Old_Man_Schmiddy

This is Old_Man_Schmiddy's message and it is the one I refer to in my description.

A concept to define a workable, uniform, world-wide, religious and philosophical, moral compass is needed. So I have designed it. And, because I designed it I have called it Old Man Schmiddy’s (OMS) Religions and Philosophies Pan. Generally, I refer to it as just Pan. While the word Pan has some historical connotations that might be associated with the ancient horned Greek God of the Pastures, Fields, and Forests and pan-pipes, and even Paganism, it is not intended that the word is used in these contexts. The word is, however, used as a reference to ‘encompassing’ – and more specifically the universal environment, and it is also intended that there should be a close association with the ideas of Panentheism (but not the fundamental tenets of Pantheism).

The idea is that the word Pan is to be positioned following a chosen belief, or belief system, and when placed there, it indicates an undertaking by a person to start to develop a long term sustainable relationship with the environment they impact, in conjunction with the ideas and guidance they source from their chosen belief, or the belief system. Pan, when placed with a belief or belief system, is recognition that the belief system chosen has a central teaching that requires conscionable ‘good’ behaviour (from good will) towards all people, of good will, from all over the world. The trick being that this ‘fraternity’ must become equal towards very different people who are plainly of many and varied cultural groups with very different ideas about ‘the meaning of life questions’.

The world needs people who are Islamic Pan, Shiite Pan, Sunni Pan, Christian Pan, Protestant Pan, Roman Catholic Pan, Evangelical Pan, Jewish Pan, Hindu Pan, Buddhist Pan, Secular Pan, Secular (with a tendency towards Confucius teachings) Pan, Democratic Socialist Pan, Humanist Pan, Agnostic Pan and even Atheist Pan, depending on how you might define the word Atheist. And, so on.

The current intention of Pan is to create the first grouping of people in this world that might be truly called a ‘Global Public’. To do this Pan will ask, for example, Muslim people to befriend Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, people who believe in Tao’s teachings, or Confucius, or in those teachings in earlier traditional Chinese historical books, those who believe in Shinto, Zoroastrians, Animists, Humanists, Secularists, Democratic Socialists, and those who believe in none of these things, but have an open mind. Furthermore, Pan asks all people of ‘good’ will to others all around the world, to also befriend those who just accept that conscionable ‘good’ behaviour is required to share in collective well-being while choosing not to search for any answers to the meaning of life questions. These are the people that argue that what might be offered as answers cannot actually be known; well, not in their lifetimes.

These are all widely diverse views, of course! And, are the concepts being developed in Pan enough to bind all these people to one cause, and achieve an understanding between vastly different types of people that fosters global fraternity? I believe by emphasizing common humanity and deriving from it a range of basic and common moral themes with some rules, in ways that have been successful for many thousands of years, this can now be achieved for what we now understand to be our finitely resourced world. It is important to know that ‘civilization’ was flourishing long before the Sumerians and Egyptians. These two cultures tend to have been readily researched by Western archeological scholars and it is no accident that their findings are well suited to the fundamental precepts of the Abrahamic religions.

For argument’s sake, at this point, let’s agree with some knowledgeable people that there are just five basic moral themes. The priority placed on basic and common moral themes is an important consideration. Generally, most societies place, the belonging and loyalty to a particular group, as the first priority. Second is the acceptance and role of an authority for that group. Together, perhaps in the next two places, are aversion to contamination and aversion (and awe) with regard to killing and death. Finally, and in some cultures, in practice, a long way in fifth place, comes loyalty and consideration to the wider grouping of human beings. The ‘good Samaritan’ factor in religions and philosophies and the problem concept ‘altruism’, when considering the broad scope of evolution philosophy’s expected behaviour of social animals. But, where knowledge of the world’s dire circumstances concerning exhaustion and contamination of clean and good air, food and water is well understood such ‘altruism’ is clearly not altruism any more. Truly globally coordinated and conducted effort, impartial to the interests of any particular nation state or corporate entity is plainly now essential for the benefit of every living human being’s descendents (every human beings evolutionary lineage).

