Hawaiian ethics leads to understanding the nature of human love

Gardens at Waianae Comprehensive, a healing center with the Hawaiian touch found in the essence of love

"She probably did not have much when she was a kid.  Women her age were raised to have babies and be quiet.  And she is poor, and her kids don't take good care of her either.  So we need to understand."

Michelle Perez is Hawaiian and then some.  The "then some" are those mixes with various cultural groups that make up most of the Hawaiian population in modern times.  Her philosophy represents the best of Hawaiian ethics, which means to look at all people with the eyes of ohana, or family.

If you stand for something, you still might fall for anything

The bandwagon sometimes interferes with using our reason in seeking our values

Carol Forsloff - These days everyone has an argument about something, it seems.  Our pet peeves, dreams and target goals are interwoven in our daily speech and writing.  But is it true, that old country song, that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything?

Science says a bit of that is true. Those who have a religious belief and consistent worship tend to live longer.  Those who practice the science of eating right, exercising, avoiding unnecessary stress and serving others tend to live longer on average than those who don't do these things.

Are good intentions a good defense for breaking the law?

 

The law as represented by judge's tools

Carol Forsloff -In 2010 a Louisiana group of Baptists were held in Haiti for trying to take children out of the country.   Edward Snowden stole government documents in order to reveal the fact that the government had been spying on its citizens as well as on world leaders and others.  But are good intentions a good defense for doing bad things, including breaking the law?

The Boston media examined this story, presenting the Baptists' defense of their actions. They declared they were just trying to help the children, to take them to a place that was safe and were given permission by the children's parents to do so. There are issues raised about human trafficking with regard to the action of this group of Baptists, who were reported headed for the Dominican Republican with 33 children when they were caught. 

The Prime Minister initially referred to what they did as kidnapping while the group maintained they were only trying to save the children's lives with their parents' permission. But was that the only agenda of the group and did these good intentions negate the fact they may have broke Haitian law?

 Good intentions are found not to be a reasonable defense in Haiti's case according to Butler, who writes somewhat extensively on the matter, but this excerpt presents a brief summation of her argument:"The misplaced missionary impulse to save the heathen children and impart “civilization” by loading a bunch of Haitian kids in a bus and heading for a resort with a swimming pool, to share the “good news” and be adopted, is simply ludicrous. No reputable missions organization works that way. "

 
The article in the Episcopalian publication by Butler, however, underscored the key issue the courts and the court of public opinion will weigh, "Paving the road to hell with good intentions," presents the case within certain of the spiritual community raising the questions about the Baptist group's attempt to take children from Haiti and whether good intentions makes a good excuse.

And Edward Snowden who obtained a job with a defense contractor, then stole records from that contractor in order to reveal the fact that the government had been spying on its citizens has his defenders those who maintain that good intentions are a good defense.  In other words, the information about government spying was a good reason for taking a job in order to find out that information, then reveal it publicly and across the world.

Butler would like say, as in the case of the Haitian children, that doing what some folks consider to be the right thing is not a viable reason for doing something bad in order to make a point.

It has been a pattern in many cases where people take actions that violate the law in order to correct a wrong or do a good deed.  But those good intentions, according to those who have examined both the law and the ethics, as Butler did in her article, are insufficient cause for dismissing the fact that the law was broken and with breaking it there are likely to be consequences.

Snowden affair fires up controversy over national security vs pressfreedoms

Carol Forsloff--Journalists the world over proclaim their rights to cover news stories in a free atmosphere.  They have been imprisoned, tortured, or killed for writing stories that angered one faction or another.  In the meantime, what about those journalists that have covered Edward Snowden in the leaking of security documents?  How does that impact journalism ethics and national security?  The issues remain a topic of debate around the world, by journalists, governments and private citizens.

Some writers, looking at the issue of national security vs free speech, maintain that America's Founding Fathers would look favorably on Edward Snowden for showing the possible overreach of government.    In fact the Fourth Amendment provides:   "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Jefferson declared the value of the press under free speech, listing it as an essential in the building of a democratic government in America.    He also believed in limited government.  But how does that compare with the Snowden affair is a matter of debate both among scholars and the man on the street.

Sydney Morning Herald Columnist, Paul Sheehan, looks at the Snowden affair, the telling of secrets on America's intelligence with respect to surveying citizens through database collections, in the context of the problems facing the modern world.  He cites Snowden's statement to the Washington Post, referencing national security issues, "We managed to survive greater threats in our history... than a few disorganised terrorist groups and rogue states without resorting to these sorts of programs."  Yet the Washington Post rejected some of Snowden's leaks because it considered in balance that some of the information specifically risk PRISM,  a major intelligence operation monitoring international communications.

