John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Rocker in his home: Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.
I grew up during the Second World War and its aftermath. The forties introduced me to superheroes. Even today, I can recall the enthusiastic radio announcer introducing the next episode of Superman with the motto, “Truth, justice, and the American way.”
During WW II, Superman’s motto served to define and trust the moral authority of U.S. military efforts in the war. In the 1950s, that motto was revived to introduce the new “Adventures of Superman” TV series. It served to validate the ethics and actions of the Cold War and rebuke demagogic U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy for his anti-communist witch-hunt.
Creators of superheroes were aware of the reality that the powerful are tempted to use their power to the detriment of others. Therefore, in these fantasy worlds, the characters of Superman and his colleagues were created with the will to limit their own powers by invoking human moral codes and social mores.
These writers may have been guided by the theory of philosophers Siegel and Shuster that the perfect human being (superman) chooses to follow more stringent moral codes than demanded of the common person. This understanding stood in contrast to the philosopher Nietzsche’s vision of the perfect man being free from any restrictions by moral codes, thus providing the option to define perfection as including the ability to choose evil in opposition to self-limiting superheroes.
And so, it is in the real world. Human beings require an ethical moral code to check their potential inclination for self-serving power abuse: philosophical pragmatism. Many attempts have been made to establish moral codes. There are junior ROTC cadets, in their classroom at South Atlanta High School on a recent morning, standing to bellow a creed vowing their commitment to family, patriotism, truth, leadership and accountability.
Plato advocated the existence of four cardinal virtues — wisdom, courage, temperance and justice — to guide human relationships. Islamic principles and Arabic cultural values include hospitality, loyalty, honor and respect for elders. The main Buddhist values are love, wisdom, goodness, calmness, self-control, and believe that people should try to end suffering. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” the values of uniting, justice, domestic tranquility, defense, general welfare, and liberty. Members of The Boy Scouts of America learn that a Scout is “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”
Ethical theories and moral codes guide the actions of most nations, religious communities, clubs, legal systems, service organizations, and even individuals. Rhiannon Sturges from Carroll College writes in ”Sources of Moral Authority”, that in diverse societies like the United States, many people feel misunderstood and their traditional beliefs contradicted by moral values of others.
The challenge is to consider the importance and reason for a particular moral code, identify the authority upholding the code, and name any universal and/or cross-cultural components among all possibilities. The assumption assumes the possibility of discovering a real legitimate universal ethic. If that is possible, it will build respect among the many factions, lead to fruitful discussion, and ultimately cooperation for change.
Identifying that universal ethic is both complex and simple. It has been the task of theologians and philosophers for thousands of years. Their observations and thought experiments are intriguing. Some results ring true, others are culturally bound, and others expose self-deception. Universal agreement has remained squirrelly.
However, today we received in the mail the annual Christmas essay from a friend and country pastor we’ve known for forty-seven years. Describing the bread-making traditions in his extended family, he concluded with, “Christmas… a season best spiced with kindness, patience, self-control – and perhaps a touch of reverence.” He was telling a simple truth revealed in the family tradition.
So, there it is – “a simple truth,” able to demonstrate “truth-telling” as the prime moral ethic among all ethical theories, beliefs, fears, misunderstandings. Universal truth-telling dominates and tests the veracity of all other ethical codes. It is the foundation of all moral authority.
Stripping away the need for truth-telling, is an exercise in self-deception. While seeing oneself as pragmatic and persuasive, others see only a naked untrustworthy fool (The Emperor’s New Clothes). Only truth-telling is to be trusted as a universal ethic measuring the morality of every human being. Even the motto of Superman has changed from “the American way” to a more universal motto, “truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.”
In the New Year we must demand every politician, advertising agency, church, economic institution, nation, and every individual adhere to the universal moral code of truth-telling by all human beings. Remembering back to the “Laugh-in” TV show, we recall Lily Tomlin, sitting in an oversized rocking chair, saying to the audience, “My name is Edith Ann, and I’m 5 ½ years old. And that’s the truth.”
Let us be bound by truth-telling as our prime directive for 2023 and beyond.