Category Archives: ethics

The Power of Our Choices

October 8th, 2012 | Dr. Charlie Self

With less than one month of electioneering remaining, the battles intensify as all the candidates at every level begin their sprint to the finish line. Beyond the elected offices are thousands of local and state propositions. It can be overwhelming, but it is a historical privilege to have a real say in our future. Please get informed, pray often and vote! Our choices matter and the future of our nation rests upon responsible, virtuous citizens exercising their God-given and Constitutionally guaranteed rights.

But there is even more power in other choices we make. Who we elect is not the most important factor in our destiny. Both conservatives and progressives are concerned about our future, often for similar reasons. Conservatives are deeply troubled by the ever-expanding reach of the federal government. Progressives bemoan the increasing gaps between rich and poor. Conservatives see under performing schools and agitate for vouchers. Progressives see the same realities and opt for increased public funding. Economic uncertainly is the concern of all, with each group offering different solutions, but no one is in denial that we need change. Conservatives are deeply uncomfortable with a foreign policy that tries to accommodate enemies dedicated to our demise. Progressives want to change perceptions of America and express more humility and interconnectedness. Both groups eschew intolerance and want to minimize violence.

There are choices we can make that will alter our national trajectory, even if we keep arguing on many public policy matters. Here are a few that may unite us instead of divide us further:

Apart from abuse, adultery and abandonment, we can stay married and serve our children. This is the single greatest factor for future success and stability, trumping economics and education. We can make sure our children arrive at school ready to learn.
We can offer our companies, families and communities a full day’s work, with good motives and ethical-relational integrity.
We can do business with the aim of adding value instead of extracting it from others.
We can balance our own checkbooks and hold public officials responsible for how they spend the people’s money. (Yes, we will still argue over how to spend it – the key is not spending more than we take in!)
We can defend the poor, broken and vulnerable, from conception to coronation.
We can offer our time to help others instead of just agitating. The victims of social evils need friends as well as money and professional help.
We can look for ways to create wealth, not just redistribute current assets.
We can add beauty to the world by voluntarily celebrating and supporting the arts. Not every effort needs a government subsidy.
We can make friends with our neighbors.
If we turn off technology and get physically active, we are contributing to reducing health care costs without spending any money.
Our prayers matter to God and the future of the planet.
We can pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Affirming Israel’s right to exist as a beacon of democracy and supporting a new democratic Palestinian nation dedicated to peace is the only way forward.
We can make some new friends across cultural and generational lines. It will be fun to eat new foods, understand new ways of seeing the world and build a virtuous consensus in our communities.
We can reject hatred even while we critique choices and ideas. Every person we meet is made in God’s image.

Our nation’s future depends upon the mercy of God and the choices of millions of “regular” people. We can end the pernicious influence of pornography – there is an “off” button! We can reduce abortions by loving those already pregnant and helping the unmarried see the wisdom of waiting. By the way, the fathers need to own up to their part in this process! Civility is not passivity or just being sweet. Civility is looking for connections and choosing respect over rejection, affirmation over anger and forging new agreements when possible instead of picking up our toys and leaving the conversations.

At first, these choices seem self-evident and simplistic; however, actually living this way is a challenge. Sometimes there are addictions and traumas requiring extra care. We must not have contempt for those that struggle. But we must affirm the struggle! In our world of deep wounds and pernicious narcissism, the way of civility and service is rarely navigated easily. But it is worth our effort to offer succeeding generations a world worth enjoying.

We The People

March 16th, 2012 | Dr. Charlie Self

Some pseudo-scientists from Oxford and NYU recently published another “groundbreaking” paper positing human re-engineering as one solution to the crisis of global warming. Part from the muddled state of climate change research, the proffered ideas are startling for their irreverent hubris and utterly inhumane worldview.

The notions that smaller stature, an anti-beef patch and drugs to reprogram behavior will change the environment have no basis in anything approaching objective research. Added to these audacious suggestions are the numerous violations of any ethical boundaries, along with a view of humanity that is supremely utilitarian.

Ethicists have been battling eugenic fantasies for almost two centuries. From insane notions of racial hierarchies to social Darwinism to the awful classist and racist notions of Margaret Sanger and the Nazis, modern humanity has attempted to turn advances in knowledge that can heal into the formation of master races and designer persons.

The secular Left claims to champion the causes of the poor and vulnerable while espousing abortion, infanticide and radical economic policies designed to limit population and ration medical care. To give any of these notions serious consideration is a violation of slop the progress we have moade during the last two millennia.

We need to champion excellent science that can heal. We must also declare that each human life is a gift that must be received and
nurtured. We must recover transcendent ethics and values that will give us discernment so that all scientific and technological breakthroughs find their proper place.

If we open the door to such manipulation, the day that we start limiting procreation to the “fit” and medical care to the “worthy” is not far off.

Some Questions for People in Power

August 31st, 2011 | Dr. Charlie Self

My friends on the Left have demonized the Tea Party movement, rendering anyone connected with these groups ignorant, reactionary and the enemies of all that is noble and progressive. Some of my friends on the Right assail any advocate of environmental oversight or national medical care as anti-American and at least quasi-socialist. Amidst all the polemics, we have a paralyzed economy, mounting debt and social anger inflamed by irresponsible media outlets.

I invite my readers and all thoughtful Americans to change the course of our current direction and consider the following questions as we seek to build communities and a nation worthy of our founding principles.

To those of the chattering Left, I ask,

Have you actually sat down and spoken at length with your Tea Party neighbors or are you too content in your insulated world of self-importance? You might discover concerned, hard-working people with lots of different backgrounds and ideas that care deeply about their land. You might discover, as I have in many locations, people from every continent and cultural persuasion united by the dream of America.

