Reaching out to the Youth

BE POSITIVE

MORALITY

When does something that is morally wrong start being socially acceptable? What influences a person into turning from what they know is right? Is there a point where needs, convenience, or survival overrides morality? Does the person the person truly believe that what is being done is right or are they just going along with the social convention? To discuss all these questions, we must first address two that are easier: What is morality and what is social convention? First, I want to ask readers to please keep in mind that most of this article is based on opinion and theory for the topic being discussed is of complexity.

According to the Oxford english dictionary, morality is principles concerning right and wrong or good and bad behavior. Morality is very abstract, many even describe it as subjective. The definition is clear, but exactly what those principles are differ from person to person depending on their environment, and their belief system. Nevertheless, I believe that there is a universal moral code, to some extent, which some people call ethics. I get this idea from the fact that it is a universal truth that to cause harm to a person physically, emotionally, or psychologically is wrong. Which brings us to another question that is perhaps one of the most debated in this topic: how do we acquire this moral compass? I can only offer my opinion. Some believe we are born with it; it is part of who we are. Others believe we are are taught, which is my view. I formed this opinion as I was speaking to a person very near me who shares most of my ideals and values. We were discussing this subject and at the time, I believed that we were born with morals. I had been watching some studies that showed how a small child recognized that hurting someone else was wrong whether it was a rule or not. As a mother, she used what she had experienced and seen with her own eyes. She told me that as a child grows, he/she wants to explore, and experience. The child doesn’t know what he/she is doing, that is why it is the parent’s job to guide him/her. The parent punishes the child when it does something wrong. For example, if a child hurts another child it is explained to them that hurting people is wrong. This is not a rule but a fact and kids understand this. The opposite of this scenario is if the child is not punished. The child will continue to hit others and not think it as wrong because it was not corrected. Once she explained it to me it became very obvious. Morality is taught and it becomes permanent in our lives as we exercise it every day.

Religion and society play a major part in moral actions. They are the factors that make moral principles differ in every individual. I believe that the basics of morality in itself are similar. For example, killing is wrong, a person must be fair, etc. What makes an individual’s morality abstract is how they answer the moral questions that are raised and what actions they take; how their morals are manifested and how they apply them to everyday life decisions. Religious commandments and social convention can assist in making moral decisions but they are not substitutes for moral judgement. They provide a guideline for how a person is to act and respond but the person still has their moral compass. On the other hand, religion and morality affect society. Individuals make up a society and what those individuals believe and think make up what the society believes. This is why there are an infinite number of ways to determine how to make a social system function: the adversity in moral manifestation and the belief system of the individuals.

Morality is independent from social convention and religion yet social convention does affect how a person acts on their morals. The Oxford dictionary defines social convention as behavior that is considered acceptable or polite to most members of society. It would make sense that they would be closely related but if we look back in the history of America, we see many occasions in which social convention was in opposition with morality. We learn from our past that not all social expectations are in the realm of morality. War and slavery are the greatest examples.

Which bring us to the very first questions that were asked. The questions that are the hardest to answer. Why are some things that are morally wrong socially acceptable? I believe that this happens at the same point in which greed, survival, or convenience become stronger than morality in society. I believe this was true for the time of slavery. It is true that social convention or acceptable behavior is governed by rules and expectation. These rules and expectations are set by the authority which in many cases is the government. Slavery was legal in the United States. It was not viewed as barbaric by the government and some would argue that this is the reason society accepted it. My counterargument to such a statement is the constitution. The government is there to serve the people and the government makes decisions by the the voice of the people. Society was so corrupt, so intoxicated by greed and commodities, that they accepted the slavery of a people just because of their race. They ignored morality, otherwise how would they come to the conclusion that enslaving, torturing, mistreating, bringing down, and putting through emotional and physical pain a people just because of the color of their skin is not outrageous. Some were against slavery at this time, but they were against the majority and either they were afraid to speak or their voice was not important among society. Slavery does not exist today but it was a dark age because it is something that should have never happened in the first place.

Slavery was an example of morality being conquered by greed. War is an example of morality being conquered by survival. In war, you kill; war is killing. At any other time, killing is a crime, it is unacceptable, but not during war. War brings about many moral questions because it is a circumstance in which the options are kill or be killed. Soldiers seem to be exempted from morality but not completely. In many situations in war, it is necessary to ignore morality in order to survive. They do what needs to be done to survive but only to a certain extent in which a war cannot become cruel. In history, it has many times but that is exactly the point. It is up to the individual and them up to society, then up to the government, then up to the world which road they want to take.

Each individual knows what is right and what is wrong, but sometimes they can find themselves influenced by those who became corrupt by ignoring their morality. It becomes a chain of reaction and if someone repeats that something wrong is right enough times, people follow. The greed spreads; the need, the want spreads. There is so much corruption in this world; so many that are intoxicated by the wrong. All the people seek is commodity, comfort, satisfaction, but the truth is that the intention does not excuse the immorality of the act.

Life's motivation is about your inner conviction and strength. Intuitively if you listen to your inner voice urging you on a right path, obey it. intrinsically God speaks to our convictions, the more reason why you need to listen and obey. Apart from the grace of God, you need
intrinsic motivation to push you further the ladder. Never give up on yourself. Stay blessed.