Reflections on unity and living well
By John F. Sase, Ph.D.
Gerard J. Senick, general editor
Julie G. Sase, copyeditor
William A. Gross, researcher
“Do or do not ... There is no try.”
—Master Yoda, from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” (Lucasfilm, 1980)
“The number 42: ‘The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything’”
—Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (Pan Books, 1979)
In order to sustain and to thrive, the fields of Economics and Law depend upon the harmonious unity of diverse resources and upon the montage of human culture. Though the United States does not have an official language, the one that we most commonly use one is English, specifically, American English, which is the de facto national language (“FYI: English Isn’t the Official Language of the United States,” by Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 15 June 2018). Americans speak many other languages in the United States. These include indigenous languages as well as those brought to the country by colonists; enslaved peoples; and immigrants from Europe, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. We also have several languages—including Creole and Sign Language—that developed in the United States; next to English, Spanish currently is the most popular language in America. Approximately 430 languages are spoken or signed by the population, of which 176 are indigenous to the area. Fifty-two languages formerly spoken in the country’s territories have become extinct; most of them are Native languages.
Our greatest asset in Detroit and Southeast Michigan could be the people who form our cultural mosaic of different language-groups from many geographic regions of the world. The population of our area speaks at least 126 languages at home. Twelve percent of people ages five and over use a language other than English at home in the Metro Area (“Census Bureau Reports at Least 350 Languages Spoken in U.S. Homes”, Release Number CB15-185, 3 November 2015).
The unity of a people depends collectively on building and maintaining a strong economy. Economic development depends upon laws. Through the political media and the blame laid upon large cultures for the extreme acts of violence by small groups, the fragmentation of human society and the marginalization of specific groups undermine the evolution of our local, national, and global societies and economies.
Bringing people together in harmonious unity enables us to extend a vast trade network outward to every country in the world. However, in order to accomplish this task, we need to develop and to adhere to a code of living that integrates and transcends the philosophies, religious beliefs, and day-to-day social behavior of our culturally rich members.
Over the decades, I (Dr. Sase) have explored and reflected on ideas and traditions that appear as the roots of most of our active cultures and religious traditions today. Many early traditions, older suggestions, and rules for living translate well into our modern concepts and languages. During this holiday season, we adhere to the practices of our numerous “Celebrations of Light.”
Many traditions have built their sets of rules and celebrations for living upon Forty-Two Ideals, a listing of essential elements of behavior that come from antiquity. These Ideals refer to ancient laws, philosophies, and concepts that promote order, balance, truth, reciprocity, harmony, righteousness, morality, and justice. Some scholars suggest that the Ideals have inspired about 80% of our modern Codes for Living in sacred texts worldwide.
In pre-Judaic pre-Christian, pre-Muslim eras, the peoples of the greater Mediterranean region attributed these Ideals to the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice, and Order. Archeological research suggests that a Deity known as Ma’at first surfaced during the period of the Old Kingdom (2613 – 2181 BCE). However, scholars note that this entity and his/her ideals likely existed in earlier forms. Usually, the cultures of that era depicted this Deity as a winged woman. As a goddess, she often appears with a white ostrich feather atop her head. In Egyptian spirituality, this feather served as an essential tool in the “Heart of the Soul” ceremony, which determined and directed the journey to the afterlife. During the funeral, the priest who conducted the service weighed the deceased’s essence of the soul against a feather’s weight on the Scales of Justice. Persons having led a good life would have a Heart of the Soul as light as a feather.
Many cultures personify this Deity as the god/goddess who transformed the universe from chaos to order at the moment of creation. Also, they credit this entity with guiding the actions of mortals. The Forty-Two Ideals were recorded in the Pyramid Texts more than 4,300 years ago. Many of our ancestors considered these ideals as the norm for nature and human society in this world and the next. However, in studying the Forty-Two Ideals, we may wonder whether they represent thought collections from even earlier times of our human development. As recorded in the Pyramid Texts, these Ideals represent the standards for nature and society in both this world and the next. The Pyramid Texts have survived as a collection of ancient Egyptian religious inscriptions carved on the walls and sarcophagi in the pyramids at the Saqqara Necropolis. To people of those times, these ideals represented the ethical and moral principles that every person should follow throughout his/her daily life.
The Ideals represent the ethical and moral principles that all Egyptian citizens expected to follow throughout their daily lives. These citizens were expected to act with honor and truth in matters involving Deity, family, community, nation, and environment. The principles for living a good life still resonate throughout the literature and oral histories of modern cultures and traditions. Perhaps by considering their sources, we may reconcile our differences and unite the various cultural and religious standards that exist now at the sunrise of the Age of Aquarius.
The fields of Economics and Law do not develop within a void. Both disciplines unify through the study of Sociology, Political Science, Spirituality, and many other behavioral fields. Law and Economics take root in morality, the production of goods and services, and the buying and selling of them. Therefore, these fields always have revolved around issues involving greed and the humane treatment of workers and the global environment. Law always has focused upon fundamental right from wrong as well as upon justice and mercy.
Ancient cultures and current ones of indigenous peoples have understood the interconnectedness of all. More specifically, as noted above, Law and Economics depend upon the harmonious unity of diverse resources and human cultures to sustain and to thrive. In past episodes, we have considered worldly philosophies referencing older traditions and rules for living and understanding. Since these Forty-Two Ideals exist as one of these codes, the thoughts may survive with as much relevance today as they did in the Third Millennium BCE. Also, these Ideals translate well into our modern languages and concepts. I have taken and reflected upon them in my own words, not as a religion, but as essential tools for understanding our human culture. To make better sense of these prescriptions for living, I have synthesized this presentation from multiple sources. I merged the seeds of these thoughts into unification of positive affirmations and negative confessions, augmented with explanatory notes and reflections for modern times expressed in contemporary English.
