No matter what kind of ethical system we have, for the most part, most of us will be unable to live up to that ethical standard 100% of the time.
Part of the issue arises from defining ethics in an almost entirely inflexible way. We establish rules without necessarily establishing conditions for those rules, and this then brings us trouble. The trouble arises like this: certain circumstances with certain conditions arise. Someone develops a rule on how to handle that set of circumstances. Later on, a second set of circumstances arise with somewhat different conditions that are unaccounted for in the first set of circumstances. People generally still attempt to apply the standards and rules for the first set of circumstances in the name of integrity, and if one doesn't, well. Watch out. I've opted to go with tailoring the rules to the circumstances while keeping their spirit. This is, after all, the sensible thing to do, and we've no problem doing these things in situations regarding good manners and proper etiquette. (The example here is that in the USA, men typically remove their hats indoors, but when one attends Jewish services, a man covers his head indoors. The religious protocols override the typical protocols). The same has to be applied to ethical standards. That doesn't mean one goes around constantly defying what one professes- which is a reality we see far, far too often in our world. Let us strive to be good people. Let us strive to be numbered among the virtuous. In Christ, Steve
0 Comments
The "Quiet of the Soul" appears during this time of year.
We have remembered and celebrated the Dead. The winter is on the way. The coldest months will bring with them the trials and tests of our bodies to see if they can endure. As the seasons get cooler, some of us will celebrate Thanksgiving. Most of us will celebrate Christmas and then the New Year. We'll call the Light and the Warmth back to us. We will recall that there is Good in the world, in spite of any Evil we encounter. The world will become quiet outside for many of us, and our souls will enter into the same quiet, uniting with the Cosmic Christ and enacting the Mysteries of the Christ through our rituals. We, and the world (at least our hemisphere), will experience a foretaste of the Quiet of Death; our celebrations with the ancestors have led the way. Let us pause. Let us breathe. Let us keep quiet within. In Christ, Steve Today's entry is the Litany of the Saints sung as Gregorian chant.
May it be a blessing to you. In Christ, Steve |