Global Values
A New Paradigm for a New World
by Karin Miller
X. Integrity
The word integrity is frequently used to refer to honesty and adherence to ethical standards. When we act with integrity, we honor our word and act with moral character. on a personal level, if we do things that go against our morals—outward actions that do not match our internal value system—we create internal divisions and conflicts. When we are at odds internally, we fall out of integrity with ourselves. on a societal level, we also make commitments to behave in accordance with agreements with other people, communities, businesses, and nations. If we break those promises, we are out of integrity with others. Integrity can also be viewed as a state of being whole and refer to the integrated and connected nature of our world. When we remember our oneness—that we are a small part in a large universe of creation— we act in alignment with the whole of which we are a part.
Our current isolationist paradigm can undermine both our moral character and the integrity of the whole. Our societies—and we as individuals—continue to act in ways that may have short-term benefit but are self-destructive in the long run. For example, in the quest for increasingly scarce natural resources, rather than cooperating to solve the problems caused by this scarcity, countries go to war and allow others to lay waste to the environment. As we exhaust the world’s resources and make choices that damage our environment, we threaten the future of other species and humanity. On an individual level, we may find that our jobs require us to do things that we would not do if the choice were left up to us, but rather than speaking out and maintaining our integrity, we choose to go along with the program for a quiet life, or to protect our standard of living. Many of us choose to focus on our own immediate needs and desires, and in doing this we often ignore the good of the whole, forgetting that we ourselves benefit from the well-being of others and our environment. If we do not start respecting the integrity and integrated nature of all life, and adopt such values as a basis for our conduct, there may come a time when life will no longer be able to sustain us.
We live by social agreements and contracts.
Humans are social beings. We depend on each other for survival, and every society operates within a complex network of intra-societal agreements made among the members at all levels—individual, family, group, community, and country. Members of communities have unwritten agreements which can determine local social norms, mores, and practices. These understandings determine acceptable behavior within the community, for example, how we queue for a bus or train, whether or not we clap our hands at the end of a performance, the etiquette of local hospitality, and even what is or is not to be eaten. Of course, formal agreements and contracts can also be made among individuals and businesses to outline the proper functioning of some defined interaction or transaction, and they can be made to cover almost any situation imaginable. We even make agreements with ourselves, usually in an effort to change or improve our lives, for example, to eat healthier food, to exercise, or to save money. By making these agreements we enter into formal and informal contracts which define a set of rules for our conduct, and we generally accept that honoring our agreements and contracts equates to acting with integrity.
At the broadest level, when nations are formed and governed by an overall set of rules that acknowledges the power of the rulers and the ruled it is understood that the nation has a social contract. The state and the people contract with each other, and they are both responsible for upholding the social contract. In other words, people agree to accept political authority and to operate under a set of rules in exchange for the social contract which grants them certain freedoms, rights, and protections in relation to each other, the state, and other states or countries. Societies governed by a social contract are unlike dictatorships or totalitarian states in which everyone has agreed—often by force or default—that all the power will be held by the dictator or central authority. When a social contract is violated by an individual, that person may be penalized or lose his freedom, and a state that violates the social contract may be held to account by the people.
Regardless of whether a country operates by social contract or not, intra-societal rules are often codified in laws that govern the functioning of society. These can cover a wide variety of topics including the rules of the road, political processes, financial systems, and all other areas that society has agreed should be governed by law. On an international scale, our inter-societal agreements outline how countries relate to each other in terms of their economies, trade, laws, and security. For example, many countries have agreed that certain interest rates in their national economies are affected by the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and many currency exchange rates are tied to other currencies. Trade agreements may provide certain rules for conducting business and exchanging goods and services. Extradition treaties allow for the repatriation of citizens who flee justice in their own country. Security treaties can, for example, allow countries to share information about their citizens, form military alliances in the event of war, and regulate the sale, exchange, and provision of weapons.
