I look at it from the other end, Hilmar.

I believe that 99%+ of parents raise their children with GOOD morals. However, some teachers, most television, and most university business schools tend to suggest/imply/impart different values.
Then there is the 'corruption' of good standards, which has been increasingly more common in the last 20 years or so. By this I mean things like:
1) "Think outside the box" - generally a good idea, has come be mean 'if it isn't expressly mentioned in the law then it is OK'.
2) "TEAM" concepts, originally designed (a copy to a lrage extent of Japanese manufacturing practises) to promote better productivity with highjer quality has now become the way to identify compliant persons (will do pretty much whatever the organization says) and keep them at their stations while promoting the 'renegades' (who do not work well in the TEAM setup).
3) In Search of Excellence and followup books were very good, but now the idea is to LOOK excellent while all the while paying very little real attention to customers.
I could go on, but these serve I think.

So, if there's any "spiritual" learning to be done it is in those areas where these forms of corruption are introduced and encouraged.

I am amazed at the U.S. specifically, which tends to way way way over-emphasize GOD and spirituality while all the while the actual deeds are mainly the opposite. There seems to be 2 disparate worlds in the U.S. - those who genuinely do good works (possibly in the majority, even, but getting very little publicity) and those who will make a buck by ANY MEANS yet still regularly attend church and TALK spirituality. These latter get all of the promotion/publicity and are touted as great successes.
I guess, in fact, that the majority are really 'good' and that it is that fact that lets the bads get away with what they do. The 'good' simply wouldn't even dream that the schemes/lies done by the bad are even possible in the minds of people, and most especially those who TALK so much about GOD/spirituality.

I don't know what the answer is, and the powers have pretty much ensured that mechanisms for changing the status-quo are assured to failure. I suppose we can only wait for things to implode.


>>...
>>And it goes on and on. And the medical profession in the U.S. (by no means all, but enough to give them all a bad name) and the drug companies and insurance companies there too are PRIME examples of greed run amok.
>>When Communism was vanquished, capitalism ran wild and it looks like it will be our undoing faster than anyone thought.
>
>It is obviously a question of wrong priorities. It seems we have to get started to educate the World in spiritual values (or ethical, or moral, if you prefer). This is the only thing that can improve the World, eventually.
>
>'Tis a daunting task; the governments will not be of much help in this sense, at least in the short term; we have to start doing work on the small scale. Some actions that come to mind are giving the example; organizing discussion groups for ethical principles (the "Zipopo" show comes to mind - www.zipopo.org); teaching our children.