Maat: An Effective National Policy
America deserves the best in the world. That includes ethics too.
TO: The United States Senate and House of Representatives
We, the UNDERSIGNED, hereby petition the United States Congress for a congressional hearing on the ?practice of Maat? as a national policy.
REFERENCES:
Budge, E.A. Wallis, (1960) Book of the Dead, New York, University Books; Budge, E.A. Wallis, (1959) Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, New York, University Books; Carter, Jimmy, (2005) Our Endangered Values: America?s Moral Crisis, New York, Simon & Schuster; Diop, Cheikh Anta, (1974) The African Origin of Civilization, Chicago, Lawrence Hill Books; Encyclopedia Americana Vol.10, (2001), Danbury, CT, Grolier; Greene, Brian, (2004) The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space Time and the Texture of Reality, New York, Vintage Books; Hawking, Stephen. (2005) A Briefer: A History of Time, New York, Bantam; Karenga, Maulana, (2004) Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics, Newbury Vermont, Oxbow Books; (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center; Maran, Stephen, (2005) Astronomy for Dummies, Hoboken, Wiley Publishing; Nicholson, Paul and Shaw, Ian, (1995) Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, British Museum Press.
RELEVANT FACTS: Maat is the ancient Egyptians? concept of truth, justice, righteousness, order, balance and peace. According to the Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (1995), ?On a cosmic scale, Maat also is represented by the divine order of the universe as originally brought into being at the moment of creation. It was the power of Maat that is believed to regulate the seasons, the movement of the stars and the relations between men and gods (e.g. air, water, earth, sun, truth, etc.). The concept was therefore central both to the Egyptians ideas about the universe and their code of ethics.? ?Yet for centuries the knowledge of ancient Egypt was lost to the world (Encyclopedia Americana 2001: 62).?
On the social scale the concept of the practice of Maat is refined and expressed in the ancient Egyptians? code of ethics, called ?Declarations of Innocence? (Karenga 2004:136). The practice of Maat contributed to their ability to manage crises for over 10,000 years, surviving and succeeding as a model and respected civilization, lasting longer than any known civilization (Diop 1974:10, 22); Karenga ibid:135-173; Budge 1959, 1960). As we understand that Maat is represented on the cosmic and social scale, we understand why divinity and unification were two major functions of kingship (Encyclopedia Americana ibid: 34). The king was ?supposes to be the man with the greatest life force or energy (Diop 1974:138).? Otherwise he was considered a risk to the ?people if he continued to rule (ibid).?
National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) states that dark matter holds the universe together, it is invisible, and the most abundant matter in the entire universe. Maran (2005: 245-6) states that dark matter is universal glue and played a ?role in the development of the universe.? Maat too is represented by the ?divine order? of the universe as it was brought into being at the moment of creation. Contemporary evidence of ?dark matter comes from the studies of radiation left over from the big bang (explosive beginning of the universe) and measurement of the rate at which the universe is expanding (World Book Encyclopedia 2007).
World-renowned cosmologist and physicist Hawking (2005:65, 150) states 90 percent of mass in the universe is dark matter and its gravitational attraction influence the movement of the stars. Maat too is said to regulate the movement of the stars, the earth?s seasons, and man?s relationship with deities. Greene (2004: 433) reveals that dark matter too is ?distributed throughout the universe and so is also wafting by us here on earth. According to many of the proposals, right now billions of dark matter particles are shooting through our body every second.? Is Maat dark matter or is dark matter Maat? Nevertheless, ?the practice of Maat? is concerned and carried out within the world-view which links the divine, the natural and the social (Karenga 2004).?
Whereas, there is growing awareness that human potential is maximized when human conduct is in harmony with Natural Order (Divine Order),
Whereas, it is agreed that this nation?s collective moral disregard for this Natural Order has contributed to our increasing human misery, global warming and our socioeconomic crisis,
Whereas, the ancient Egyptians? code of ethics has demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting harmonious relationships with Natural Order,
Whereas, many of the world?s ancient and modern cultures have borrowed from the ancient Egyptian?s code of ethics with good results,
Whereas, it is historically documented that the practice of Maat is effective in government and human affairs,
Whereas, a national policy influences a nation?s social behavior
Whereas, this petition gives nourishment to U.S. Senator Mark Dayton?s (D-Minnesota) introduced bill for the establishment of a Department of Peace and Non-Violence which shall ?hold peace as an organizing principle, coordinating service to every level of the American society? and to promote the development of human potential,?
Whereas, President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden has asked the citizenry to be a part of the solution to finding ways to make our nation better,
Whereas, the right to petition is protected by the first amendment of the United States Constitution,
We, the undersigned, believe that the practice of Maat as a national policy can promote goodwill, justice, wellness, and peace in our society and the world. Thus, we feel it is our patriotic and moral duty to respectfully request:
1. That each member of the House of Representatives and Senate receive a copy of this petition
2. That Congress acts in accordance to the U.S. Constitution and in an expedient and impartial manner in having a congressional hearing on the ?practice of Maat as a national public policy? to investigate its feasibility for a New America.