In essence, through agreements both simple and complex, we have created rules for how we interact within and between groups of all sizes. These agreements are the basis for our social structures, and generally speaking—i.e., when all parties have agreed and accepted the contract—we act with integrity by upholding our end of the agreement. When we fail to maintain our side of the bargain the agreement or contract is broken, and we fall out of integrity.
Social contracts can be changed and gained.
One of the challenges faced by many societies today is that some of our collective agreements reflect an outdated isolationist paradigm. Such outdated agreements manifest imbalances across societies and environments, resulting in the spread of inequality and environmental degradation. Not only have these imbalances led to the breakdown of the social fabric in many places, they may lead to our ultimate demise if we do not shift our thinking and our paradigm. If we hope to have a future, we cannot continue in these ways.
A most glaring example of imbalance is the rampant greed and consumerism plaguing many societies at the expense of the environment. In the pursuit of material gain, it is easy to forget the environment, our countries, our societies, our communities, and even our families. Money-driven decisions and practices are not only valued by consumers who want to acquire as much as they can, but also by producers who knowingly sacrifice the environment and the physical, mental, and financial health of their workforces in the race to produce more and more in order to gain bigger and bigger profits. We know such practices are unhealthy for individuals and the entire world, and we know something must change to be sustainable in the long run.
Our social contracts often reflect the values of those in power, but the good news is that social contracts are subject to change. The establishment may choose to grant new rights or freedoms of its own accord, or the people may choose to demand them. If the cost of abiding by rules and values we do not agree with is outweighed by the benefits we stand to gain, then we can choose to deviate from the social norm and work to change it. In societies that do not have an agreed social contract, people can join forces to lobby the government for one. When enough people disagree with the status quo and they choose to promote and act in accordance with their personal values, new laws can be enacted to reflect the new values and the will of the people.
Over the last two hundred years we have seen examples of beneficial changes to social contracts in many countries. These changes include the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and civil rights movements. Other major changes to social contracts in the 20th century were achieved in Europe and North America by trade union movements that fought for workers’ rights, child labor laws, and health and safety regulations. In Asia and Africa, anti-colonial struggles led to the emancipation of former colonies, thereby altering the social contract and allowing the colonies to establish themselves as free nations. More recently, people are coming together to demand environmental justice, social equality, and animal rights.
Granted, as change emerges, there can be great resistance from those who favor old ways. Movements emerge to enforce old fundamentalist perspectives, to deny equality and to fight new laws that would enforce more collaborative and holistic viewpoints. Corporations lobby government to reduce regulation and the wealthiest individuals fund political campaigns to influence legislation. However, when a critical mass of people come together in support of new values, we can turn the tide of social norms. This can lead to anything from the creation and fulfillment of emerging markets—for example, "green" and sustainable services and organic, biodegradable, and recyclable products—to changes in the law and new social contracts being agreed. By acting together, we can be the catalysts for evolving social contracts and evolving humanity. When we act with integrity to support and protect the integrity of the whole, we are integral players in the manifestation of a new holistic paradigm that will work for all of us.
A holistic approach integrates apparent opposites.
In Chinese philosophy, the concept of Yin and Yang describes the universe, our world, and ourselves as dynamic systems of forces continually balancing themselves. It suggests that apparently competing and contrary forces can be understood as complementary and interdependent. Not only are they inherently interconnected, such opposing forces give rise to each other. For example, the shadow is merely an absence of light. As the Earth rotates around our Sun, the elements of light and dark manifest on our planet, yet they come from a single, dynamic system. Fire and water, male and female, hot and cold—all can be viewed as reflections of one source shifting and taking different forms under varying conditions and circumstances.
The Yin Yang symbol also has a dot representing the opposite force within each element; there is a small black dot in the white half and a small white dot in the black half. This symbolizes a balance between the two opposites with a little bit of the other intermingled in each side. Together, they make a unified whole.
