As a moral person, how do You maintain Your morality in an immoral society? A specific example would be nice.?

Question

This is not a question about psychology, sociology nor philosophy, but rather about Your personal concept of 'humanity', and how Your code of ethics and morality defines You as an entity.

Answer 1

It pretty much boils down to "To thine own self be true". You do the right thing when you are presented with a choice. And the right thing can be defined as the thing that does not offend or harm you or those whom your decision affects.

It makes NO difference what percetage of the world acts immorally; we have no control over the beliefs and actions of anyone but ourselves. To think otherwise, or to try to change this is futile and a waste of one's time and energy. That time and energy would be better spent working on perfecting the art of living a good life and fulfilling our own potential. This works because it inspires others to do the same by offering them an encouraging example to follow. It alleviates the can't-do attitude that has saturated our society, by showing others YES! it CAN be done! You CAN be happy, and you CAN take control of your own life by simply loving yourself enough to make good decisions.

I maintain my morality because I owe it not only to myself to do the right thing: I owe it to everyone else, too. I may only be a small part of it, but each of us has to decide if we're part of the solution...or part of the problem.

Answer 2

It does not matter what I think, it matters what I do. If everyone has what you say as a "personal" code of ethics" then we are all in trouble. That makes the killer at Virginia Tech right for what he did just because he believed it was right.

I think it is incomplete to say we have this self-given "right" to choose our own ethics and morals. Maybe I think I worked hard enough in the Army to be a Colonel, so, I should give myself the rank of Colonel because I believe it is right to give people rank according to how hard they work. I would get a lot of innocent soldiers killed if I could do this.

Now, back to the question of how I maintain morality. Basically, I listen and remember what I was taught as a child to respect people and that I have a choice to do right or wrong. It is a daily struggle because life is a struggle. A personal example of not giving in to an immoral action is when I worked as a security guard in a high rise next to a strip club. The other guards would stand on the top level of the garage to look at the club. What I did was join them, but I stood at a distance to where the people on the ground at the club were not visible to me. I made it clear to them I was not partaking in there event that way.

Finally, my personal view of humanity is of one that is fallen. One that started out perfect and that is perfect no more.

Answer 3

I think that a society can be moral/immoral, but that's something different from the aggregate of the people in it. For ex., the US could be moral by helping some developing country even though the people are against it; or the Cambodian people of the 1970's were not evil, they were victims of their society. The morality of a society is partially a function of the people, and partially a function of the political, economic, and social infrastructure that it operates in.

Answer 4

It is not easy to always do the moral or right thing. I have three grown children and often in the past I would be tempted to do the thing I wanted and not the right thing but I knew that my children were always watching and measuring me as a model of adulthood. I never wanted to do anything that I didn't want them to do.
In my youth, the 60s I did a lot of things that were not right, drugs were everywhere and morals were loose and I was in the middle of it. I sometimes look back and feel shame. I don't like the feeling.

Answer 5

What a lovely question.....

For my part, my hubby and I spend a lot of quiet time as a family. We don't "do" the Sabbath as some religious families might, but on Sundays we turn off the TV and read uplifting materials out loud. Occasionally it's biblical commentaries, but more often it's a book about Kabbalah, or readings about inspiring people, civil disobedience by Thoreau, or my latest find - a book about reading auras and energy fields. The little ones usually just play quietly as we read aloud, but I hope that they will get used to having lots of family time together, and "food for thought", as they grow.

I find that if we surround ourselves with moral things, it is easier to make good decisions. On weeks when we rush through family time, or leave the TV blaring for a few hours, it is easier to push "the right thing" aside in favor of convenience or lesser goals.

Answer 6

For me, it is a matter of being willing to get out of lockstep and "sheeple" type thinking and decide for myself what is moral for me.
Much of what I see in US society is so out of keeping with what I believe in that it is easy to decide what's OK and what's not.
There are other issues that are specific to my beliefs and background, and while those things may be bad for me, they are not bad for others.
An example is that I was brought up in a severely alcoholic family. Thus, I carry the genes for alcoholism. If I drink, I am in effect giving permission to my kids to drink. If I don't drink and instead talk to my kids about the effects of alcohol, maybe it will help them resist the temptation to drink later on.
My kids and I do some spiritual practices and those help keep us centered and focused on becoming the people we want to be.
I also try really hard to shun peer pressure (yes, even adults get that) and teach my kids to do the same.
Part of my litmus test for any act is to ask myself if I'd be pleased to be treated the same way.
Obviously, I get a bit irritated here on WS sometimes, but I am even working on that. lol
I often have to retrace my steps and ask forgiveness, but I still see progress, as well.
Great question
Good luck

Answer 7

The golden rule.
Be as generous. considerate, forgiving, understanding, fair and civilized toward others as you would have them be toward you.
Not everyopne is equipt for this (Bush is a good example).
One must have empathy, compassion, passion and a sense of humor to have humanity
I actually live this way...and its worked out great for me.

But you must be prepared to reject uncooperative people and be rejected by them. You must recognize the line between you and those who don't share that moral ground, or you'll be forever disappointed.

Answer 8

Just ask myself, what would others think of what I'm doing? If someone else was doing this, what would I think of their actions? Would I respect them or not?

Answer 9

I remain true to my beliefs, and true to myself, regardless of what others say/do.

Answer 10

I smoke crack.