The moves of scientists to decode and unravel the secrets of the human genome have long been debated for the ethical implications of such scientific actions aims to discredit some validity of the mystery of life. If you look at the religious explanation for life, it was created by a supreme being that deemed us as the dominant creature of this earth. Scientifically, they say that we are the result of millions of years of evolution whereby we have evolved from lesser creatures such as microbes who developed into ever complex organisms leading to us, Homo sapiens or the human race.
This is why Darwin was scorned by the church when he came up with the idea that people evolved from chimps and everybody knows that he was scorned then but praised now as one of the most prominent minds to ever grace this earth. If that were the case, then the separation between religion and science should always be defined and infinite meaning morality and other issues are not to influence the definition of either as time progresses. Philosophers know that people have the ability to bend the rules should a need for it be found and that does not say that the bending has been going on for as long as man has survived on this earth. Even the existence of God has been challenged again and again.
Then when does the poking and experimenting with genetics and the ability to add or subtract traits that allows plants to become more productive, animals to have better health and more. The promises of genetics are good indeed, growing organs from cells rather than transplants and the lifelong drugs to keep the immune system from rejecting the transplanted body part. But how far can we go before it becomes morally wrong, a whole human being? Life is filled with mysteries and it still is, that is the main driving force for such scientific research. Let us place this in simpler terms, would you rather have a flower opening and showing off its full glory and beauty or the opening and closing is due to molecular actions that results in a process that makes reproduction for plants to commence? You choose your rules, your world, and your life!

First, our sincerest condolences to the families left behind by the recent earthquake in China that has left more than 12,000 dead and the toll is expected to continue rising due to more areas that are still cut off but the strong quake. Just a quote, for I just can’t seem to notice the still crazy way the Chinese government has in terms of propaganda which it still uses as a main tool for spreading it’s word and keeping it’s hold on its people. Get a handful of photos from the State news agency and you see soldiers ready to go to battle with the search and rescue, soldiers rescuing people and soldiers marching on their way to help those buried in the quake. What about the millions of miserable people who are out there miserable without anything left to live in or eat? What about full aerial shot of the areas which are affected that may give the rest of the world a full view of the magnitude the disaster that is developing. People left to fend for themselves without regional disaster supplies and equipment to deal with such emergencies hence their leaders live in splendor of the capital city.
The government is getting praise for their swift efforts but as one of the largest economies on earth, shouldn’t people in local areas be trained to deal with such disasters. Imagine the worst hit areas, only one line of communication was left that allowed military planners and disaster experts in Beijing to know the magnitude, one government issued satellite phone and that was it. All the areas surrounding the major city center in the worst hit province has little known about their residents?
Focus more on the people and not on the rescuers and their efforts, to hell with the lavish parades as the Olympic torch makes its way through the country. Pull cash from the lavish displays and security in the torch relay and rush aid and people to the stricken areas. That should be China’s priority. In a country where the government is still trying to get used to money from the outside world, corruption still abounds. The collapsed school buildings are surely made of shabby materials and will surely be riddled with holes left by corruption in the ranks of the local officials and civil engineers who have approved the construction of such weak structures in such an earthquake prone area. When will they learn that the people come first and children are the future? Children are the worst hit with schools and other structures collapsing like matchsticks pan caking one after the other, a six story building reduced to a pile of rubble two meters thick?!! China has a lot of growing up to do in terms of people and with money pouring in from the rest of the world; the Chinese government is still pockmarked with corruption even with their displays of stiff penalties for criminals which goes to show that old tactics don’t work anymore.

