EthicalStL.org

Relationships of all kinds are like a dance. Some faith traditions, such as Hinduism, emphasize the interrelationship, richness and beauty of all of life. We must have within us the knowledge of what makes relationships succeed, be attentive to the movements of the other persons and fill our relationships with spontaneity and richness. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - lt;igt;Marcel Proustlt;/igt;

The guiding religious and ethical principle in ancient Egypt was centered around the role of harmony. The issue of ecology is essentially an ethical and religious issue of creating and maintaining a harmonious relationship with all of life. Reinhold Niebuhr defined evil as “the assertion of some self-interest without regard to the whole, whether the whole be conceived as the immediate community or the total community of humankind, or the total order of the world”. In ancient Egypt it was the people's role to keep the world harmonious. What demand is the earth making on us today, what principles might guide us in fulfilling our role as stewards, and what benefits might come to us by being our best selves in relation to the earth?

Personal caregiving at home for family and friends used to be the only option for those who need extra assistance or help, whether temporarily or for life. Today there are professional options for caregiving both for services and housing, yet there are many ethical dilemmas involved in decisions about care: issues of cost and time, of fairness and priorities, increasingly of balancing multiple caregiving responsibilities. How should we approach such difficult and often heart-wrenching questions?