There is much discussion today on our moral obligation to take care of the environment for the future generations. The moral maturation and development of individuals and societies
consists in expanding our concern both in space and in time. Its spacial
development means expanding our concern from self to family to community to city to region to
state to continent to planet, while temporal maturation of morality means extending our concern from days and weeks to
years and decades, and even centuries, or from my life to my children's life to my grandchildren's
life, etc.
Native peoples of the Americas honored and prayed for the seven generations that came before and the seven generations to come after, so their temporal moral concern encompassed a total of fifteen generations, including their own. Unfortunately, however, the present trend seems to be centered on immediate gain or short-term pleasure, with little or no concern for long-term effects of our behavior on both ourselves and others.
Interestingly, the science of epigenetics (see) has determined that negative epigenetic changes take seven generations to correct. For example, mice raised without contact with their mothers are more nervous and aggressive, and have more nervous and aggressive offspring, because their nervous systems are epigenetically programmed to survive in a dangerous world. Children born of starving mothers suffer more obesity and diabetes, as do their offspring, because their bodies are epigenetically programmed to conserve more calories.
The effects of positive epigenetic changes also benefit seven future generations. Therefore, our epigenetic makeup has been influenced by what the past seven generations did in during their lives; and what we do during our lives will affect seven generations to come. One of the best ways to favor positive epigenetic change is through good child-rearing practices, especially educating the girl child appropriately.
This discovery introduces a new argument in favor of maturing, developing and expanding our temporal sense of morality in all regards, including concern for our impact on the environment that future generations will inherit.
Native peoples of the Americas honored and prayed for the seven generations that came before and the seven generations to come after, so their temporal moral concern encompassed a total of fifteen generations, including their own. Unfortunately, however, the present trend seems to be centered on immediate gain or short-term pleasure, with little or no concern for long-term effects of our behavior on both ourselves and others.
Interestingly, the science of epigenetics (see) has determined that negative epigenetic changes take seven generations to correct. For example, mice raised without contact with their mothers are more nervous and aggressive, and have more nervous and aggressive offspring, because their nervous systems are epigenetically programmed to survive in a dangerous world. Children born of starving mothers suffer more obesity and diabetes, as do their offspring, because their bodies are epigenetically programmed to conserve more calories.
The effects of positive epigenetic changes also benefit seven future generations. Therefore, our epigenetic makeup has been influenced by what the past seven generations did in during their lives; and what we do during our lives will affect seven generations to come. One of the best ways to favor positive epigenetic change is through good child-rearing practices, especially educating the girl child appropriately.
This discovery introduces a new argument in favor of maturing, developing and expanding our temporal sense of morality in all regards, including concern for our impact on the environment that future generations will inherit.
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