The events of the cyclone in Myanmar has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters of recent times with people rotting in canals and rice paddies next to survivors who would surely die of disease unless aid comes fast. The military junta allows some aid to come in, secueing them and marking their names onto boxes as they hand them out in areas nearby the capital where there is little or no much effect from the cyclone. The suspicious eye on volunteers requesting for visas from the government as people continue to die. The UN not having any say on what to do, they say they can meddle under the rights of the many, but with many Western nations tied up in wars somewhere in the middles east and elesewhere in the world, no one is taking a firm stance. Only words and not enough actions.
Myanmar is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world, ruled by generals and their minions of soldiers weho control the country and its riches, the people have little to go on. The disaster magnifies their aim to help the people, cantering efforts around glorifying and maintainin gtheir positions. The living standards in the country are poor compared to other developing countries that share their economic status. The country is rich in natural resources that are all taken by the military for their own self-preservation.
Food aid is gathered form depots and fresh rice taken by the military leaders, giving the rotten government stores to the survivors who say not even the dogs will eat them. The government has to open up and fast if they are to save the millions of people that are now facing horrible conditions. Control of the situation is their priority which even got to the point where all Western reporters or citizens were rounded up and detained to be expelled from the country. Soldiers commanding the population that they are not to say anything to Westerners amplify the public outcry. The country may be poor and the people much worse, but where is the human compassion from the rest of the world, why doesn’t the United Nations issue directives with respect to aid and military forces of member countries to go in and take care of a mess their own government can’t even handle? Politics is still the key and the hypocritical deafness of all to the cries of people who are suffering come second to world order. Even decorated and well respected people forms the UN are denied entry to manage the mass delivery of aid to stricken areas. Doctors without Borders has been denied visas along with many aid agencies whose people are just itching to get their hands into the thick of things to help the people of Myanmar. Why not do away with politics and just let the global community do what they can to get people back on track with their lives? You hold the key and we as a people of this earth must make out stand known, that people and lives come first!

The Genome project has been an ongoing research program that has many critics due tot he possible implications such research may bring about. True to this, the identification of certain genes that may give a person more chances of being violent and others are raising the possibility of a genetic testing that may bring about discrimination. Other issues such as the area of stem cell research which could bring about cloning of humans (which in my opinion is already underway) making the movie 6th Day a reality with more than one version of yourself around to do your work.
Many ethical issues are rising form the research that have stemmed from the study of the human genome, and some philosophers have seen this as the move by man to become GOD. Manipulating genes to make better crops and animals, making them more productive and hardier to disease and other natural problems may have us dealing with artificial life that was created in a test tube or Petri dish in a few years time. Many have benefited from genetic engineering of rice that has resulted in higher yielding crops that are hardier to disease and better to withstand the wrath of nature. Mother Nature has been running the show till man decided he could get one good trait from one plant and give that to another plant with another great gene to make a totally new variety of plant that is better than both parents. This process normally happens naturally but man is meddling with matters that may become his end. The concerns about GMO’s are rising and people are not quite sure what they’re eating.
Medical experts say it’s bad to eat GMO’s but how do we feed the world which is growing by the millions each year. The rice shortage of the past few months highlights the need for more productive crops in order to feed the population of this earth. Domesticated animals thrive only with human care and medicine that boosts their immunity allowing them to ward of disease and other pests. The balance between need and the real world is a very thin line and the world of biogenetics has managed to keep up till man himself became alarmed at the implications of the things that he has invented. We are truly in a dilemma today regarding what side to choose, natural or manipulated and there may be too little we can do in the case for the law is supply and demand. What people wants, people get and at whatever cost.

The hypocrisy indeed does continue as the Olympic torch continues to wind its way through the planned route it was to take till the opening of the Beijing games. Protesters held at bay by throngs of Police and even banned from some countries. Where is the freedom of expression and the true vision of the games in this type of display? It is only for show with no actual virtue of the Olympics being upheld. China has suffered blow after blow in what they hope would be their breaking out as one of the world’s best countries to visit. Their crackdown on Tibetan Protesters, their extravagant spending whilst their people suffer from food shortages, no wonder even the athletes themselves are expressing non-participation. The games is supposed to bring about change and unity among man whatever color or flag they may belong to yet they oppose the move for freedom by their own people. The areas around the main venues in Beijing are swarming with police and military units ready to pounce at any form of activist behavior. The move of the government to make the torch-re-lighting ceremony a private one with only the authorized reporters and invited guests (mostly high officials of the Communist Party and Government) shows the mistrust they have in the people.
Their crackdown on computer hackers, who were convicted not of crimes towards other men but of crimes of larceny towards the motherland whom they hid profits from. Where is their sense of freedom they are showcasing in their billion dollar venues that have taxed the Chinese people leaving most of them without food and access to basic necessities? They even plan to control the weather on the opening day to prevent Beijing’s much criticized polluted air from marring the games. These are the socialist ways China must learn to part with if they are to partake in the move to become a global leader in all aspects of business. Their crackdown on the illegal toy factories that have caused much dismay in the rest of the world has done little to end the criticism they are being subject to. Much has to be opened as the games near and they are more than doors. Their entry into the global scene as an economic power means more than just plain ability to produce but the willingness to follow the norm of behavior the rest of us take for granted!