The Washington Post also cites Facebook and Yahoo executives, as well as others, denying their companies knew and were involved in PRISM, and in doing The Post maintains that the numbers of these executives, and their statements, indicate they are sincere in their insistence they know nothing about the program.

While many complain that the government is now spying on them, Sheehan observes that all government agencies do not have the time to monitor all the activities of its citizens and to think so is irrational, something he refers to as "self-absorption."

The Snowden affair provokes many questions referencing free speech, the intention of the Constitution at the time it was framed vs modern facts and concerns, and the question regarding who is a journalist and what is the balance of the ethics to essentially not risk wantonly endangering others.  It is a question writers, private citizens and government leaders continue to ask, as Edward Snowden becomes the linchpin of debate that is likely to last for some time to come.  How it impacts world relations as well becomes the concern of everyone.

Food Defines Us

Bob Ewing — Food is our common ground, if for no other reason than we all must eat. The alternative to not eating is to die. In North America, the majority of people do eat daily, some much better than others.

The food we consume will vary depending upon personal preferences, ethics and financial ability, for example.

Regardless of our food choices, the one choice that we cannot and usually do not want to make is to not eat. It is either eat or suffer and then die. We weaken and become ill.

In North America, people, frequently, complain life moves too fast and when someone is asked how are you, the answer is often, I am busy. This perception of a fast-paced reality is well reflected in our food choices.

Fast or convenient foods are widely purchased and consumed. Drive-thrus, delivery, microwaves and frozen entrées have replaced cooking; which, along with growing our own food, is a basic survival skill.

How many people would suffer greatly, if they could no longer pick up or order in their supper or no longer pop something into the microwave and wait a few minutes for dinner?

How many days food do you have in your pantry or storage cupboards? When was the last time that you preserved any food?

How long would the food on hand last if the transportation system broke down and the shelves in the grocery store were empty? Or when you called out for a food delivery no one answered?

North Americans have let the food supply system slip out of their grasp and the very item, we need to live, is in the hands of companies that are in many cases far away.

Food is trucked, flown and put in box cars so that it can be shipped to its destination. How fresh can it be if it has been sitting in a container for 2 weeks before it reaches your plate?

Do you know how far your last meal traveled before it became a meal?

Tomatoes, for example are being bred for their ability to be transported, rather than their flavour. So we get tomatoes that can travel but are tasteless.

Even the fast food that we so dearly love relies on transport to deliver the bulk of what it serves.

Transportation requires the use of fossil fuels to power the truck that carry much of our food and the airplanes that fly in the foods from distant ports. The price of gasoline is rising in many places as is the price of food, they are connected.

The agriculture industry is one of the biggest users of fossil fuels, not just for transportation, but for the production of pesticides and fertilizers as well.

The conditions the animals we eat daily, are kept in, are all too often appalling to say the least; this means that before they are killed they suffer. This reality is the reason that many people become vegetarians.

There are a number of food based movements that are working to address food quality, local economies and the sheer pleasure of preparing and sharing a meal with friends and family. The organic movement has become big business, the push to local food ahs drawn nation attention and the slow food movement has spread across nations.

If we have any real interest in improving our quality of life, our environment and address issues such as poverty and hunger then we only need to look inside our cupboards and refrigerators and begin to change with what we put in them on shopping day.

Food is our common ground; we all eat so let’s give our next meal some thought.

In my last article I wrote the following: “Choice is one of our fundamental freedoms and when it is eroded in one of our most basic needs, food, the nature of society itself can shift.”

Another way to view this is, if we want society to change then simply change what you eat.

The ethics of modern weaponry viewed through the prism of the Coloradoshooting

[caption id="attachment_15848" align="alignleft" width="235"] Assault Rifle[/caption]

Carol Forsloff — As the publisher of Green Heritage News, I set a standard not to be argumentative in politics, which means respect for government leaders as persons in the tradition of rendering unto Caesar what is his. But commentaries with respect to specific social issues, as they relate to humanitarian principles are important, and no more is that of greater significance than in the instance of killing others, for it is that inhumanity that brings all people shame.

Today in Colorado, a solitary gunman shot 71 people. The specific details are reported by the media, and it is not those details that are the focus of my opinion article today. Instead it is the confusion we have with respect to bearing arms and how we ignore both basic faith, scientific, ethical, and moral principles when we uphold certain rights that interfere with the actualization of those rights of others and facilitate the perpetuation of violence.

