Consider innate ethics in our candidates

Regardless of religion or any other belief or nonbelief, there exists an ethic that is innate to people that has been with us for hundreds of thousands of years. It was there before Moses, before the Buddha and yes before any imaginal spiritual teaching. And it is the ground on which all ethical systems are founded.

You don’t have to go to school or join any group to discover that you prefer to feel good and are averse to suffering. These desires are innate to each of us. All we have to do to pay attention to how our body reacts. We all feel better when around people who exhibit the positive inner qualities of kindness, patience, tolerance, forgiveness and generosity.

Likewise, we all feel worse when around those who exhibit the negative qualities of greed, malice, hatred and bigotry. It seems to me that a more harmonious society can be created if we value the positive qualities, we each feel. It’s totally natural and part of us. We were born this way.

So, it puzzles me that we would forgo these qualities when choosing leaders. Surely, the bullying, demeaning, lying, defiance and boasting we see from this administration isn’t doing any of us any good as it decreases the harmony and cooperation necessary to create a better world.

Unethical behavior respects no law or cultural norm. And it feels bad. Isn’t this obvious? Surely, we can do better by voting for candidates with the inner qualities that best reflects the ethics innate to all of us.

John S Strauss

Campton Hills