On “We need global, secular ethics” (365 words)

The Dalai Lama, much like many others, recognizes the flaws in the current system. He understands the nationalist mindset that America has, but recognizes that because “everything is interconnected today,” this is a bad sentiment to hold. With every nation on the planet being dependent upon every other, there is no place for nationalism.

The Dalai Lama continues by reminding the reader that historically, when people have pursued their own interests, it has caused war and strife, and that while religion can help with these issues, they would be much better solved with a global, secular set of ethics.

What he is hoping to achieve is a world in which the school system teaches students not only intelligence of the mind but intelligence of the heart, in areas including “love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mindfulness, tolerance and peace,” because cultivating these skills allow us to come to reason much better than simply knowing how to understand.

He believes that the teaching and nurturing of these virtues is what will allow people to solve conflicts through dialogue rather than violence. Furthermore, the Dalai Lama believes that well being is more dependent on human nature than religion, because even beyond religion, every individual has an understanding of human kindness.

When you hear his case, it is difficult to disagree with him. His commitments are to use the school system to create more well rounded individuals out of students. The benefits of this, if it were to work, would be more individuals having the ability to reason emotionally and act with compassion and humility.

(Notable are the similarities that the Dalai Lama’s thinking shares with the Eightfold Path discussed in the last blog, likely because of the Dalai Lama being the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists. One could even think of the Dalai Lama’s suggestion of global, secular ethics as a modernization of the Eightfold Path).

I do share commitments with the Dalai Lama. I, much like him, see the value in allowing the school system to give lessons in areas such as morality, and would welcome a greater emphasis on the pursuit of virtue in the name of making the world a better place for every individual.