Towards a Global Ethic

When I read the newspapers and watch the news on TV, it is sometimes difficult to find positive news. There are many deep controversies and conflicts. Another thing that always intrigues and amazes me is criminal behavior. I am often shocked and really sad about the violence and the fact that people shamelessly put their own greed or opinion over the life of others.
How to deal with that? How can I position myself in these issues and what is my influence?

The world religions and spiritual traditions and many, many people outside those traditions, have an image, a vision of peace, justice, freedom of fear and poverty. This is for me a strong indication that mankind in its basis is looking for the same things.
In spite of this, conflicts arise often through misunderstandings, wrong perceptions and lack of open communication.
Can there be a global ethic? Is there a common moral standard?

In this workshop we will look at the world and society with the eyes of mindfulness. With the same awareness, openness and non-judgment as we have been looking inside we can observe the outside world. The first thing we can ask ourselves is: where is our attention? Is it on the problems and conflicts or is it on the beauty and love that is there too! For a start this has a great influence on how we feel: depressed or hopeful!

For centuries, even millennia many wise people have studied the topic of ethics. Thich Nhat Hanh offers us 5 mindfulness trainings that are a result of looking with the eyes of mindfulness to the world. These trainings are based on advice given by the Buddha to ordinary people. Thich Nhat Hanh translated them to our current day society. We like to take these 5 mindfulness trainings as starting point to talk about a global ethics. In the annex is the full text of all five. The topics of the first three are:

      Reverence of life

      True Happiness

      True love and respect for the integrity of others

All living beings have a sense of self preservation and avoidance of suffering, can I practice being aware of this and adjust my conduct to this? Am I aware of what makes me happy and what makes others happy or unhappy. We share this life and this world together. Is my happiness and suffering separate of that from others?