Moral authority is earned and is in the end a relative value

In the end, it is up to our American culture to decide our moral authority. And it is our moral authority meant for us, we Americans. Others may look up or down at us, depending on their values and their moral authority.

A popular pundit theme on the subject of moral authority is the issue of torture as part of the war on terror. The group that suggests torture lowers our moral authority in the minds of those they want to impress around the world, east and west, may have a point. I just wish they would also mention as in discuss the other moral authority themes like the treatment of women (one half of humanity), respect for the law, cutting off the heads of living humans, abortion, control of sexual promiscuity, both heterosexual and homosexual, and living beyond our means, both in borrowing and passing today’s borrowing on to our children. If the moral authority idea has value, which most think it does, then all values should be addressed, not just the cherry picked issues of the pundit or politician. Now most slick or slimy pundits and politicians will dance around all this, but the minds of those they want to impress around the world will probably not buy it. Neither will many Americans.

Most people think all humans are some combination of inherited biology and their environment. In America this often makes us the best of both worlds, old and new. Our ancestors immigrated here to avoid the old world, and in so doing created our own unique new world. Even slaves, either indentured or outright, brought an old world that we Americans have product improved. Part of this process was evolving our moral authority, and it is ours, not that of any subgroup like pundits or politicians. As an example, many are against torture now just because it may help reduce torture against us in the future. And when some Americans bring this subject up, is it as a realistic policy value, or a moral value? And is it a cherry picked value, ignoring all the other issues and values that are so important to so many people of the USA and the world?

Most of us are too busy or don’t care to take the time to take an ethics class at the local community college. Church adult Sunday schools and family experience are both good enough, pretty good, and probably more common sense based in making us think about our American moral authority.

There are old world alternatives that do work, so far. Take the China example today where one interior historical tribe (the northern Chinese now communist tribe) dominates the seacoast historical tribe (the more southern entrepreneur tribe, think of Shanghai).

Now many do agree that American moral authority will drive much of the way the present world evolves. And it will be a new world way, vice the old world way. And we common Americans will inherently drive the train. And the tracks and their direction are our moral authority.

Good, bad, or indifferent, that is how things will probably sort out. Times of great turmoil and doubt may come and go, east and west, but our American (new world) moral authority will be the common bond that brings order out of chaos and another period of stability for the good of us all. We hope. In the interim, going to work in America will work just fine.