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    %RESPONSIBLE SHOULD ETHIC MORAL ACHIEVE CONTROL 890603

     What should we do?  What is ethical?   What is moral?
For what are we responsible?  What should be in control?

     Humans  can  anticipate  future  conditions   through
understanding and prediction.   This anticipation leads to
expectations which are not merely anticipations,  but also
suggest a sense of responsibility;  we expect people to do
proper  things.    The ability to know what the future  is
likely  to be like has led to the human desire to  control
the future and to expect others to control their  behavior
so as to be in control of future consequences.

     Questions   of  responsibility,   ethics,   morality,
propriety  and what should be done originate in the  human
ability to anticipate the future in terms of knowledge  of
previous  patterns of process.   Appropriate responses  to
such  questions may properly be informed by a  recognition
of  the powers and limitations of humans with  respect  to
knowledge of and control over future events.

     Objective  processes  can  be controlled  within  the
range  of  human limitations.    Humans cannot move  stars
around in the sky,  change the past,   or determine future
events  far  beyond the limits of their finite  lifetimes.
Humans   can  not  be in full control of  reflexive  human
relationships. Attempting  to  be in control of that which
is  not  within the range of human control often leads  to
games  of   mutual self deception regarding what is  being
attempted.

     People  should not be encouraged to believe that they
should  be in control of that over which they cannot  have
control.   Questions of responsibility,  ethics,  morality
and propriety should not be answered in ways which lead to
people  playing  games  of mutual  self  deception.    The
freedom  to  be open and honest is more important than  is
the  appearance  of  responsibility,   ethical   behavior,
morality and propriety.

     We  cannot  be in control of the consequences of  all
our  behaviors.   People may respond to what we say and do
in  ways which we cannot control.   We cannot control  how
people will feel about our behavior, what they will think,
or  what  they will say.   Those are consequences  of  our
behavior which we cannot control and we should not attempt
to control.

     It   is   dangerous  to  believe  that  it   is   our
responsibility  to  control all the  consequences  of  our
behavior.    We  will  do well to  consider  the  possible
consequences of possible behaviors and make choices in the
light  of  our  limited  understanding  of  the   possible
consequences.  Yet, our knowledge is imperfect, and we can
not  know all the consequences of each possible course  of
action.     We  can  not  perfect  our  control  over  the
consequences of our behavior.   We cannot chose courses of
action  which  will  lead to  perfect  consequences.    We
deceive ourselves if we think otherwise.

     There is no perfect set of rules, ethics, guidelines,
moral  principles  or  other  injunctions  which  can   be
followed  to  properly  decide which course of  action  to
choose in each particular situation.  How might such a set
be  created?    In  terms of a  perfect  theory  of  human
consequences?  In terms of a universal agreement regarding
human proprieties?   By knowing in detail the full Will of
God.  Each such possibility becomes evident as a monstrous
absurdity  when considered in the presence of  the  loving
spirit of God.

     It  is  not the rules,  ethics,   guidelines,   moral
principles  or  other  injunctions which are  the  key  to
personal  and  communal integrity.   Rather,   it  is  the
pattern  of communal behaviors which occur upon  occasions
of   people's  failures  to  live  up  to  their   highest
aspirations  and  expectations.   No matter how  good  the
rules,  the consequences of taking them seriously are evil
if  taking them seriously leads to alienation in the  face
of  people's  failures to fulfill  them  properly.    Love
focuses  not upon rules,  but upon the  reconciliation  of
people  who  have  failed  to live  up  to  their  highest
aspirations.  Any preoccupation with any desired, intended
and/or expected perfection pertaining to rules of any kind
is likely to lead to alienation;  rather than to  personal
and communal integrity.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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