We all fail to recognize the need to live in harmony with each other for this earth we live on is just one earth. No second chances, for if we end up destroying it, we don’t have anywhere else to go to. Time will come when all of us will be gone from this earth and all of us would return to what we were made of, the earth itself, dust. All of us would turn to dust after we die and that only has one color, grey or brown. We might have similar DNA yet we hate each other so much which still baffles most people. Look at each and every child who does not know how to speak, take one from each country on this earth and place them in a room and you will not see any prejudice or violence. Inside that very room they are just kids, kids who don’t care about religion or skin color or where they were born. 

I’m still amazed at my daughter’s friendliness towards everybody, the mailman, the kid who lives off the street, the stranger who passes by, all she says is “HI!” and her face lights up with a smile even though she doesn’t know that person. The innocence of youth is what we loose first as we get an education on this earth, as we learn right from wrong which should be one of the things we shouldn’t change with ourselves. “Give a smile from time to time, it’s free, it makes people happy and it doesn’t cost a cent.”

Education is the key and this applies not only to the US, but for all people around the world who are only now beginning to get a taste of how good democracy and freedom is. China’s older generation is void of such concepts but the events of the past five or six years where the government has accepted more liberal ideas allowing free trade fuelling it’s breakneck economic boom placing it before the laws that are widely accepted around the world. Many see China as the biggest market on the earth which has credence for they have 1.3 Billion citizens and it is just about opening up to the world of trade and products from the country is beginning to flood world markets. Here too, the rapid economic growth of the several economic regions in China has spurred unlikely problems like their habit of cutting corners in order to increase profits to the use of sub-standard materials in the manufacture of products for export abroad. Recalls of various products which have been found to contain dangerous amounts of poisonous chemicals contained within paints and other finishing products (even toothpaste that is laced with trace amounts of anti-freeze chemicals) have led to many arrests and rapid changes to the government’s governance regarding products standards. These manufacturers are simply not used to following rules and do whatever it takes to deliver finished products which have resulted in deaths and health problems mainly in children who have used such products.

China faces many hurdles to become a more open and transparent state but being a socialist state may be one of it’s main obstacles. The government hopes to increase profits in terms of economic growth but another aspect of that society that has ruled the country which is human rights has repeatedly failed world standards. The education system of China has also been forced to adopt more open curricula such as the teaching of democracy which is a word banned from the verbal repertoire of many generations of Chinese in times past. The population might be finding it hard to adopt a more open world but this might be the only way for China to continue its growth and evolution into one of the world’s greatest economic powers. The next ten years will be the determining period if the growth in its economy will continue or the drive will simply crumble and fail into oblivion.

Corporations have fallen and heads have rolled, there is an ever increasing decrease of ethics in the United States according to many experts. They have noted the recent problems associated with Enron, Adelphia and Barry Bonds where people placed themselves before the common good resulting in much discomfort to may investors and giving the money market a shakedown resulting in inflation. Another problem with the system is that these events go very much unnoticed becoming apparent only when whistle-blowers pull the plug and reveal the problem. The justice system has enforced strict penalties on the culprits but many answers remain unanswered such as why and how such dastardly acts were even allowed to happen in the first place.