Rather than enter into the Second Amendment discussions, for there are bound to be many in these days, instead the focus should be on the value of life itself. For every man's life has value. In the rush to judgment and the sensationalism of the Colorado shooting that is forgotten. 12 people are dead. Many others will lose their lives with the proliferation of guns; yet there are people of faith that nevertheless tout the rights to weapons virtually as a religious edict.

While interpretation of Biblical scripture is presented as the foundation for man's right to bear arms, along with Constitutional arguments, the weapons of Biblical days were far less capable of creating the widespread killing of an assault rifle or a manufactured bomb.

In a world where toxic speech continues and where anger rises and people confront each other in anonymous ways to spew hatred and vindictive argument, weapons capable of creating mass killings become even more awful. One might say a crazy man is simply that, and it is the person who kills, not the weapon. Yet, without the weapon, the killings are far fewer, although the value of a single life remains.

As the publisher of Green Heritage News, I welcome people of all faiths and beliefs to share with the staff of this magazine, and many others, in mourning lives lost in Colorado today.

Permaculture Ethics: Sharing The Surplus

[caption id="attachment_10154" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sharing the Tomato Surplus photo from alpinegarden.blogspot.com"][/caption]

Over the past few weeks I have written about the ethical foundation of permaculture. Prior articles covered the first two:

1- care for the earth
2- care for people.

Now I will examine the third.

3- Take responsibility for my own production and share the surplus.

It is this third ethic that makes it possible to do other two. How? When you take responsibility for your own production, which requires you to look closely at what you use; your energy consumption and how much waste you generate, you get a clear picture of your behaviour and can begin to change habits.

This examination provides information about how you can reduce how much you consume in the first place and thus how much you have to reuse or recycle. Once you understand your consumer behaviour you can rethink think the patterns that emerge form this examination and make new connections, for example, composting rather than throwing away, vegetable scraps.

Sharing the surplus has the potential to make significant changes in how we conduct our lives within the community and change how we view the economy.

There are many ways to share the surplus and do good work in your community at the same time.

You can take simple steps, such as, when grocery shopping which, of course you are doing at the local farmers market or a locally owned operation, buy some extra dry or canned beans and, once a month give them to the local food bank or meal program.

It is a good idea to contact the local food bank before deciding what to buy, ask them what they need; donating food items is good but so is a financial donation or volunteering your time. Both cover the sharing the surplus concept.

Grow a row programs are popular ways to share surplus produce; when planning your gardens set aside a row for the local food bank.

Community gardens could set up a plot which is cooperatively tended with the produce going to the local food program. This brings people together in a common cause. It is a good plan to talk with the food bank to see if they have any people who would like to lend a hand. meant for the food bank. You could contact the food bank and let them know that you are doing this and ask them if there are foods that they would prefer.

Speaking of financial donations, while few of us have what we would consider surplus when it comes to cash, it is possible to set aside say five per cent of your regular pay cheque and donate that to a local organization, which one is up to you, my choice would be a food related program, especially one that puts an emphasis on helping people help themselves.

These basic ways of sharing can change our attitude towards making a profit or generating surplus which are basically the same thing. Yes we do need to meet our needs first or we cannot help others, however, how much do we actually need?

The next step when is comes to sharing the surplus is a look at social businesses where the bottom line combines earning a living and doing good work. Stay tuned.

Care for the people among ethics of permaculture design

[caption id="attachment_9813" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Running for good health"][/caption]

Bob Ewing - Care for the people is one of the three ethics of permaculture design. The ethics form the foundation upon which each design is developed.

How do we translate this particular ethical principal into daily living? We can start by looking at our activities, the things we do on a regular basis. Across, North America, many people begin their day with a cup or three of coffee; some make it at home, others stop and pick it up at their favourite coffee spot on the way to work or school. Each day, people have coffee at breaks, when at the mall, or simply getting together with friends to chat.

Coffee is a great place to begin caring for people. Fair Trade coffees, hot chocolate and teas are becoming increasingly common. I have been buying fair trade coffee for some years now and not only enjoy the flavour; I drink my coffee straight, no milk, cream or sugar allowed, but also help a local charity rise a few bucks.

I admit it does cost more, however, I view the expense as an investment in a better world and a way of helping others help themselves while doing minimal harm. Much of fair trade coffee is also organic and bird friendly.

