228 Global Ethics for Leadership
but it is another thing to side with the currents of the time and not help
them to swim against the current to save themselves from the impending
peril humanity is slowly and steadily slipping into. There is the need to
recover the family and family values so as to recover humanity and sus-
tain society. As the cradle, so the character. In order to cultivate charac-
ter in future generations, there is an urgency that traditional family val-
ues and ethical formation must be imparted in the home. As the cradle,
so the character.
The virtue of respect comes through regular and repeated rational in-
tent and action. People need a reference point from which to look back
and to look forward. If the institution of the family is strong, there is a
bright future for humanity. The value of family life and the virtue of
respect go hand in hand. It is utopian to think of having a world of re-
spect without paying attention to the health of family life. It is not too
late to, set things right in the family, prior to and along with setting
things right in society. Let us make no mistake: As the family, so human-
ity.
If we practice the simple but profound phrases like “please,”
“thanks,” and “I am sorry” in our families, then we will be successful in
imparting and perpetuating the virtue of respect in our close circles and
in the larger society.
17.5 ... And Continues in the World Family
Moving from the micro to the macro is natural. A person is born into
a family, and though the particular family has a significant formative
role, it is further enriched and enhanced through earnest interactions
with the world at large, which is a second family. A person who has
acquired the values of life and the virtue of respect from one’s own up-
bringing is equipped to move into the larger family and practice the les-
sons of respect in a larger and more challenging context. A person is one