Postcard from Palermo

May 31, 2021

A place that is most dear to me; a city whose history has welcomed many cultures and confessions.

Rediscovered la via Ponticello this month with its street name written in Italian, Arabic and Hebrew.

Brought me back to the debate about rules versus values.

In some ways, legal principles fall short of guiding what constitutes ethical behavior. 

While law establishes minimum standards, ethics ask us to strive for something much higher.

The Golden Rule is quite simple—so simple that it could actually be considered not a rule, but a value or a principle.

We must treat others as we wish to be treated.  Not as they treat us but as we wish to be treated.

So states the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic from the Parliament of the World’s Religions, a document signed by 143 leaders from the world’s major faiths.

• How do we wish to be treated?

• What do we wish for ourselves and our communities?

• How can we bring this principle to life in a way that continues to foster growth, progress and innovation?

CPM