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Global ethics brought to UAS
By Kaci Hamilton
Whalesong Contributor
"And when
we say that a man is responsible for himself, we do not only mean
that he is responsible for his own individuality, but that he is
responsible for all men.” No, this is not the mission statement
for a mentoring group. It is actually the words of French philosopher,
Jean-Paul Sartre, written some 50-plus years ago. Today, in the
21st century, a little known nonprofit, non-partisan organization
known as the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE), is trying to incorporate
this style of thought, into all levels of society. Based in Camden,
ME, with offices in London, Toronto and Washington D.C., their goal
is to promote ethical behavior on a corporate, personal and even
political level. IGE hopes to have more individuals acting according
to how they desire that mankind should act. Does this sound all
too much like the beauty pageant contestant who wants world peace?
Well, not exactly. In fact, IGE has spent the last 10 years simply
building their credibility and establishing themselves as a certified
hopeful for genuine change.
Fortunately, children across the globe, the new generation
of leaders, are fueling IGE’s hope. This ray of optimism was
palpable as Paula Mirk, the Vice-President of Education for IGE,
spoke this past Friday at the first Global Connections meeting of
the semester. Mirk, who has been with the organization since 1996,
has worked in the field of education since 1979, extensively in
group facilitation and leadership. In addition, her work with elementary
and secondary school curriculums provided the keystone to the Institute’s
classroom-based programs. UAS had the honor of hosting Mirk, while
she shared the history, projects and future aspirations of IGE.
At the 1996 State of the World Forum organized by Mikhail
Gorbachov, Mirk was able to experience firsthand the potential greatness
of collective ethical thinking. Among a vast Chinese buffet of world
leaders, were Jane Goodall, John Denver, Tibetan monks, all agreeing
on the same thing: the 3 most essential values within a society
are compassion, truth and responsibility. When asked how IGE responds
to the skeptics who query whether or not they are just another American
company here to force-feed a philosophy, Mirk says, “What you
see is what you get.” In actuality, she is pleased that people
are questioning their intentions. Their presence is prompting exactly
what they strive for: critical thinking. At the end of the day,
IGE simply wants to “promote ethical behavior in individuals,
institutions and nations through research, public disclosure and
practical action”. They are very aware that what they want,
and what is possible, are two completely separate things. For example,
IGE recently worked with Israeli and Palestinian businessmen on
an economic development project in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to Mirk, the aim was to “shift the focus from what’s
different, to what they are doing together”. It’s not
a peace agreement signed by Sharon and Arafat, but it’s a start.
On a level closer to home, Mirk works closely with youngsters
in grades K-12, researching impending dilemmas and endeavoring to
incorporate ethics in classroom decision making. “We cannot
sustain ourselves if we don’t begin to act more ethically”,
Mirk says. It was the same sentiment that led Rushworth Kidder,
to create the organization. As one of the first American journalists
to cover the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, he recognized that the
continuous advance in technology was leveraging our need for global
ethics, and that something had to be done.
No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. We
can’t expect corporations to suddenly change their crooked
ways overnight. And it would be wonderful if political candidates
would agree on ethical standards and maintain a stance throughout
their campaign. However, all of this will take time. With the help
of organizations such as IGE, maybe we won’t have to wait until
the next millennium to see some change around here. It’s quite
easy to throw in the towel, with the prospect of war so close on
the horizon and nuclear development becoming a global pastime. Yet,
maybe there is something to look forward to. They aren’t assuaging
world hunger, or attempting to eradicate the prejudices that exist
worldwide. IGE’s subtle approach may be the key to prompting
people worldwide to consider not only themselves, but all people.
For further information, visit www.globalethics.org
or you may contact Elizabeth Schelle at the Office of Academics
Exchange, Mourant Building, Rm 107. She may also be contacted via
telephone at 465-6455 or email, elizabeth.schelle@uas.alaska.edu.
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