A recent Anglo-American university research proposes an idea on the ethical visions within the human race. On one hand it is rather upsetting, but on the other, rather consoling. History suggests an image of the journey of our species based entirely on war, on oppression, on the attempt of great and small forces to be hegemonic over the others. Even the unofficial story, the one that speaks of Atlantis and of great galactic and temporal empires offers the same vision, and even recent history, which shows us a world prevalently at peace since the end of the Second World War, undergoes a very strong competition that those who have power, lead economically and politically. In short, everything seems to suggest that for every human being and for every ‘people’ ethics is self-centered and relative to one’s own interest.
British anthropologist Oliver Scott Curry, of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, says that this is not so. A research protocol from the University of Yale, Connecticut, USA, has collected over 600 documents of an ethical-cultural nature from around sixty different societies.
According to Curry and other anthropologists, the research shows that there are ethical values common to all societies: the family of origin, the group of associates, courage, the equitable distribution of goods and resources, gratitude, respect for superiors and respect for property. There would, therefore, be universal moral rules.
What is real?
However, the Anglo-American research does not completely clarify the logic on which human beings relate to each other, since they have so much in common but continue, over thousands of years, to make what divides them prevail. According to a recurring phrase in the teaching of Falco Tarassaco, which summarizes how reality and practical achievements are as important as the principles and intentions, “What exists is real”. The human species certainly has a vision of shared ethical values, such as those set forth in academic research. These are values in which everyone can recognize himself and on the basis of which the civilizations of humans have developed. But they are incomplete values for the development of a long human history: the value of respect for our common home, the Earth, is lacking. The danger of its destruction, which occurs through exploitation and pollution, does not seem to be contemplated.
Similarly, in this common paradigm the drive towards study and knowledge, which have moved so much in human history, is also missing. Above all, Falco would say, there is one element that is so profoundly internalized that it’s hardly detectable: the human being belongs to nature, and nature is based on constant competition, on the struggle for survival, to gain a privileged position even at the expense of other species. So, even human behavior, before any other aspect, is based on that.
The identity of a people
Are we therefore destined to live continuously in the struggle, expressed in different ways but always, fundamentally, based on the separation and non-recognition of others? Don’t worry, the answer is “No”.
In our opinion, perhaps because we are incurable optimists, perhaps because we are in contact with so many different people and many different groups all over the world, little by little a strong feeling of solidarity is being born, an awakening that involves an ever increasing number of people. To nurture this, we need to value the differences, and rather be the glue that unites human groups and the light that brings out the values that unite us all. The meeting, the exchange, the mutual understanding between ‘peoples’ is the key element for this phase. First of all, the identity of every human group, of every people is fundamental. The “passion” of the Damanhurians for contact with distant peoples led to meetings with shamans, chieftains, and representatives of different ethnic groups. The goal is not to standardize the views but, on the contrary, to support every people – of an ethnic, spiritual and cultural nature – in defining their own important values.