In the thick of direct conflict between polarized viewpoints, it can be challenging to see commonality and interdependence among the parties. If we are stuck in an "us versus them" mentality, common ground is difficult to find. It as if we are only seeing the Yin side or the Yang side, but not both sides swirling together and somewhat overlapping. However, by rising above the conflict to understand the interests of both sides, it is possible to arrive at compromises and new approaches that bring balance and new possibilities to all. Our paradigm and worldview, including our values, either enable such an integrative, holistic perspective or prohibit it. When we adopt values rooted in the oneness and interconnectedness of all things, a more holistic, elevated approach becomes possible. Otherwise, we may get stuck in a limited view of just the black or just the white rather than the two working together in a push and pull of interconnected, interdependent forces.
Our own actions can also manifest as either positive or negative, depending on our values and worldview. For example, globalization can be beneficial under a holistic paradigm, providing people with the opportunity to collaborate and help each other in ways previously unimaginable. On the other hand, if domination and control of others takes priority over collaboration, globalization can result in negative consequences. Of course, what is viewed as positive and negative also changes depending on our values. A corporation seeking to increase its profits may view corporate domination in other counties as positive, while the people who face resulting pollution and environmental degradation will view it as negative. Our values shape our approach to life and, depending on our worldview, can produce very different results.
Polarities can be found in everything, including Global Values themselves. For instance, on one level the value of freedom may seem to be in diametric opposition to the value of community. If one wishes to be free, wouldn’t the freedom to make one’s own choices be prioritized over choices that support the community? From an integrative, holistic perspective, however, such dichotomies can be viewed as complementary and symbiotic. We acknowledge the inherent tension between the desire for individual freedoms, on the one hand, and the need for community and, for example, collective national security, on the other. Without coming together to implement security systems and protocols, we may not be able to fully enjoy our individual freedoms within society. Therefore, we agree to certain security measures, which may restrict our personal freedoms such as rules and procedures for air travel. We make such trade-offs in order to protect our freedom to express our viewpoints, practice freedom of religion, and enjoy freedom of the press. Likewise, while democratic principles uphold our individual rights and freedom, they also promote equal rights, and opportunity for all. We can value freedom in the context of community structures that support both the individual and the whole. Ultimately, our goal is to find a marriage and balance of the polarities in ourselves and the world: masculine and feminine, light and dark, and even heaven and hell. Global Values, and the value of integrity in particular, can serve as a vehicle for such understanding and a framework for applying a holistic perspective to our lives. By adopting this worldview, we come to recognize that apparent opposites are part of one greater whole—two sides of the same coin.
We all have the opportunity to act with integrity.
Each of us has the opportunity for both integrity within ourselves and integrity with others, in alignment with the integrity—or integrated nature—of all that is. Inwardly, we choose whether or not to align with our own values and commitments to ourselves. Outwardly, we choose whether or not to uphold the rules and laws of our societies, and whether or not to honor our agreements and contracts with others. Finally, we align our personal and societal integrity with the integrated nature of the whole. To do this, we adopt values that support a healthy and sustainable world, and choose to serve as an integral part of the whole. As we each individually act in accordance with values that support a healthy and sustainable world, we find others who share those values. As we join forces to manifest our shared values, a world begins to emerge that reflects our inner beliefs and desires. In this way, we integrate our inner world with the outer.
Valuing integrity, and honoring the integrity and oneness of the whole, is neither a negation of our individuality and diversity, nor is it a drive toward homogenization. The goal is not to end our individuality, but to respect and support the uniqueness and individuality of all things. Just as each cell in the human body takes on certain roles for the proper functioning of the whole, each person fulfills certain functions within society and life itself. We are integral parts of the body of life, and when our diverse roles serve the benefit of the collective, they serve us. To value integrity is to experience our separate material forms while resting in the knowledge of our connection to all things. When we take an integrative, holistic approach to the polarities and conflicts we face in our world, we emerge from the night of illusion to the birth of a new world. When we take actions based in these principles, our smaller self-centered selves are incinerated by our commitment to the whole, and together we rise like a phoenix from our own ashes. With such transformation, we create the possibility of living in community and communion with each other, integrated and whole, embraced by the power of an all-encompassing love.