17.
ETHICS / MORALS
     THE ANCIENT GREEKS SAID THAT ETHICS WERE UNIVERSAL 
STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR.  NO MATTER WHERE YOU WENT, EVERYONE 
WOULD ADHERE TO THESE STANDARDS.  THE ANCIENT GREEKS SAID THAT 
MORALS WERE REGIONAL OR LOCAL.  I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY UNIVERSAL 
CODE OF ETHICS THAT ARE UNIFORMLY ADHERED TO ON THIS PLANET.  TO 
MAKE MATTERS WORSE, MORALS ARE NOT REGIONAL OR LOCAL, THEY ARE 
SITUATIONAL, OR  MORALS AFFILIATED WITH WHATEVER GROUP OR GROUPS 
YOU ARE ASSOCIATING WITH AT THE TIME, AT LEAST IN THE USA.  THE
DEFINITIONS OF MORALS AND ETHICS ARE OFTEN CONFUSED.
     INDIVIDUALS CAN HAVE MANY KINDS OF MORALS IN THEIR OWN 
COMMUNITY OR LIFE, SUCH AS: SCHOOL, WORK, CHURCH, OR CLUB ETHICS. 
EACH GROUP'S RULES OR STANDARDS MAY OR MAY NOT DIFFER ON ANY OR
ALL POINTS.  HOWEVER, TRYING TO PRACTICE THESE VARIOUS DIFFERING
MODES OF  BEHAVIOR AT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE CAN BE ALMOST ENOUGH
TO DRIVE  YOU CRAZY.  SO I HAVE GIVEN UP ON THE IDEAS OF MORALS AND
ETHICS.
     WHAT I TRY TO DO IS PRACTICE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES IN ALL MY 
AFFAIRS.  WHEN THEY CONFLICT WITH LOCAL LAWS, I HAVE TO DECIDE IF I
WANT TO SUFFER THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS BY 
BREAKING THE LAW OR SUFFER FROM MY OWN CONSCIENCE.  SPIRITUAL 
PRINCIPLES ARE THE ONLY TRULY UNIVERSAL STANDARDS KNOWN TO ME, AT 
LEAST IN THIS UNIVERSE.  WHAT IS REALLY WONDERFUL ABOUT SPIRITUAL 
PRINCIPLES IS THAT THEY ARE NEVER IN CONFLICT, ONLY HUMAN
UNDERSTANDINGS OF THEM EVER CONFLICT.
     I DEFINE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES AS: SPIRITUAL MEANING "OF GOD," AND 
PRINCIPLE MEANING "A WAY OF BEHAVING."  SO SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES MEAN, 
"A WAY OF BEHAVING OF GOD."  I BELIEVE GOD BEHAVES ACCORDING TO 
SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES, AND WE SHOULD ALSO TRY TO DO THE SAME.  I WISH 
ALL HUMAN BEINGS WOULD BEHAVE ACCORDING TO THESE PRINCIPLES, BUT 
YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE ETHICS OR MORALITY TO THE MASSES.  I GUESS I CAN 
SAY I THINK OF SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES AS ETHICS AND MAN MADE LAWS AS 
MORALS.