Let's consider another principle endorsed by some of the major religions of the world, a principle that, I believe, has survival value for all of us. 

In the New Testament, Jesus tells his followers the parable of the servants who were each given "talents" by their master. They were allowed to keep the talents and do as they wished with them for a few months, and then the master came back and asked each for an accounting. Two of the servants had invested the sums left with them wisely and could give the original sum back to the master with interest. The third had buried his smaller sum of talents in the ground for fear of investing it badly and then having to answer for the loss to his master. The master immediately punishes him for his "lazy" and "slothful" ways. 

The implication is that we are to use the talents that we are given, not hide them. We are to involve ourselves in the world and try to make the good we have in us spread to make the world and ourselves better. Most of all, we are individually answerable for how we live our lives. No excuses, no special deals. Each of us is free and responsible, and we will be judged on how well we have lived up to our potential. 

The Koran has similar commands for the faithful, not embedded in parables, but told directly. If you are in a position of authority in the community, you must deal justly, even if that means making a decision "against a kinsman". "Each soul earns only on its own account" and none of us can "bear another's load". 







Individual responsibility for one's own moral choices: this is a valuable concept to promote because it aids society in building market places and communities in which there is overall efficiency. In societies in which individual responsibility is a prime value, built-up capital is not lost in payments for non-services. Currency is exchanged in deals that all correspond to goods or services of real value. Wealth can multiply.  







Some critics of Islam might want right here to jump into the discussion and ask something like, "Why, if individual responsibility is so important in Islam, are so many Muslim countries plagued with suffocating levels of graft and corruptions?" 

The simple answer to this question is that people are sometimes weak and they fail ideals; but sound ideals don't fail people. And perhaps it is also worth noting that there are Christian countries in which the level of corruption of officials is just as bad as it is anywhere in the Muslim world. If corruption in general is less in the Western world, it also took a long time to beat down, or put conversely, generally practiced and expected levels of honesty take a long time to develop and spread. Maybe, we in the West, could just be a little patient with the rest. Change is coming.  

But let's focus on the wisdom of the whole idea of individual responsibility and not get distracted arguing about whose society is more corrupt. Accountability is clearly wiser for all of us over the long haul than any imaginable alternative. 

Therefore, I'll close by re-stating this principle: teaching the kids individual responsibility for the moral content of their behavior has survival value for society over the long haul. Traditional values turn out to have profound implications in the long haul. Honesty is wiser than any of its alternatives, as the evidence of history shows.  

In the shadow of the mushroom cloud, nevertheless, have a nice day.