The Forty-two Ideals expressed as positive affirmations and negative confessions
1) Let us honor virtue and not miss the mark. We should honor the virtue of integrity as realized and as voluntarily attained by each human being. In its essence, virtue is the Golden Rule: We should not do to our fellow humans that which is hateful to ourselves. We may consider integrity as good manners, benevolent love, hope, justice, temperance, peace, and kindness. We also may reflect upon faithfulness, self-control, and forgiveness, among many other virtues.
2) Let us benefit with gratitude, not through robbery with violence.
Appreciation affirms the world’s goodness and the benefits that we receive from it. The source of this goodness lies outside of ourselves as we acknowledge that higher powers and other humans help us to achieve this goodness.
3) Let us remain peaceful and not steal. We should remain so because peace of mind prevents stress and anxiety in our lives by making us calm while awakening our inner strength and confidence. Though peacefulness remains independent of external conditions, it helps us to connect better with others.
4) Let us respect the property of others and not slay them. We should respect the rights of others to their property because this behavior helps us to get along with them. Through the harmony of positive interaction and respect, all of us may feel more valued, more safe, and more secure.
5) Let us affirm all life as sacred by not stealing food from others. We should affirm this sacredness because everything interconnects within life. Our Spirituality, Politics, and Economics intertwine. The indigenous peoples on our planet often refer to this belief with the term “Earth Ethic.” When we realize the sacredness of Water, Air, Earth, and Energy, we become one with all.
6) Let us give offerings that are genuine and not swindled. Giving real offerings reflects our sincerity in our concern for others. As a result, the world around us produces authentic effects in the lives of all. Perhaps this reminds us that we should consider that tax deductions and potential notability merely represent the byproducts rather than our philanthropic purpose.
7) Let us live in truth rather than with deception. Living in truth brings us to wholeness and clears higher consciousness. Deceiving others offers only false riches and superficial success. Lust for power, possessions, and pleasure that we have witnessed daily in the media falsely appears to be the correct path. In reality, it leads to the inner death of our humanity.
8) Let us regard all altars with respect and not steal from any Deity. We should consider all altars with care because many paths lead to the level at which higher truths and consciousness exist. Since ancient times, humans have respected these sites as the place, point, or vortex at which the divine and human worlds interact.
9) Let us speak with sincerity rather than through lies. We should talk with sincerity because it constitutes the bold, arduous path to moral perfection. When we understand right from wrong, our sincere speech helps us to “do what we say” while avoiding the opposite.
10) Let us consume only our fair share. We need to take only that share because of the scarcity of world resources. We find these resources spread across our planet to greater or lesser degrees of equality. Impartiality and honesty define the economics of a fair share, explaining the economics of freedom compared to unfair self-interest, prejudice, and favoritism. This practice forms the basis for “Knowing, Liking, and Trusting” a trading partner in business relations.
11) Let us offer words of good intent and not curse. Terms with good intention serve exceptionally well in situations of great struggle. On a battlefield, soldiers often envision the enemy as either subhuman or nonhuman. Words of good intent include calling those we confront as brave, enduring, honorable, sincere, and loyal to their cause. Are these not the terms that we would want opponents to call us in such situations?
12) Let us relate to one another in peace, not commit adultery nor close our ears to truth. We should relate to others in peace because this forms the path to the ideal of freedom and happiness among people. This sense of world peace reflects the idea of planetary nonviolence by which nations cooperate willingly to prevent warfare—a cessation of hostility amongst all humanity. Do the positive sides of these behaviors not help to preserve peace, harmony, and family stability at the smaller community level?
13) Let us honor animals with reverence and not commit bestiality. We should keep animals revered because of inherent value and equality of life, both human and nonhuman. As a species, have we forgotten our place in the food chain? Have we ignored our responsibility for dominion practiced on this planet? Ethical stewardship involves protecting animals from unnecessary exploitation and suffering.
14) Let us remain trustworthy and neither bring sadness to others nor feel sorrow without reason. We should be reliable because being trusted provides a greater good than being loved. On a higher plane, the ability to trust others requires that we remain knowledgeable and well-informed. Only then can we as humans trust one another to govern ourselves.
15) Let us care for the Earth and not assault anyone. We should care for the Earth because we have dominion, but not absolute control, over it. We have neither the moral right nor the technical ability to exercise complete regulation and to exploit this planet. As the dominant sentient beings, we remain responsible for guarding, protecting, and serving as stewards of the Earth.
16) Let us keep council and not deceive ourselves or others. This act means that we should be discreet, careful, and circumspect in what we say concerning our thoughts, deeds, or situations. In addition, we should keep the appropriate secrets of others in confidence.
17) Let us speak positively of others and not contrive to steal their property. Not speaking positively of others produces negative attitudes and conversations that act like diseases, which devour the “Essence of Being” in our minds, bodies, and spirit. When directed within a group, positive-speak helps to unite while negative-speak alienates and destroys. Actions that infringe on the physical and intellectual property of others lead to the destruction of trust and trade-benefits.
18) Let us remain balanced with our emotions by the avoidance of eavesdropping. Keeping our feelings balanced plays a critical role in achieving happiness, success, and lasting relationships. Medical science tells us that people who age best have positive feelings and experience positive actions in their lives. Our ability to remain emotionally intelligent helps to keep our nervous systems in balance, ensuring that our immune systems can preserve and repair our bodies.
19) Let us be trustful in our relationships and not falsely accuse anyone. Trust is the foundation for building strong bonds with others. Research suggests that trust serves as an essential ingredient in any healthy relationship as we define trustworthiness by honesty and dependability. Speaking falsely about comrades in arms or those who oppose us only serves to erode any sense of reliability.
(Continued) ...
