Well, I haven't read every post in here yet, (I just skimmed after the first page) but I thought I should post a response while it was still fresh in my mind--as opposed to wading through 43 posts when I've been up for >checks clock< 20 hrs.

I think part of the differance between the east and the west is the issue of age. The U.S. in particular is only a few hundred years old, while some asian cultures have histories going back thousands of years. As an "old man" myself, (I feel old anyway ) I know that as one ages, their outlook on life becomes increasingly pragmatic and cynical...

...or rather, it becomes so pragmatic that it appears cynical.

Many moral issues look quite different when veiwed from a purely logical perspective--often certain things raise instinctive "red flags" when they could actually be benificial to a society.

Take lying and infidelity for example:

Which is worse? Always being honest even when it hurts people or being considerate of other's feelings?

Without lies, society would collapse, and as for cheating on your spouse...

...the thing is, human beings have several million years of evolution hammering at the back of their brain telling them to reproduce with as many healthy mates as possible--you can't just turn it off like a switch. Relationships are hard to maintain, and an occasional affair can make all the difference.

Lets face it, nothing really bugs you when you're sexually contented; but a couple that forces themselves to stay faithfull will eventually start resenting each other--sometimes leading to divorce or even murder.

I don't think the Japanese feel that lying is perfectly OK--it's just that they recognize it's social importance and would rather people be happy and full of it than honest and at each other's throats.

It's the same with many of these seemingly cynical or shallow values. The Japanese have very high regard for honesty, honor, and morally noble conduct, but they recognize that for a society to function there must be a balance between everything--including right and wrong.

We're not saints, we're animals--and every time we forget that tragedy follows.