Bird friendly means that trees are not cut down to grow the coffee but remain to provide food and shelter for the songbirds which travel from the north to the coffee growing countries to get through the cold northern winters.

So what is fair trade and how does it differ from other trading systems?

Fair Trade is a trading partnership: a partnership between individuals and communities that uses dialogue, transparency and respect, to evolve greater equity in international trade.

Fair Trade contributes to sustainable development because it offers better trading conditions to, and secures the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South.

Fair Trade changes the relationship between seller and consumer and forges a new one that sees them both working towards the same goal, a just and sustainable society.
Some fair trade coffee growing enterprises are formed as cooperatives, workers cooperative in particular, are common.

A cooperative is not a business unto itself but a business model, the cooperative may sell food, clothing or furniture for example. It is a structure not a product.

Cooperatives are democratic as all members of a co-op are equal decision makers in the enterprise and employ the one-member, one vote, process of making decisions.

Each worker owns a share in the cooperative and the enterprise is owned and controlled by the workers.

If you want to build a better world and are interested in living lightly on the earth, consider the ethics of permaculture design as a means to modify your existing activities in such a way as to not only reduce the possible harm your lifestyle does but also as a way to help others improve their lives while reducing their impact on the planet. This is a true win-win situation.

Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are only the beginning. Food, clothing and much more can be produced and traded fairly. When shopping look for labels and if in doubt ask the sales staff about fair trade items.

Positive social change only takes place when people take action so make the first move and shop for fair trade products when you must shop. Care for the people and you also care for the planet.

Permaculture: Living the Green Life

Bob Ewing - Economics, environment, and ethics, living green demands that all three operate in harmony. Education and energy are two other Es that are elemental to living sustainably on the earth. Living green means to live in a sustainable way and sustainability demands that we replace, repair or restore the natural resources we use too support us.

I will explore all the Es but let us begin with the one that forms the support for all the others, ethics.

Ethics, to live green or to tread lightly on the earth requires an ethical code that informs your decisions. All we do makes a difference and when we take an approach that considers how our actions will impact not only other people but all life we have taken a major step towards living a sustainable life.

I came to the study of permaculture, a term coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren from combining permanent agriculture and more recently to stand for permanent culture, through a search for a way to not only live in harmony with other beings but to do so in an ethical manner.

Permaculture is a design system and an ethically based one the three permaculture ethics: care for the earth, care for people and fair share. Are central to permaculture and they form the foundation for permaculture design.

Permaculture Ethics:

1.Care for the earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply.
2.Care for people: Provision for people to access those resources necessary to their existence.
3.Fair Share: this ethic is also known as Setting Limits to Population and Consumption—By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles.

It is not essential to get a permaculture education to live a life based upon the ethics. It does require that you take responsibility for your life and be aware that what you do has an impact that goes far beyond your immediate circle. Respect the right of all beings to live and use no more than you need and you are off to a good start.

The four Rs, reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink are an important part of living a lifestyle that reduces your effect on the planet. Buy only what you need, reuse what you can, recycle rather than toss away and perhaps most important be conscious about what you do.

Often our habits are so ingrained that we act without thinking, so take some time now and then and rethink what your daily routines.

If you want to learn more about permaculture and go beyond the basics, then a permaculture course is a sound investment. There are a number of reasons why a permaculture course is valuable.

Permaculture design can assist you to reduce your ecological footprint while saving you money, time and energy. This illustrates a permaculture concept- taking one action and accomplishing three or more tasks.

However, if taking a course is not what you want to do at this time, you can still reduce your impact on our planet by applying the three ethics of permaculture to you daily life.

Ethics is where making a difference begins. When you have a code to live by it will guide you when you need to make basic life decisions and it is those fundamental choices that can heal or harm the earth.

Faith and values impact the water in La., Or

[caption id="attachment_5162" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Drinking water"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - LOUISIANA - Values and faith are involved in more than just politics and social issues but environmental ones as well, including the water folks drink.

Environmental groups, both private and public, raise concerns about contaminated water caused by hydraulic fracturing for gas or by chemical or waste companies of various types.  Politicians and some religious conservatives maintain that agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency should be dismissed because oversight may lead to rules that interfere with “good business” when some of that business impacts clean water.