Have you sat down and spoken with the owners of small and medium-sized businesses who carry an enormous tax burden and find themselves threatened by government-protected multinationals and state politicians squeezing them dry with regulations and taxes? Oh, you love the Hollywood moguls, and leaders of “progressive” companies; however, you recoil around anything with a smokestack or any state that will not support certain union mindsets. You might discover compassionate and generous folks who sustain our communities and want a better future for their children.

To those on the clamoring Right, I ask,

Have you sat down with people across cultural and generational lines and deeply listened as they share the challenges of being different in a world that rewards conformity? Have you heard the cries of disabled workers shuttled from one office to another awaiting help? Are you aware that history is not kind to capitalism divorced from ethical and spiritual restraints? You might discover that the “magic of the markets” is not so simple and that our military budgets are just as full of graft and waste as our social service ones.

Have you thought about how to ameliorate the cost of transitioning millions of workers into a 21st century global economy where other nations do not play by our rules? Family-sustaining jobs are harder to find for those without college and graduate degrees. You will discover many folks working many jobs to make ends meet and wondering if their kids will have a brighter future.

I have one question for both “sides” in the media war. Have you considered comparing the policies and principles of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower? A bit of history may inform all of us. No, there are no “good old days.” There were, however, among all Americans, rich and poor, black and white, religious or skeptical, some common values of fidelity to family, respect for neighbor, frugality, generosity and civic spirit that are undervalued in today’s sensationalized world. Thank God for the Civil Rights movement that created a better future for millions by appealing to such foundational ideas. Conservatives and liberals a half-century ago had more in common than they had in conflict.

Perhaps these queries will stimulate fresh answers as we reaffirm key values and reach for a better future.

Where Have You Gone, Mr. O’Malley?

June 27th, 2011 | Dr. Charlie Self

My beloved Los Angeles Dodgers filed for bankruptcy today. Mismanagement and contentious divorce proceedings between the owner and his ex-wife have changed the team from a great icon of America’s pastime to a sideshow unworthy of a Lifetime Network movie. This is a sad day for baseball and millions of fans.

This event by itself is a mere footnote compared to our budgetary, geopolitical and military crises. Billionaire owners and millionaire players live in a world detached for most of humankind, the majority of whom need more sustainable economies, housing, water and opportunities.

But this soap opera is more than a mere news item on ESPN or the E! Channel. It is a sign of our cultural disintegration and our loss of any sense of the common good. Let me add that I am not pining for “good ol’ days” that never were, not am I making the former owners saints and the McCords the great sinners. The O’Malley family is still despised in parts of Brooklyn for moving the team to Los Angeles. The rich and powerful will always have drama surround them. What is lacking in current ownership is any sense of social ethic, any mooring that thinks of the fans or the game before themselves.

The moment the McCords could not reconcile their marriage, they should have invited Major League Baseball and potential owners to the table and worked on a transition plan that served the team. Instead, they have taken one of the most profitable franchises and made it a laughingstock. Chavez Ravine has gone from the most beautiful spot to watch a game to a dangerous place for opposing fans. Shame on you, McCord family. This is your doing and you cannot blame others. Greed wins the day and television watchers and ticket-holders who sustain the enterprise are left with little but vague hopes that Mark Cuban or another wealthy persona can come in and right the ship.

I am a proponent of free markets, natural pricing and a strong juridical system that will help enterprise be ethical while minimizing unneeded bureaucracy. This said, it is tragic to watch billionaires hold cities hostage while they squeeze tax money our of working voters for stadiums that many will never enter due to the high prices. I am apoplectic when I see players “re-negotiating” millions into more millions well before contract expiration. Yes, one should angle for the best deal; however, once signed, a contract should be honored and the player owes the fans and team her or his best. The unabashed narcissism is sociologically self-destructive as “each person does what is right in his own eyes.”

We need you, Mr. O’Malley. We need leaders with business sense, an eye for opportunity and a heart for the community and customers. Owners, your risk deserves reward, but much of the reward of team ownership is offering fans great moments of athletic prowess, positive team spirit and a focus on developing players. Lost in all the Dodger drama is the game itself. I share with George Will the firm belief that baseball is America’s game and the innumerable possibilities emerging from a single crack of the bat make it both cerebral and visceral in its delights.

Here We Go Again

June 15th, 2007 | Dr. Charlie Self

For thirty years there have been negotiations between Israel and some of her neighbors concerning a “final” geopolitical settlement in the Middle East.

Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded – but we have no peace.

Israel has withdrawn from major portions of the “Occupied Territories” – but we have no peace.

Israel has offered unilateral concessions – only to be met with ridicule and rockets.

Hamas, Iran and Syria are arming for war against the only democracy in the region and most of the world accuses Israel as being the problem!

Here we go again. It is January 30, 1939 exhumed from the ashes. As Hitler prepares to unleash war on Europe, he blames the Jews for the coming conflagration. In his speech to the puppet Reichstag (Parliament), he declares that any bloodshed in the coming years would be the fault of the Jews and result in their “destruction.”

Will we ever learn? Will we ever liberate ourselves from the bondage of Anti-Semitic mythology? Or do we need another war (which will be won by Israel) with thousands dead to remind us of the futility of hatred?

What are the keys to peace in the Middle East? There are two simple ones: Unequivocal recognition of Israel’s right to exist within clear boundaries and an end to state-sponsored terrorism.

Until some Palestinian leaders cool their rhetoric and demonstrate real courage, we will live with a tinderbox that could spark far more than a regional war.