Moral Values
I have given considerable thought as to what moral values a vigilant citizen should expect our government to uphold. Moral values are the principles that help us distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong in our actions and interactions. They are held personally, but the moral values that we share contribute to social cohesion and a society where people can live together peacefully and respectfully.
My personal moral values are based on what I know to be true. That is, what I have experienced directly. They do not require any blind belief or mystic faith. They are simply what I have come to realize from my own experience. They don’t seem to be new or novel, quite the contrary, they seem consistent with moral values that have been held for thousands of years by many cultures, traditions, philosophies, and religions. They seem worthy of a vigilant citizen’s consideration.
Here is what I know to be true, stated as simply as I can1.
Actions have consequences. Right actions result in abundance and harmonious relationships. Wrong actions result in suffering and divisiveness.
Right actions are motivated by generosity, love and wisdom. Wrong actions are motivated by hatred, greed and delusion.
Right thoughts are free of anger and are those of compassion, feeling the suffering of others and wanting to alleviate it.
Right speech is to speak honestly and helpfully, not speaking what is untrue, slanderous, abusive or harsh.
Right actions are to not kill, to minimize the pain we inflict on others, to not steal or take what isn’t given, nor cause suffering out of greed.
Imagine a country in which all citizens were aware of and were consistently guided by these values and a representative government based upon them. What is preventing us from enjoying such a society? It’s because we have been distracted and divided, causing us to react without thinking.
My own experience informs me how we lose our way, forgetting what we know to be true. We are bombarded with messages and advertising telling us that our individual happiness is paramount. That money and wealth are the means of happiness and that we need to horde and protect what we have from being taken away by others. We are generous only after hesitating and deliberating and we often only give our leftovers. We see ourselves as separate from, better and more important than those who have less.
We lose our way because our society and culture teaches us that winning is what matters. In sports, we cheer on our team, deride the opponent, losing sight of the beauty of the game and sportsmanship of the athletes. In striving to win an argument, we lose sight of what we can learn from the debate. In politics, winning an election causes us to lose sight of what we want our government to do, or not do, afterwards.
I have suffered and suffer from such delusions. Fortunately I find my way back to what I know to be true frequently enough to enjoy some clarity of understanding and have a chance of thoughtful response rather than knee-jerk reaction. I need only to pause to remember that being generous, honest and kind produces better results than being selfish, dishonest and cruel. To pause and remember that we are connected to each other’s happiness and suffering.
I am not naive. I accept that there are circumstances that require harming some in order to prevent or alleviate the suffering of many. Greater good would be realized by eliminating or separating from the rest of society jihadists and other religious fanatics that preach genocide. Likewise despots and regimes that cruelly starve, torture and subjugate millions. Likewise sociopaths and other dangerous individuals who rape, kill, traffick, terrorize or cause mayhem with no regard to human life. We can do what needs to be done with dispassionate resolve, without intentional cruelty. We can avoid demonizing in order to take necessary action, avoid celebrating afterwards. We need only pause to notice that while circumstances that require harmful action grab our attention and cause strong feelings to arise, they are thankfully the exception rather than the rule. We know that there are far more opportunities for helpful actions.
I cannot think of a single action taken by the Trump-Musk regime based on generosity or compassion. Can you? A multitude of actions have been taken based on greed, self-interest, and for the regime to be seen as winning over others. Actions related to immigration and national security that are arguably necessary have involved unnecessary ill will, cruelty and disrespect. The regime often speaks dishonestly and with anger and hatred. These acts are not consistent with my moral values. I don’t believe they are consistent with the moral values of most Americans. We are not like this. We are better than that.
I see an opportunity for vigilant citizens to unite over what most of us know to be true, that being generous and compassionate to alleviate suffering is a better path than being greedy and hateful to cause more suffering. It is natural and beneficial for us to debate on how generous we can afford to be, either with our own resources or those of future generations, to disagree on the priorities of what needs to be done. Some ideas will prevail, others won’t. Mistakes will be made Some of us will be happy some of the time, but none of us will be happy all of the time. That’s the reality of democracy. My hope lies in my belief that, when we step away from all the noise and distractions, most of us naturally know what’s right and what’s wrong. If right instead of wrong serves the basis for how we choose our representatives and hold them accountable, I’m confident that government actions will be acceptable. Not perfect, not optimal, but good enough.
You may notice that the words and vocabulary I use come from Buddhist teachings. That simply reflects how I choose to articulate what is true for me. Different words could be used to describe the same understanding. What is true seems universal to me, regardless of what words are used or from where they originate. The actual experience and understanding of what is true is personal.
Well articulated and concise take on a very broad topic