Saturday, February 4, 2017

"YOU THINK THIS COUNTRY IS SO INNOCENT ? " President Trump's ethics struggle...February 4, 2017

Tonight President Trump said, “ You think this country is so innocent?” I'm glad to hear that challenging statement for it is true. Many Americans would usually be strongly provoked by such a statement. But it is true and history abounds in reminding us how we, along with our moral accomplishments, have terrorized both our own citizens beginning with slavery and denying others civil rights, and other countries in  some  of our warring efforts.  To own this difficult reality is to come to a higher consciousness and able to be more ethical in the future.  To make ethical progress.

Sadly Mr. Trump did not make his statement in the context of grieving our national shadow and expressing a kind of true repentance for wrongs done. But in the context of condoning the war crimes against Crimea and others by  present Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The president made his statement as a rebuff to any who are expressing concern that while he is wanting to generally ban Muslim countries and refugees, he also said tonight in this same context, “It is a good thing that we get along with Russia.”

These seemingly thoughtless inconsistencies I think expose the President as frequently failing  to give serious thought to ethics and 'right' and 'just' behavior from ones self toward others. Our Christian heritage could still provide our Christian citizens with the reasons and courage to own our own shadow ( “First, clean the inside of your own cup”, for example ), to recognize unethical attitudes and behaviors in our own story.  And to also not rush to approve, for our own convenience, unethical behavior in others (“ Unethical companionship corrupts good morals.”). This seems to me what Mr. Trump has consistently been doing with respect to Mr. Putin, his apparent most admired foreign leader. Do Americans want to condone this kind of unethical imbalance our President is displaying? Or do we let him know we expect a change from him?

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