"Ethics teach us the mysteries of morality, and
the nature of affections, virtues and manners, as
by them we may be guided to our highest happiness." __ Thomas Traherne, "Centuries"
It is no longer customary for men to take off their opponents' heads, to boast of their own achievements after dinner, or to buy less fortunate people into slavery - all aspects of the ancient Celtic world that are not missed.
Manners and moral codes may alter, but not the structures that underlie. Ethics are the invisible scaffolding upon which our actions are built and without which life would be insupportable. Ethical
conduct follows an unwritten law that runs in every part of the world, forming a path for all action. Becoming sensitive to its dictates is like acquiring taste, poise or insight. Its invisible lines run laser-straight from our soul to the object of our consideration. Sensing the dynamic of that tug is like sailing a ship and having to be attentive to the winds and currents that move our vessel.
Ethics uphold the right, privileges, and identity of every living soul: a maintenance that stretches to include the soul of what we may previously have considered inanimate or lifeless - the land, growing things, animals. Our subtle interrelatedness to all life walk these ethical lines, and when we are insensitive to the lines - when we forget that interrelatedness - we sever them. If any action that we undertake warps or threatens to sever the soul-lines of ethical connection, we may be sure that there is something intrinsically wrong with our idea or our approach.
"Meditate upon a future plan. Visualize the line that stretches between you and it. Is there any discomfort or tug on the line? What is causing it? Does your plan uphold the dignity and rights of all who are involved in or affected by it?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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