In Dante's Inferno we might meet a few families who had maintained their unity and their wealth across five or more generations by passing on the family values of avarice, cunning, cruelty, and control. Now they burn together in hell. Do we, as Morals Tutors, Family Dynamics Consultants, Secular Priests and modern day courtiers, do our billionaire clients any favors by setting them up for eternal damnation? Philanthropy, and concern for the body politic is not a 'family value,' it is the second Commandment - 'Love they neighbor,' broadly considered. We don't discover a family's moral and civic obligations by having them sort values cards, or create a mission statement to suit themselves. I know that what got written there is wrong, and is in fact reprehensible; I cannot deny I typed it, or heard it in my head like my own thoughts. My values are to go along to get along with those who pay me, or who might beat me with a stick. I only wish I could block these intrusive thoughts.
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