Speeches and Articles by Former Consul General James B. Cunningham

Remarks by James B. Cunningham, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau
Dragon Foundation "Global Citizenship 2008" Program
June 4, 2008

Thank you, Dr. Wong, for that kind introduction.

Let me also thank you, Sir TY Yang and the Dragon Foundation for the invitation to join you again. It is always a pleasure to meet with the fine young people participating in Dragon Foundation programs. I want to talk to you today on "Ethics, Innovation, and Creativity," the theme of the group traveling to New York in this year's program.

The two concepts--ethics on the one side, innovation and creativity on the other--would appear to be opposites. The one concept seems fixed, static. The other seems modern, dynamic and alive. But I think they are not opposites. They both have important roles to play as our societies develop. But they can, and do, come into conflict at times.

We usually think of ethics, when we think of the subject at all, as an established, unchanging code of behavior governing human interaction, a "correct", right way of doing things. Many people believe that individuals, and businesses, have ethical obligations to try to do good, or at least not to cause harm. Albert Einstein said that "Relativity applies to physics, not ethics."

Innovation and creativity, on the other hand, convey the notion of "breaking the mold," following one's individual compass and even upsetting long-established ways of doing things. Clearly, modern society, and especially young people, place a premium on creativity. Innovation drives the globalized world. We see already that the pace of change is accelerating in a way that mankind has never experienced before, and your lives will be ones faced with the challenges of constant change.

And therein lies the tension: What does "ethics" mean in today's -- and tomorrow's -- world? That will be a key issue for your generation, and an exciting theme for your visit to New York.

The T-shirt that the Dragon Foundation is using as part of your program proudly declares that you want to "Think Outside the Box." That reminded me of a recent cartoon in The New Yorker, one of America's influential magazines. A very stern-looking man is scolding his cat, on the floor before him next to its kitty-litter box. He shakes his finger at his pet and says menacingly, "Don't ever, ever, think outside the box." The point is, of course, that some boundaries are best left respected, some restraints on behavior best not challenged.

Most of us, I hope, tend to think of ethics as rules of behavior which we follow in order to be good people, to do the right thing. A famous American President, Abraham Lincoln, had a gift for taking complex things and making them simple. He said, "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."

In the 21st century, you may find it more difficult to make ethical judgments than Einstein and Lincoln. Defining what is "doing good" becomes an infinitely more complicated question as innovation and creativity expand the limits of the possible. For those who are creative, and who truly want to be ethical, identifying what is "right" will be a life-long quest, and one of the most important challenges societies will face.

Many philosophers and sociologists have argued in the last 20 years that there is a "social construction of reality," that is, our sense of right and wrong and of good and bad behavior in part is generated from our cultural and social surroundings. In seeking answers to ethical questions, it is helpful to occasionally change our surroundings, and interact with other cultures. That is one reason why exchange programs like the Dragon Foundation are important. Exposure to other cultures can help us analyze more clearly the specific traditions we have grown up in.

It is also really important to maintain human trust, and bending ethical rules is a quick way of ruining trust. So as you seek to think outside the box in solving problems and creating solutions, remember, like the cat, to keep some things within the box. Asking whether a specific action builds trust or breaks it down is one good starting point. This is true whether we are talking about personal relations or business decisions.

I believe that as our lives become more complicated, ethics become more important, not less. You need standards to live by. Often defining the boundaries of the box will be easy, and you will know what is right. But one of the best quotes I found sums up the dilemma. Isaac Asimov, the author of wonderful science fiction novels, wrote "never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what is right."

I'm sure you will have many opportunities during your programs this summer to think more carefully on this. I am sure you will have a great experience.