Friday, October 1, 2010

Moral Ground

 Moral Ground finally came out.Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril I was invited about a year and a half ago to join a group of 80 scholars producing a book entitled Moral Ground: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_12?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=moral+ground+ethical+action+for+a+planet+in+peril&sprefix=Moral+Ground, Ethical Action For a Planet in Peril. The idea was to gather the views of a diverse group of theologians and religious leaders, naturalists,scientists,elected officials, business leaders, activists and writers to present a compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibility to the planet.

According to the introductory paragraph on the cover page; in face of environmental degradation, species extinction and climate change , scientific knowledge alone does not tell us what we ought to do. Nor can political processes or economic incentives give us all the answers. The missing premise of the argument and the much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance and principled reasons for doing the right thing for the future of our planet, its animals, its plants and its people.
People like Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, Thomas Friedman, Archbishop Bartholomew, Archbishop Tutu, Wangari Maathai,  and Seyyed Hossein Nasr are among the co-authors of this book.

The title of my essay in the book is " Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine." I have stressed upon the importance of leadership and the lack of spiritual directions and compassion in the leadership of the world today.
Stemming from different religions and cultural backgrounds the message is clear we are facing a moral challenge in dealing with the degradation of the global environment. We might be the first species which has initiated its extinction by its wrongdoings and excesses or  we might take heed, repent for our sins and  change course, its our call.  

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