East Feliciana Parishn is under a boil advisory until June 2.  The deadline has been extended as the Department of Health and Hospitals has not yet delivered its results on possible contamination following a lightning strike. But contaminated water does not result just from nature's behaviors.  Areas of contamination are often cited in public pronouncements and news in Louisiana.  Natchitoches Parish folks, for example, regularly receive notices that the water of the area has a warning label.  Another example is Plaquemine's Parish in the area of Baton Rouge.  Conamination by Dow Chemical waste has led to heavy pollution of the waters in the area.

Values impact choices.  Environmental issues are often seen as of less consequence in Louisiana with its emphasis on being an oil and gas rich state than they are in places like Oregon where reducing waste has been the order of the day for more than 30 years.  In the 1970’s people were found squashing and flattening cans with their feet in Oregon  in order to reduce tin can rubbish in the landfills.  Oregon also prides itself on its good water from lakes and streams, pointing to Bull Run water in Portland as the hallmark of the best.  Portlanders are quick to brag about the water, as having good, clean water to drink is considered a significant value in the state of going green.

On the other hand, Louisiana’s pride extends to the Saints, the food, Mardi Gras events and anything goes, and often that “anything goes” means healthy water.  Pressure on politicians to save the environment does not match that of ensuring that the productivity of oil and gas remains without interruption, even at the risk of people’s lives.

Already there are legal issues being raised by hydraulic fracturing from the Haynesville Shale, said to be poisoning cows that have been drinking water spilled from a natural gas wellpad.

Louisiana’s beauty in its foliage, fauna and flowing waters gives an atmosphere of nature at its finest; but it takes more than that to really going green.  It means valuing what faith and ethics offers most: the benefits for the overall health of the community as a foundation for a wholesome life.  So long as there is little demand placed upon politicians to ensure environmental safety, and a willingness to accept contamination as the price to pay for corporate bucks from oil and gas, boil advisories will likely continue to be part of Louisiana life when man ignores nature.

Ethics in recession, license to steal in bankruptcy plans

 

[caption id="attachment_13349" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Empty Pockets by Daniel Moyle"][/caption]

Editor - He's the guy who complains about politicians, about people ripping him off, about the poor values in the community and why people don't go to church, and those shiftless people who won't work; but this everyman is every bit as much of a thief and liar as those he accuses these days.

This is the kind of man who lives in many communities across America.  He smiles and waves, picks up the mail and goes to work.  He complains about the President, the national debt, and talks about the high price of food, gas and everyday items.  All the while he piles up credit card debt, buys a fine house, gives his children the best, and spends beyond his means.

Finally he can't pay the bills anymore.  He has been laid off his job and had to look for another.  But unlike some people with a few cash reserves, he has none.  He has lived, not within his means for years; and now the bills are due.

For months he planned his bankruptcy. He had more than $160,000 worth of credit card debt, owned an expensive home, wasn't working at the time, nor was his wife. When he went bankrupt in some ways he stole from all of us.

Mr. Joe, whose name is changed because it is the incident more than the name that is important, was just the guy on a street in America.  His home had a pool and all of the comforts. The mortgage never got paid much because as the value increased, he borrowed on it to continue his lifestyle no matter what.

By opening up credit cards and loans at banks Mr. Joe was able to keep on spinning, in ways most people would not suspect.  He continued to shop as he always had done, until just before that six months wait, the time he needed to file bankruptcy without being accused of fraud..

He planned carefully, maintained just enough equity in his home, but not too much, so it wouldn't be taken away.  He took cash advances on those credit cards to help him get by those six months planned before leaping into bankruptcy court.

Bankruptcies have been increasing, and Joe is one in a line of them. The problem is that Joe is part of that hidden problem that rose to the top and created problems for everyone else. Some Joes shift money to children, some to offshore banks. The laws of the states make that possible. Some encourage it, for various reasons. In the meantime the regular bill-payer gets socked with the result. The Joes move money because they can and are protected in doing it, while others go down when the money is gone.

Several things happen when Joe does what he did. All those creditors end up losing money. They have to get it back somehow to stay in business, whether they are banks or department stores. They raise fees or simply shuffle money around to stay in business. Department stores do the same. Now these financial institutions are breaking, not just because of their greed but because people like Joe decided he could do what he did and did it and had a beer with us just like old times.

Joe didn't steal because he needed food.  He wanted to live well and he did.  He attends church, smiles and makes his hellos to friends and neighbors as he always has done.

Joe is one of those hidden thieves that likely helped bring down the United States financial sectors, and with it much of the world, while he smiles and goes about the business of the day all the while complaining about the mess we're in.

That's the villain economists say did us in, just as Wall Street tycoons and the rest of the crowd, one of our neighbors,  or maybe one of us.