A Foundation of Values
‘I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am at that place within me, we shall be one.’ - Crazy Horse, Lakota Nation
Society is built upon values. And values are the basis of our morality.
The quality and priority of ideas and beliefs found culture. Therefore, we should be mindful to construct social, economic, and political proposals upon value systems that establish compassion, personal responsibility, fairness, and Love.
The blight of moral relativism
To change a culture or a society, one must first deconstruct and redefine the existing set of values and move popular opinion to a position of neutrality, income moral relativism. From education to religion, politics, and economics, relativism has become a plague in western society that seeks to supplant timeless spiritual values with secular, socialistic, and increasingly communistic belief systems. Many well-intentioned people believe they are fighting for inclusivity, equity, diversity, and all manner of identify-centered cultural relativism that appears to be for the common good. Instead, these efforts often further divisibility, materialism, and now transhumanism.
Recent attempts to criticize and deprioritize various religious cultures, from Christianity to Hinduism, fail to consider that virtually every spiritual institution has survived periods of marginalization, leading to oral and written teachings formatted as parables and myths. To judge religion literally is either ignorance or malfeasance, or an attempt to usher in relativism and secular ideas, which often deny the probability and presence of a Divine Creator.
Without spirituality, all that remains is materialism.
Much of the philosophy driving modern secular culture is predicated on belief systems that do not recognize or acknowledge a Divine order. While I defend freedom of religion and thought, when leadership becomes dominated by philosophies that deny God, the concept of consequences and morality can quickly devolve into confusion that man is the dominating, Divine arbiter. Without acknowledging an overarching spiritual framework, we are left solely with materialism. The genetic modification of Nature and artificial intelligence integrated into human biology are perfect expressions of a mindset driven by materiality and devoid of respect for Nature and Divine creation.
Harmonizing spiritual wisdom
Man’s journey in contemplative thought and his desire for Divine communion have led to many iterations of understanding which deserve our reflection and consideration as we seek to harmonize spiritual wisdom.
What if we combined the overlapping core values of numerous spiritual traditions to create a baseline of agreements for humanity and the social, political, and economic systems to which we adhere? I am careful to distinguish an exercise to harmonize loving values from a harmful attempt to homogenize and globalize culture, be it religious, national, social, or familial. We should preserve and celebrate rich culture, and a compassionate heart understands that all people and systems are imperfect. This article does not attempt to prioritize or generalize any spiritual theology or worldview but rather to identify a set of unifying values to base a foundation of morality that supports wellness, prosperity, stability, liberty, and peace.
To reestablish a respectful and ethical culture in America and abroad, we may consider and embody the timeless moral principles shared among many spiritual teachings. This may allow us to respect religion and the various ways man relates to and understands his relationship with Divinity to find unity in our shared values.
A Common Set of Values for Global Peace and Liberty
The following are eleven (11) universal values found throughout many religious and spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamism, Sufism, and indigenous cultures such as Toltec, Lakota, Hawaiian, and countless others. From Jesus to Siddhartha Buddha to Confucius, through oral teachings and on the cuneiform tablets of Mesopotamia, a common set of agreements and interpretations of Divine spiritual wisdom have existed in nearly every corner of the world for millennia. These teachings are antithetic to ideas that promote identity and materialism as priorities or economic and secularist philosophies which seek to impose dependency, division, and oppression.
1) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
2) Love one another
3) Kindness, honesty, and respect
4) Do not lie, cheat, steal, or commit adultery
5) Do not murder
6) Give your heart to God
7) Personal responsibility & discipline
8) Do no harm / Non-violence
9) Liberty with respect for the Liberties of others
10) Interdependence and Interconnectedness with Nature
11) Honor the Family
Greed and materiality are ultimately unsatisfying. Identity will not lead to wholeness; only a Divine relationship fulfills the human heart and guides us to a healthy morality.
A healthy morality is based on timeless spiritual values.
I pray that all human beings may express the shared values of kindness, compassion, and unconditional Love.