Spirituality & Virtue Ethics - Monika Brzostowska (March 2013)
Spirituality and Virtue Ethics in the Environment: Monika Brzostowska
In the Environmental field, various issues arise, such as global warming, conservation, sustainable development and many others. How to address these issues and go about solving them is one of the most important issues, if not the most important one. This is where ethics come into play. Having the right system of ethics to base one’s decisions off of is not only crucial for the well being of the global environment but it is also beneficial for one’s own well being and highly enjoyable for the Soul. The combination of spirituality and virtue ethics helps both individuals and the entirety of the human population to make the right choices in regards to the environment and solving issues and it allows being One with Nature.
Spirituality is not a separation from the world but rather it is embracing the fact that one is a part of the world and that the world is a part of one’s Self. The two are not distinct. They are intertwined, each an expression of the other. Our thoughts create our reality. If one chooses to have thoughts that are negative that align with Ego: fear, anger, jealousy, greed, and so on, then a negative world will be the result. On the other hand, if one chooses to align their thoughts with positive vibrations such as love, unity, understanding, compassion, and empathy, then there will be a world that knows peace and abundance, a world in which all can thrive. Virtue ethics is an aspect of spirituality because it is a system of ethics that places importance in one’s character and virtues, which influences their ethical behavior in a positive manner. Together they serve as an effective tool for determining solutions that ensure the health of the environment as well as the health of all of the beings found within it.
The Ego is a false construct that developed in humans, which creates the idea of separation, not only from Nature but from each other and from everything else as well. Negative emotions derive from the Ego. Greed, jealousy, fear, anger, and all actions that lead to the harm of others, whether it is physical or mental, are a result of living from the Ego. Ego attempts to convince us that humans are the center of the world and that pleasing oneself is most important. It causes one to believe that the only importance that the Earth has is for one’s own use. The goal is to live as the Soul. When one lives as the Soul, they not only experience the positive emotions, such as Love, joy, understanding, and compassion, but they are in a constant state of elevated consciousness in which they realize that that is their very essence. The Ego no longer controls them because they have understood that the Ego is an illusion. Those that follow virtue ethics also understand the significance of living in this manner. They embrace the virtues of Love, Understanding, Caring, Unity, Balance, Patience, Humbleness, Gratitude, and Empathy and their actions are a result of their life. It comes naturally because this is who they are, not what they do.
Spirituality and virtue ethics are the best ethical systems to follow when dealing with the environment because they prevent harm, promote growth, and give us guidelines as to how to appropriately handle the land and do so in a way that allows for everyone to have enough. By knowing that we are not separate from Nature but rather a part of it we would stop harming it because we would know that this would really be like hurting ourselves. Knowing that animals are sentient beings too, that every living thing possess a soul, and that all is God would also stop harm. How could we ever hurt something that is Divine and beautiful in Nature? We would never be able to hurt any animal, plant, or human if we knew that they are the same as us, that they too wish to grow, and that we are all One.
If we knew that Earth is a living being created by God and that we are here to live and grow and to assist in her growth and that we are here to be caretakers and to thrive together as a whole, then we would also know that we must help Earth and each other grow. Therefore, we would not do anything that would interfere with that growth. By knowing that there is no dualism, we can use the land appropriately. We can allow for it to take care of us and we can take care of it. We would also not take more than what we need and we would never impose on another’s home. Spirituality not only gives us guidelines as to what to do in a certain situation but it gives us an inert responsibility to do so.
Those individuals with positive character traits or virtues are more open to benefits from actions performed from a moral standpoint. They will not only produce good consequences with their actions but they will also produce additional good consequences because they themselves will gain happiness from carrying out these actions because their traits allow them to. People with such traits will enjoy the good consequences more than those that don’t own these same traits. However, this cannot be confused with selfishness or self-righteousness. Those individuals with virtues do not do things because they want to feel good, they do it because it’s the right thing to do and feeling good is a byproduct.
The deontological and teleological ethical systems are not the best systems to base decisions regarding Nature on because they cannot fully appreciate the beauty of Nature and the greatness that it is. Those who follow this approach, all too often, only care about its instrumental value and not its intrinsic value. Furthermore, we cannot always know the consequences of our actions; therefore having the best intention is much more important. Rules should not be the reason for good actions. Wanting the best for the environment is far more valuable than following rules. This is not to say that rules aren’t important but rather that rules are not necessary when acting from a moral obligation and genuine care for Nature.
The methods used for achieving results are not always moral in these systems. A simple example can be that of a child getting ice cream from their parent. The parent can either buy the ice cream or make it himself or the parent can steal the ice cream from the store or from another child. In both cases, the result is the same because the child gets ice cream. However, one action is moral and the other is not. The seriousness can of course be far greater in other various circumstances and the danger that stems from them as well. A system that has possibility for any immoral means cannot be used.
Interacting with Nature the ideal way must include acting from a spiritual and virtuous perspective. It includes doing only that which is for the highest good of the environment as well as for every being found within it, including those that are not classified as living. It means loving, respecting, and nurturing Nature, being grateful for the goods that it provides us, and appreciating the splendor. We should learn to live harmoniously with it, rather than separating ourselves from it and destroying it.
We must use spirituality and virtue ethics when making choices regarding Nature because doing otherwise would be doing injustice. Doing otherwise would mean placing ourselves above Nature, which is incorrect. It would mean allowing harm and destruction to continue. It would leave room for error and ultimately lead to complete disaster if our behaviors did not change. Any other approach wouldn’t capture the entirety of the picture and how interconnected everything truly is. It wouldn’t allow Earth to reach its highest potential and purest state and for us to do the same. If we wish to change the planet, we must first change ourselves.
