Ethics is a subject that none of us can avoid and face every day of our lives. It’s 2:00 am, nobody is around, and you come to a red light. Do you sit there for the duration, or do you just hit the gas and go? You see a homeless person standing at a stoplight, do you offer them something to drink, eat, a blessing bag, or some money? Or do you ignore them like they are not even there, quickly judge them as a hustler capable of work, dehumanize them, and drive away offering nothing? What would you do?
Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. ~ Potter Stewart
There is a new mini-series airing on SHOWTIME called “Your Honor,” featuring Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad Star) as the lead character who plays a judge. Cranston’s acting is superb; he plays the role so naturally. He is a highly respected judge who lost his wife to murder a little over a year ago and raised an only son about to start college. His son has an accident that takes another young man’s life, who happens to be the son of a mob leader, so now the judge is faced with a dilemma. Do I follow the law and turn my son over to the authorities and risk the mob coming after him and his son for revenge? Or do I go to any length to break the law to save my son from this nightmare? What would you do? In this series, because of the extreme self-centeredness, one could also ask, who cares anyway?
“To me, it really seems visible today that ethics is not something exterior to the economy, which, as a technical matter, could function on its own; rather, ethics is an interior principle of the economy itself, which cannot function if it does not take account of the human values of solidarity and reciprocal responsibility.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
In real life, we will face ethical challenges until death. We all have a moral code we live by, either God’s or some self-made version of morals handed to us by our upbringing and surroundings, but either way, we have a decision to make when it comes to ethics; we all have to answer the question “what will you do?” When the pandemic hit, the CDC put out warnings and suggestions for the American public to follow: Wear your masks, wash your hands, and watch your distance. Each of us had to apply our ethics and answer the question of “What will you do?” Regardless of your response, how did you arrive at your decision? What set of codes did you apply? Where did they come from?
“The relations between rhetoric and ethics are disturbing: the ease with which language can be twisted is worrisome, and the fact that our minds accept these perverse games so docilely is no less cause for concern. ~ Octavio Paz
America is currently engaged with an active volcano called the “political divide.” This volcano is about to erupt; we have already witnessed a small burst of smoke and lava. We are on the eve of protests that are to be held throughout all the State Capitals across the United States, especially in Washington D.C. The government has fences being put up, the National Guard has been called in for added security, and the Nation of America is on edge. Every American will have their ethics tested once again. Do I sit back and do nothing? Do I engage the hostility in some fashion or another? If I remain silent and passive, does this mean I am a coward and un-American? Or do I raise my voice, make my presence known, and become willing to go to any length to protect my position, regardless of the cost? Now the question gets real personal “what will you do?”
Many in the world wear a bracelet that says “WWJD,” standing for “What Would Jesus Do?” That’s a great question, how would you answer that? Based on what facts? Jesus never promoted violence; Jesus was a pacifist. Monday is Martin Luther King Day; another great question would be, “what would MLK do?” MLK did not remain silent, but neither did Jesus. Jesus and MLK both had to face the challenges of life, face evil, and make decisions regarding fellow humans, all made in the image of God. These are not easy times we encounter, and it will test our ethics. How do you be a peacemaker and a be a voice for the oppressed and marginalize at the same time? How do you love God, your neighbor, and your enemies and yet not allow corruption and dishonesty to contaminate America’s future? In the end, it will become personal for every American, so “what will you do?”
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