We, the UNDERSIGNED, hereby petition the United States Congress for a congressional hearing on the ?practice of Maat? as a national policy.
REFERENCES:
Budge, E.A. Wallis, (1960) Book of the Dead, New York, University Books; Budge, E.A. Wallis, (1959) Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, New York, University Books; Carter, Jimmy, (2005) Our Endangered Values: America?s Moral Crisis, New York, Simon & Schuster; Diop, Cheikh Anta, (1974) The African Origin of Civilization, Chicago, Lawrence Hill Books; Encyclopedia Americana Vol.10, (2001), Danbury, CT, Grolier; Greene, Brian, (2004) The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space Time and the Texture of Reality, New York, Vintage Books; Hawking, Stephen. (2005) A Briefer: A History of Time, New York, Bantam; Karenga, Maulana, (2004) Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics, Newbury Vermont, Oxbow Books; (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center; Maran, Stephen, (2005) Astronomy for Dummies, Hoboken, Wiley Publishing; Nicholson, Paul and Shaw, Ian, (1995) Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, British Museum Press.
RELEVANT FACTS: Maat is the ancient Egyptians? concept of truth, justice, righteousness, order, balance and peace. According to the Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (1995), ?On a cosmic scale, Maat also is represented by the divine order of the universe as originally brought into being at the moment of creation. It was the power of Maat that is believed to regulate the seasons, the movement of the stars and the relations between men and gods (e.g. air, water, earth, sun, truth, etc.). The concept was therefore central both to the Egyptians ideas about the universe and their code of ethics.? ?Yet for centuries the knowledge of ancient Egypt was lost to the world (Encyclopedia Americana 2001: 62).?
On the social scale the concept of the practice of Maat is refined and expressed in the ancient Egyptians? code of ethics, called ?Declarations of Innocence? (Karenga 2004:136). The practice of Maat contributed to their ability to manage crises for over 10,000 years, surviving and succeeding as a model and respected civilization, lasting longer than any known civilization (Diop 1974:10, 22); Karenga ibid:135-173; Budge 1959, 1960). As we understand that Maat is represented on the cosmic and social scale, we understand why divinity and unification were two major functions of kingship (Encyclopedia Americana ibid: 34). The king was ?supposes to be the man with the greatest life force or energy (Diop 1974:138).? Otherwise he was considered a risk to the ?people if he continued to rule (ibid).?
National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) states that dark matter holds the universe together, it is invisible, and the most abundant matter in the entire universe. Maran (2005: 245-6) states that dark matter is universal glue and played a ?role in the development of the universe.? Maat too is represented by the ?divine order? of the universe as it was brought into being at the moment of creation. Contemporary evidence of ?dark matter comes from the studies of radiation left over from the big bang (explosive beginning of the universe) and measurement of the rate at which the universe is expanding (World Book Encyclopedia 2007).
World-renowned cosmologist and physicist Hawking (2005:65, 150) states 90 percent of mass in the universe is dark matter and its gravitational attraction influence the movement of the stars. Maat too is said to regulate the movement of the stars, the earth?s seasons, and man?s relationship with deities. Greene (2004: 433) reveals that dark matter too is ?distributed throughout the universe and so is also wafting by us here on earth. According to many of the proposals, right now billions of dark matter particles are shooting through our body every second.? Is Maat dark matter or is dark matter Maat? Nevertheless, ?the practice of Maat? is concerned and carried out within the world-view which links the divine, the natural and the social (Karenga 2004).?
Whereas, there is growing awareness that human potential is maximized when human conduct is in harmony with Natural Order (Divine Order),
Whereas, it is agreed that this nation?s collective moral disregard for this Natural Order has contributed to our increasing human misery, global warming and our socioeconomic crisis,
Whereas, the ancient Egyptians? code of ethics has demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting harmonious relationships with Natural Order,
Whereas, many of the world?s ancient and modern cultures have borrowed from the ancient Egyptian?s code of ethics with good results,
Whereas, it is historically documented that the practice of Maat is effective in government and human affairs,
Whereas, a national policy influences a nation?s social behavior
Whereas, this petition gives nourishment to U.S. Senator Mark Dayton?s (D-Minnesota) introduced bill for the establishment of a Department of Peace and Non-Violence which shall ?hold peace as an organizing principle, coordinating service to every level of the American society? and to promote the development of human potential,?
Whereas, President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden has asked the citizenry to be a part of the solution to finding ways to make our nation better,
Whereas, the right to petition is protected by the first amendment of the United States Constitution,
We, the undersigned, believe that the practice of Maat as a national policy can promote goodwill, justice, wellness, and peace in our society and the world. Thus, we feel it is our patriotic and moral duty to respectfully request:
1. That each member of the House of Representatives and Senate receive a copy of this petition
2. That Congress acts in accordance to the U.S. Constitution and in an expedient and impartial manner in having a congressional hearing on the ?practice of Maat as a national public policy? to investigate its feasibility for a New America.
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