An Appeal to the World

ARE WE OPEN-MINDED or narrow-minded? Have we considered the big picture or only aspects of it? Do we think and act holistically? Do we really take a long-term view of things, or more of a short-term view? Are our actions really motivated by sincere compassion? Is our compassion restricted to our own families, friends, whom we can generally identify with? We need to think, think, think. And research, research, research. Essentially, ethics is about our mental state and not our formal religious affiliation. We need to overcome our personal limitations and understand other people’s points of view.

YES, TO A certain degree. But in principle, religious and nonreligious people should work together in these modern times.

The Iraq War, which George W. Bush began in 2003, was a catastrophe. This conflict still hasn’t been resolved to this day and has claimed the lives of many people.

I suggest more listening, more contemplation, more meditation. I agree with Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

The primary causes of war and violence are our negative emotions. We give them too much space and give too little space to our intellects and our compassion.

All religions and all scriptures harbor potential for violence. That is why we need secular ethics beyond all religions. It is more important for schools to have classes on ethics than religion. Why? Because it’s more important for humanity’s survival to be aware of our commonalities than to constantly emphasize what divides us.”

But ethics are innate