Educators have placed the blame on the inability of the education system to include more education in the area of ethics making the new generation think that they can do and get away with just about anything. The liberal ideas of the founding fathers were conceptualized for a reason, freedom. The freedom of expression and just about anything else that serves to restrict that right to exercise your rights to do anything you want to. But, there is a but in the fray which is the law or the rules and regulations that define our society without which there would be no freedom. The young generation have grown too accustomed to liberty without being reminded that one has to abide by laws that govern behavior. These may become evident as more and more teens get in trouble with the law simply because they fear no one and that they believe they have the right to do anything they please.

Democracy might not be for all and that may be true for the many theaters of conflict the world over. Philosophy has played a major role in the world’s political scene where countries with the resources and are capable have exerted their ability to influence the political workings within these ailing countries in hopes of making it a better place for their citizens.

The developed countries who make up the world’s political governing body has proven that a democracy can work on a global scale in theory where within their walls battles of political will are exerted each and every day, well in theory that is.  Many of the members of these governing bodies have individual agenda’s in the world theater and the laws and stipulations of these laws are very much different with respect to enforcement and adoption. The conflicts that have arisen from democracy failing has led people to question if the move towards democracy was right or wrong for their place in history is still uncertain. The newer generations of people who have an idea of democracy and the right to do whatever they wish is quite baffling to those who have grown under the shadow of control exercised by many states that still adopt and use the monarchial or more modern socialist approach to government.

The largest country on earth with the highest population ratio, China, has been forced to adopt unorthodox laws in order to curb and control the rapid population increase such as the “One Child” policy wherein married couples can only have one child by law or face penalization or other brutal measures. The government’s of the world know that it happens and so do the citizens but what can they do within a country that has always grown to love socialist rule. The divided Korea is also subject to the “Strong Arm” of the government where poverty and being rich is quite evident. Within the party, opulence is the key and outside of it, hardship and poverty is most evident. The future may see a unified governance body that would rule the world but that may be a long shot with today’s political ideologies and differences even be remote. Humans are quite capable of change even in the hardest times when people become people and help themselves for they have no one else to turn to. Tomorrow will be another day in the political landscape and the battles of today will carry onto the battlefield of tomorrow, both in ideology and physical manifestations.

Ever wondered about the area about politics that makes it so ideal and pristine, Ethics. As it turns out, the very first philosopher to ever suggest the relationship between politics and ethics was the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius who emphasized personal and governmental morality. As we all know, most governments are founded on a set of rules or laws that have been refined and revised throughout that specific country’s history. The great civilizations of the ancient times such as the Egyptians and the Maya’s have their forms of governance patterned after nature and that in nature there is a supreme being that makes all things happen. This supreme being (which is embodied by a king or other form of ruler) can and has the right to revise and formulate laws as they see fit based on either personal preferences and historical facts (which is the written or oral history of the race or tribe which states or defines the role of the leader) however long the said culture might have existed. These cultures may have come and gone but their influence and views on how the world, life and self-governance happens is history. The English, French and other major civilizations of Medieval times went through several upheavals in government because of corruption and other related matters. The Greeks began the study of philosophy as part of their quest in understanding the why, what, where and who’s of life. Why did the sun set at night, why do the flowers bloom during spring and many other questions people might ponder about were thought of an explanation collectively by scholars and philosophers of the day.

Confucius is recognized worldwide as a philosopher whose works and theories have shaped the lives and governments of many Asian civilizations. His work in linking ethics (which is the study of how one should behave in relation to others) and Politics (which is the institution of governance) and how these two should begin at the personal level. The Romans have recognized the principle and was said to be one of the reasons why people got to the Senate. To be a good responsible citizen who is part of society, one must become part of the senate to show he has nothing to hide. This is true but man has a way of twisting and turning history and faith using it for personal benefit which can be seen as far back as recorded history can remember. Much of the works of the great philosophical fathers such as Socrates is known only through the writings of his student Plato who is also a philosopher who might have changed a few thoughts as he reviews and records them in writing. History is written memory of people and cultures that have long gone and much of our lives today will become the history of tomorrow. As the great Confucius would have put it, how have you lived today and what have you contributed to society. The good of the many, greatly outweighs the good of the one.