Ethics: To be selfless or not to be

When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created.

When do I act ethically? The classical answer is: “When I do good.” Perhaps, it is time to think about what is meant by “good” in order to attain some depth in this search. Killing is valued as “not good.” To permit the continuity of life is considered to be good. However, when two or more countries go to war, killing not only is considered good but desirable in order to win a war. Thus perceived, “self-defense” is considered of a higher value than taking someone’s life for the sake of a perceived “victory.” Killing is “not good” but yet, it is thought by many that it is “good” to kill animals for food. Perhaps eating is valued higher than self-defense?

Those who resort to violence will never bring peace to the world.

The concept of “good” changes according to the action, time and according to the perceived reality of those judging the action, those in charge of labeling the action. It changes according to our interests.

Ethics deal with this type of notion, the balance within self-interest and group interest, also called social responsibility. What I think is good for me, may not be good for society as a group, thus “I” the individual, am forced to conform in order to fit in.

Society may praise an “ethical” behavior which means the sacrifice of an individual for a group value, the sense of “duty” of a higher goal. Nevertheless, individualism is the complete opposite of this ideal where every individual determines the standard of what is good or bad. Everyone has an opinion. The problem is to come up with a “measuring stick,” the fine line between individual interests and group interest. Welcome to ethics.

The highest good is not to seek to do good, but to allow yourself to become it. The ordinary person seeks to do good things, and finds that they cannot do them continually.

Human beings are different but yet the same. Everyone of us has a different reality. Some may say, a different perception of reality; but your reality is your perception of it. This array of perceptions assures conflict in a society, thus laws are made, which are not necessarily “good” or “bad” but just “laws.” Therefore, to simplify things ethics has been reduced to promote our behavior according to the “laws in place.” Thus, Lawful = Ethical.

The more heterogeneous a social group is the more ethical problems will appear. To act selfishly in one hand, or selfless on the other, is the constant struggle in the mind of the “ethical man,” the man aware of himself.

The reason I have an enemy is because I have “self”. If I no longer had a “self”, I would no longer have an enemy.

The “self” is not understood. The illusion of the self is rampant. Even though we are unable to explain “who or what is the self” we are identifying the self with the objects it believes to possess. Thus self means “I, the owner of:” “my car,” “my house,” “my husband,” “my body,” “my country,” “my beliefs,” etc. Individualism dictates “this is yours and these are mine.” A clear division is made based on the perceived understanding of who we are and what we think we deserve.

The idea of being a “soul” an eternal soul, immaterial entity is not well understood, it is not perceived, thus we identify the “I” with the body. In body consciousness, we believe that our physical senses can perceive what is real. Our society then becomes what we would like to perceive and anything that fits our perception, our interest, is “good.”

We perceive differences, opposites, conflicts more than unity, convergence, acceptance. We see black or white, we hear English or Spanish, we smell poor or rich, we taste old or young and we touch desirable or undesirable; under these premises we create separation, we create opposition, we create boundaries. There are no opposites in a spiritual vision but complements. Therefore, an individual exists in relationship with individuals. An individual cannot exist by himself but in a relationship.

In soul consciousness there is no distinction of “I and you” even though each soul has its own individuality there is no individualism. When the group is the individual and the individual is the group there is no need for ethics. When there is conflict of interest due to body consciousness even a so-called ethical behavior will not make all parties involved satisfied. That is the illusion, the mirage of body consciousness. In this illusion only sorrow can be accomplished, then ethics becomes a matter of choosing the way of lesser sorrow.

Love the whole world as if it were your self; then you will truly care for all things.

Mom and her two kids were returning home, to meet the youngest kid. In horror, they watched their home burning from a distance; the flames were appearing from everywhere. Mom thought: “My Kid is inside!” In a second, Mom went inside the burning house. She did not come out. The whole town went to her funeral. Her three kids appeared on her grave with a nicely decorated plaque: “To a hero, with love.” Was this action ethical?

Mother wolf and her three cubs were running around the bushes. A hunter appeared. Mom wolf and cubs started running away. One cub got caught in a small trap. Mom stopped, looked back at the unfortunate cub and continued running away with the remaining cubs. She didn’t get a medal. Her two cubs stayed with her until they grew up. Did she do the right thing? Did she behave ethically? 

Little Stan the “big hunter,” watched as a sneaky snake was about to catch a cute, unprotected bunny. Stan a “good boy” and was taught to protect cute little animals, especially if they were endangered by evil snakes. Little Stan being a “big hunter” shot the snake in a heart beat. Was Little Stan ethical?

Which is more important, your honor or your life?
Which is more valuable, your possessions or your person?
Which is more destructive, success or failure?

While living in the illusion of body consciousness then, Act by not acting; do by not doing. Unless you understand the depth of “good” and suffering, unless you clearly perceive what is soul consciousness. May you be successful in this unlimited and merciful task!

(Note: The verses are a translation by J.H. McDonald (1996) of the Tao Te Ching, written by Lao-Tzu.)