Kindness is good for the soul and spreads like ripples in a pond. Try it today.
Kindness is good for the soul and spreads like ripples in a pond. Try it today.
YOUR LETTERS
Be more kind to everyone I heartily endorse the comments Bryan Gould made in his article "More kindness needed in the messy world of politics" (December 18). It should be compulsory reading for not only our current politicians but everyone in positions of leadership.
The message in his articlereflects the philosophy Restorative City Whanganui has been promoting for the last seven years.
This is based on the underlying philosophy that "people are happier, more co-operative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes when those in authority do things with them rather than to them or for them" (Watchel & Watchel, 2012).
Addressing conflict restoratively provides an opportunity for people to listen to each other respectfully, understand differing points of view, acknowledge harm if this has occurred.
Most importantly, it enables all parties to put aside differences, work together and create solutions in order that they can continue to work together for the common good.
When practised universally, this approach helps to create a society that reflects tolerance, compassion and respect for all, a society that is cohesive and resilient in times of crisis.
Its citizens feel valued and able to contribute positively to that society. Everyone benefits. JENNY SAYWOOD Whanganui
Medical ethics I would like to thank the Chronicle for publicising the ethical viewpoints of local pro-lifers and of local medical practitioners.
Among other principles, the Code of Ethics of the NZ Medical Association directs its members to adhere to the scientific basis for medical practice, and assist in the protection of the health of the community (tinyurl.com/tikanga).
I presume all medical practitioners in our country have the same high ethical standards.
If our medical practitioners adhere to the principles of life science, they would be protecting the long-term health of our global community by keeping its death rate higher than its birth rate.
Over the years that I studied life science, I learnt that the overriding force at all levels of life is homeostasis. There are always feedbacks keeping DNA, cells, organs, individuals, populations, ecosystems and the whole global biosphere in balance.
Our human population has always been kept in balance by problems during childbirth, by illness, and by serious injury.
But over the past century, various interventions by members of the medical profession have thrown this homeostasis out of balance.
Life science tells us that feedbacks in the biosphere will eventually bring an exploding human population back to pre-industrial levels, or even lower, probably with terrifyingly miserable deaths for 10 billion or more of Greta Thunberg's generation, and possibly with the extinction of all human life.
If our medical practitioners adhere to the principles of life science, they would be protecting the long-term health of our global community by keeping its death rate higher than its birth rate, thereby allowing our population, and the entire biosphere, to achieve homeostasis again without catastrophic collapse.
It would be unethical (and financially disastrous) for our medical practitioners to abandon obstetrics, vaccines, antibiotics and surgery, so in order to be truly pro-life, shouldn't they be concentrating much more on contraception, vasectomies, tubal ligations, euthanising and - in a population crisis - abortion? JOHN ARCHER Ohakune
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