Pan sees an initial goal to be the creation of a ‘Global Public’. This is necessary for development of a functional standard of global justice with a view to providing some standards of equity regardless of origin or wealth. Without such justice the world continues to tear at, and foul, its very substance. And it is now necessary for a Global Public to build impartial organizations to promote assessment of damage, assessment of factors, assessment of options and then to create circumstances for lives that among everything else to be done renew our environment. Under the current cultural and economic circumstances we tear and foul our environment with unthinking consumerism and global conflicts that despite rhetoric still appear to be far more about policing poverty, and providing access for corporate interests, than providing lasting quality of life assistance and better futures for all. There seems to still be little reporting on ‘whole of situation’ circumstances for such things until many years after major events?

There is the opportunity to be in ‘Pan in Principle’. This requires nothing more than registering approval of the ideas that I am presenting and being aware that this registration is freely available to all who may wish to read the Pan in Principle ‘List’ to go on a Pan web-site (still to be set-up). This, I believe, could become one early small step towards achieving a Global Public. People will also be able to become ‘Pan in Practice’ and this will require a level of commitment. The aim of Pan in Practice will initially be to produce and market home-grown (home, meaning small Pan groupings that eventually are part of the over-arching Global Public) foods and some ‘home’ built housing. These products will not be needed by many people in Pan however they will be available to some who may have few other choices. The physical ‘good Samaritan’ work with initially relatively unknown companions, done by the small Pan groups, for these ends, is one way that will assist in actually achieving the first over-arching grouping that will eventually be so encompassing of the world’s people, that it will simply make good sense to refer to it as the Global Public.

In all organizations, religions, philosophies and governments there are rules; laws and guidance, and while there might be just a few major moral themes there will need to be some, globally appropriate, rules for the Global Public. Pan does not judge the attributes of religions or philosophies with regard to their answers to the meaning of life questions. Pan is intended to be a supporting structure to uphold the major religions and philosophies and particularly their ‘good’ teachings regarding behaviour towards one another. Pan will however judge governments and their decisions and will debate in the community their rules. Pan, firstly, strongly, supports the idea of a constitutional democratically elected Global Government which is committed to the most effective contemporary checks on its distribution of power in the legislature, executive and judiciary. Pan does not support the advancement of a blindly consumerist culture to accompany Global Government. While true world government may be a long way off the establishment of a Global Government is an obvious step in bringing about a suitable global plan to create a worldwide sustainable environment. This must in time give the great majority of the world’s people (the Global Public) real opportunity to achieve fulfillment, fraternity and happiness.

There will be some religious and philosophical administrations and followers, and some governments and supporters, that will vehemently oppose both a Global Public and a Global Government. The greatest difficulty with their opposition is found when the record of global justice (globally defined and globally promoted rules of behaviour in commerce, law, science, education, warfare, and so on) is impartially examined. Currently it remains highly profitable for large numbers of the voting public of many powerful nation states to foster corporate bodies, especially their Defense Forces, that, as the first consideration, project power necessary to subjugate and cower those that they perceive to be opposed and even just detrimental to their nation state’s – economic – maximum growth objectives. This economic maximum growth at all costs premise is what continues to put responsibility towards building a globally sustainable environment simply out of the picture. Bringing about true global justice as a function of a ‘good’ global government is, exactly, what is now required, to reduce these pressures; which have been founded on greed, because in mainly unregulated competition, best for income production in already wealthy countries, blind self-interest still worked a treat for many people for many years.

Suffice here to make reference to just two of the main elements of Pan guidance at this point for the Global Public. Pan is designed to support good religions and philosophies and while not being a religion it is a philosophy, in itself. On controversial issues the question might be asked – “Then what is the Pan view, on this issue?” Initially the Pan view has been: as long as the religion or philosophy chosen by a person is ‘good’ and is not damaging to the global wide environment, then Pan can have no view as the view the person is to take is that of their chosen religion or philosophy, and Pan supports them. Nevertheless, there are of course some religious and philosophical teachings that in contemporary times are doing great harm to the global wide environment and Pan will take a strong stance when appropriate.

Some of these will be covered in a later submission to this site. People seeking to know more, directly, about Pan can email angusgraysmith@gmail.com Yours in good will to all people of good will, Old Man Schmiddy (OMS)