Building Communities & Managing Organizations

After we watched the Milgram experiment in class it made me think about how humans react to those in power and what they would or wouldn’t do to another human being.  I knew there were many instances of unethical treatment of people by their government but I wanted to know more and came across the patriotic re-education of Tibet’s monks and nuns by the Chinese government. 

The re-education plan involves five principles (www.tibet.com/humanrights):

1. Opposition to separatism;
2. Unity of Tibet and China;
3. Recognition of the Chinese appointed Panchen Lama as the true Panchen Lama;
4. Denial that Tibet was or should be independent;
5. Agreement that the Dalai Lama is destroying the unity of the motherland.

The re-education plan has included such thing as removing the monks and nuns under the age of 18 from the monasteries, issuing ID cards, limiting the number of monks and nuns in a monastery, expelling them from monasteries because they wouldn’t denounce the Dalai Lama, limiting their movement, burning all pictures of the Dalai Lama in front of the monks and nuns plus other countless restrictions or requirements that have been imposed by the government. 

There a numerous reports of abuse and suicides during the re-education sessions.  Monks and nuns are put under a great deal of pressure to denounce their faith and when they don’t they are subject to abuse and torture by government officials.  Many suicides have also reported and it’s believed they took their own life because they didn’t want to go against their faith and oppose the Dalai Lama.

This topic has many other facets but I’m left with lots of questions and not a lot of answers.   I wonder if those who are carrying out the government orders feel what they are doing is unethical or do they see it as a necessary to protect their country.  How would I respond?  Many people support the monks and nuns but they remain silent out of fear of retribution by the government.  Would I remain silent?   Would I be strong enough to stand up for what I thought was right if it meant that I or a loved one could be killed? 

Ethics seems so easy and straightforward on the surface – it’s about doing the right thing.  However, everything isn’t black and white especially when each side believes what they are doing is right.  How would you respond?