Until the end...

As a species sharing the planet with the rest of the plants and animals we have been tasked with subduing and caring for the planet by God.

From the time there were only two of us humans on the planet to the 7 Billion of us today we have done a pretty good job.  Go to some of the photography collections on google+ and take a look.  There are two types of wonders in the world, those produced by nature and those produced by the ingenuity of man that are breathtaking. 

That isn't to say that there are not abuses because there are.  A person can drill down and put a place or event under focus and point out how horrible we are as a species in our stewardship of the world.  For the most part these are not much more than acme on the cheeks of a young teenager that with a bit of attention will go away and be forgotten.

At this point it would be easy to delve into some specifics covering corruption, business disregard for the environment, government overreach, lack of charity and right down killing each other but I won't.  Look at the news, you can see it all for yourself.  So what are the motivations for these terrible things, is there a relativity to it all?  After all, there a 7 Billion of us and room for at least that many more.

First let's look at motivation.  First thing to realize is we are flawed.  It is a purposeful flawing as part of the plan of salvation that we all agreed to in heaven before we were given a body that we would come to the earth and participate.  The body our spirit was breathed into at conception is a carnal object seeking sensation and good feelings.  Our spirit that once resided with God wants to be obedient to God's will but has to win domination over the body.  That isn't easy.  The failure of us to exercise our spirits will over that of the body generally results in sin, but not always. 

There are some things God wants our spirit to do. 

1. Be ethical.  That is do the right thing.  Doesn't matter if that is with interaction with people or the planet.
2. Have integrity.  So that our will doesn't have cracks or holes that lets in things that are contrary to Gods plan like envy, lust, hate, greed and so on. That means we are to be consistent in our actions as we do the ethical things.
3. Have charity.  Charity starts at home.  It is a responsibility for each of us to take care of ourselves first, then our families, our community and then the rest of the world if we have excess. 
4. Have courage.  That is to be strong in the face of adversity and do the right thing.  That could be physical courage where there is risk of harm to yourself to help another or the mental courage to admit in the face of ridicule or worst a mistake or wrong doing.

There are a lot more things but for the purpose of this blog I think the gist of it will be understood.

Now for those that are agnostic or atheist the same things apply only instead of recognizing that these are divine attributes you have to draw from your own strength of character to fulfill them.  There is nothing wrong with that except in order to determine what is ethical  and charitable a person as to go with tradition.  In many instances tradition which is the right way to view and behave in a particular setting, coincides with the dictates of the divine. 

Now for the relativity.  One of the things you hear politicians say as they decide a course of action that we all must follow is "We are doing this because this is what we are!", or are not as the case may be.  When it comes to the ethical thing we have an amazing faculty for rationalization where we can make ourselves think an unethical action is the right thing.  Where this really comes into play is the difference between "enlightened" developed countries like the United States and England for instance and developing countries like Mexico.  Big business gets a bum rap about their obscene profits or their callous behavior to the environment.  Even though the law permits a corporation to function as an entity onto its self it really isn't.  It is run by people.  Those people have a struggle with the four items I've listed above.  For most it is a short struggle and we don't hear much about them.  For others, it is a losing struggle and we hear a lot about them because the impact their decisions have on you and me can be substantial like tax money used in government bailouts.  When it comes to companies operating in the United States compared to those in China as an example the U.S. has set limits on actions as a protection for people and the environment.  These regulations are relatively stronger in the United States than in other countries.  That is why with little exception our water is safe to drink anywhere, or swim in.  The air is cleaner and healthier to breath even in the worst parts like the Los Angeles basin compared to Beijing.  All the good things about us and our country goes on and on. 

The actions of the people in the world fluctuates good too bad to good again.  There are those that want to impose their will on others in the name of some religion or another or just because they think they are stronger or smarter in which case they strive to beguile those they wish to control to their way of thinking.  No matter how you slice the world condition it starts and ends with ourselves.  The things we have control over, being ethical, having integrity and charity and the courage to admit our faults and stand up for the helpless is really what is important and makes the world better for everyone overall.  The United States is heads and shoulders ahead of the rest of the world in these things and probably stay that way till the end.