12 December.  Ethics  “Grandad do you really have a hundred sheep here on the farm?” George asked “and would you go searching for one that is missing?” “My child, I have much more than a hundred sheep and we do count them.  But things are different these days.  We know that stock theft is a very big problem. Some farmers have even given up because thieves steal all the time. I don’t know why people have become so dishonest and greedy and don’t respect other peoples’ property. It makes it hard to value anything.  Will it ever change again?” Over dinner they had a serious discussion about COP 28, theft and ethical decadence in general. Will there be genuine concern for the common good or self-interest only?.   Does poverty have a part in this? 

Scripture:  If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray?  Mat 18:12-13.   Pope Francis: Ethically speaking, in conscience, and with an eye to the children who will pay for the harm done by the actions of those who don’t care the question of meaning inevitably arises,  “What is the meaning of my life and my time on earth? What is the meaning of all my work and effort?  LD Reflect, share, and pray:  Crime and corruption of all kinds are rife everywhere today.  How are our own ethical standards?