Why ethics don’t work

I think that in order to understand ethics we have to look to something more fundamental than ethics and that is the nature of desire. Whether people desire an object or they are afraid of an object, what are they looking for? In reality they are looking for lasting happiness. They are looking for a sense of being at home that will not come to an end.

Objects cannot provide what they don’t have
But the problem is that the objects that people look for such as wealth, relationships and security cannot provide the happiness that they just don’t have. Happiness comes from the place where you actually experience it and you don’t experience it in objects, you experience happiness in your own Self-Nature. Understanding this is the beginning of spiritual practice, which can go incredibly deep, deeper than words can describe.
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Not understanding this is the beginning of suffering, which is intolerable, because it goes against our nature. And so we inexorably run towards things that we think will provide us with happiness and run away from the things that we think will make us miserable.

We make the best decisions when we stand in our true nature
With this background let’s talk about ethics. The only way to have ethical behavior is to know where happiness really lies. This does not tell you how to act. Rather it tells you where to come from so that you can make the best decisions that are beneficial to all. In other words when you already have the happiness that you need, you are in the best position to make ethical decisions.

We often hear about the virtues of living an ethical life. And yet so few of us can actually do it. Even if we don’t kill people or rob our neighbors, we find ourselves slipping up here and slipping up there. We tell little white lies that make us look better than we really think we are. We notice that the store clerk gives us more change than is due, but we don’t say a thing.

Ethics has many extenuating circumstances
And even if we try to do the little things right, when applied, ethics can become very confusing. For instance if the Roman soldiers come to your doorstep and ask, “Is Jesus there?” do you lie to them and say “No!” or tell the truth and send him off to his death?

Is a doctor unethical if he or she tries to earn more money rather than save the life of someone who couldn’t possibly pay him, so the doctor can send his kids through college? Or is a stockbroker unethical who intentionally sells his client a bad stock so that he can enrich his self? And that’s because the broker’s wife is sick and needs an expensive operation.

And then what about ethical wars?
When is a war just and when is it unjust? After World War Two it might be easy to see that the German cause was unjust while the Allies cause was just. But during the war it was hard for many millions of people to distinguish between what was ethical and unethical.

This is because our desire for fulfillment is much stronger than our ability to live by some ethical rules. And so people are willing to fight to gain the things they think they want, and to destroy all the people that they think are obstacles to obtaining these things.

Lasting happiness comes from within and is not in the world
But the thing that people really want is to find the lasting happiness and that only comes from one place: your own Self-Nature. If you can find this place, you will automatically live an ethical life, regardless of your circumstances. And most important you will discover the real purpose of life.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience happiness right at its source. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

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                                                                        Michael Gluckman