I was informed by the website provider that this project called The Good Decision has just passed being viewed in 50 plus nations.  This comes as a surprise for as you may know as a reader, this is a pretty humble project that simply tries to say what this writer feels needs to be said.  The mission here is not political as much as it is to help people reduce the the burden of moral distress through their own good decisions.

There is no question if you value and understand democracy you will be carrying a particularly heavy burden of moral distress these days.  It bothers me not a jot that the world is curious about the “American Voice” whoever articulates it.  I think much of the world is fearfully concerned  after coming to understand the implications of this nation losing its standing as a world leader following the actions of the current administration.  The overarching question must be; “What happened?”  The answer to that question is We the People simply made, or allowed to be made, a bad decision when it comes to presidency and leadership.  Bad decisions happen to everyone and every nation.  The only question left after such a disastrous decision is what do you do in response. The world, my friends, is watching and worrying.  

Modest Proposal for Good.

We all need to go deeper in finding a response.  You don’t need to be a Catholic to admire Pope Leo’s stand on social justice. David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University reported  in the NYT that Pope Leo, when asked about the controversial blessing of a gay couple said: “We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”  He administers to the entire world and in doing so, spoke to the values of an entire world. The universal sense of good is undergirded by universal human rights: justice, equality, freedom of religion.  One might add the freedom to simply “be.” The administration of those rights, which are also foundational to the United States can only be done through a deep respect for all humanity, all gender, all race, all beings. The reverence for all humanity required of and by a Pope applies to a president and every citizen of a free republic. Only then can good moral decisions be made.  The reduction of the world’s moral distress through good decisions would be so very good for all of us.