Remember that all life is bound to individual forms which realize it in their own way. In fact life is inconceivable without them. But every life form is charged with an individual destiny and destination, and the realization of these alone makes sense of life.

All that anyone who finds themselves ‘diagnosed’ with any alleged ‘mental illness’ really needs is lots of tender loving care, someone to listen to them in a non-judgemental way, emotional support and some useful life skills to give them the confidence to face life’s tribulations. This may be from psychotherapy, counselling or coaching – not drugs.

I defy any anyone to prove scientifically, that there is a biologically based condition known as ‘mental illness’ (apart from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, brain tumours or multiple sclerosis) – and that drugs are proven to be a better ‘cure’ than therapy. This proof will have to be from an ethically conducted independent study, not financed or instigated by any pharmaceutical company, and which can be scientifically replicated. This study will also need to include the results from any ‘placebo’ effect.

Go on – I dare you!!

Milk Money

It doesn’t take much to screw up your life does it? It’s OK if you want screw up yours, but why do the same to others? To me that is inexcusable. Take the recent and very shocking stories about tainted and toxic milk processed in China as an example. They just high light what I have been trying to get across. Greed and believing that the acquisition of money and possessions is more important than Human Beings (and babies at that) will actually cost you a great deal of money – that is the irony of it!! This is the very reverse of what they had in mind in the first place.

To deliberately put babies lives at risk for money! Those people really do need re-education! Babies’ lives have been lost. Over fifty thousand others are very ill. Not only are the careers of the managers and CEOs trashed, but the jobs of many innocent people have been put at risk. Some of the various companies involved have now been closed. The reputations of those that remain have been shredded. The Country of which many were so proud, just a few weeks ago, after hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, has had its reputation badly sullied. There have been worldwide recalls of Chinese made milk products. Many will no longer trust China to produce goods to a high ethical standard. All this for money? Where is the virtue in this, where are the values, where are the moral standards and ethical conduct?

“Indeed the Idols I have loved so long

Have done my Credit in Men’s eyes much wrong:

Have drown’d my Honour in a shallow Cup,

And sold my Reputation for a Song.” (From the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: quatrain 69:

Edward Fitzgerald translation).