REALITY:

Today’s professional deals every day with issues that cannot be decided simply by consulting the Bible or some other traditional moral code.

·    Should a journalist protect an anonymous source from a suspected criminal?

·     Should a lawyer continue to defend a client whom he/she knows is lying?  

·    Should a scientist accept the financial support from a fraudster?

·    Should Politicians vote in Parliament contrary to the wishes of their constituents?

·    Should a teacher give unearned grades to students because of School Board Policy?

·    Should an architect ignore minor variances in a building that have been unnoticed by the building inspectors?

The List goes on.

Traditional sources don’t provide reliable answers to these questions — they don’t even raise them.

Perhaps the gradual undermining of the professions was inevitable, but it has certainly been accelerated by the emergence and increasing prevalence of the digital media.  At the fingertips of anyone with a digital device, one can now learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of just about any professional practitioner.

HOW DO WE DECIDE WHAT THE TRUTH REALLY IS? OR WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE ANSWER?

One can instantly access all forms of real and presumed expertise on issues ranging from the treatment of disease to the preparation of term papers to the drawing up of a will or a trust fund.  Tomorrow, if not today, one will be able to gain diplomas for the careers that now style themselves as “professions.”  

Scientist have gone too far. They propose theories that are designed to improve their credibility, embelish their notariety and build their own empires. Journalists write opinions based on a myriad of controversies and refer shamelessly to the boilerplate authority of 'scientists'.  

The problem with a belief in the immutability of morality is the same as the problem with a belief that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom contains the answers to all legal disputes.  The Charter is a remarkable document, looked upon with envy by most enlightened nations. But it’s absurd to believe that the text magically contains the answers to complex modern issues. FOR EAXAMPLE, the Charter is silent on the concept of tying FREEDOM TO RESPONSIBILITY. Convicts in prison are allowed to vote!

We can draw inspiration from the classical texts and teachings of neighbourly morality. Many have abandoned the Bible and The Ten Commandments.  We cannot expect that dilemmas of professional life will be settled by having recourse to these sources.  But we need not tackle these issues alone.  If we can draw on only a few wise, trusted people; we are most likely to arrive at an ethical landscape adequate for our life.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM US TODAY IS EDUCATION, CONTINUED READING, AN OPEN MIND, COMPASSION, TOLERANCE, STRENGTH DETERMINATION AND COURAGE.