I am uncertain if anyone has previously addressed this, since I am impatiant and I hate to read, but I feel morality is something that must be instilled in all of us. Unlike some other comments I read, where morals seem to be thought of as laws to control people, I feel morals are deeply linked with emotional responses – thus rendering morals more as a feeling for what is right. Since morals are a feeling for what should and should not be done – and also for what should and should not be thought – instead of an outward force controlling us, then, I feel, morals are something that could be described as an absolute truth for mankind. I am not talking about what certain countries, cultures, or religions might define as ‘morally right.’ I am talking about what might be true for human nature as a whole – defined by nature. I believe that there are absolute truths for how life should be lived – to maxamise health and happiness for everyone. These truthes are built up upon eachother like a piramid – with a broad base supporting all the higher defined levels of morality. I will describe the ideal way of life (in my opinion) for which everyone should personally instill in their own heart. It is highly unlikely, however, everyone would have as high of morals.
The base of the peramid would be the truth that the most prized possession anyone can have is one’s own life. Life is sacred and should in no way be taken away from anyone. Before you argue about the over-crowding of prisons, please note this is an ideal view, and ideals are rarely supported by reality. Since life is deeply respected and viewed as precious, the taking of life in any form would be wrong. Therefore such concepts as abortion would be wrong, because the life being taken is the life of the unborn child, and that unborn child should have the chance to live it’s own life.
Since life is the most prized of all possessions, one would like to have his/her life to be the best it could be, therefore no one should impose upon someone else’s life. Nobody should force anyone into bad situations, especially for one’s own gain. Nobody should steal, cheat, lie, manipulate, or physically harm anyone. These detract from people’s happiness and wellbeing.
In the real world (not this ideal one) many people lie and manipulate for personal sexual pleasures. How many people are lead to believe they are being loved, when they are really only being used? How many people might even lie to themselves, thinking that they are in love, when they really only love the sex and not the woman?
In the ideal world an interest in otheother’s personality, preferences, and opinions would take precedence over matters of looks or sex, since one should be highly self-concious about useing someone for personal gain. The point of relationships would be to build actual relationships, since lying and manipulation was already established as wrong. Relationships are built on honesty and truthfulness, and one should take a genuine interest in the other’s life. Marrage, being a powerful promis to be by eachother’s side forever, should be taken seriously. “For richer. For porer. Through sickness and in health” the marage partner should be concidered before one’s self. “The two become one flesh,” and should work together as one. Difforences in oppinions may arise, but there should always be respect for these difforences. I know plenty of amazing marrages that have lasted forever, and the key is to always calmly listen to what the other has to say. In the ideal world divorce would not be an option, because people should try to work out problems.
Because life is sacred, one will try to do what is good for others before doing what one wants to do. Respect for one’s own parents should be anough to not experiment with drugs or drinking. The thought of a mother’s worry should be anough to choose not to smoke, snort, inhale, or inject anything. Also, because life is sacred, one will try to live one’s own life the best it could naturally be – unaided by any substance. Really, if you had known how some drugs work you would never want to try them. On the dendrites of each brain-cell there are synaptic-receptors, which dectect specific neurotransmitters (chemicals used for communication between brain-cells). Some neurotransmitters have an excititory affect (causing firing) on neurons, while others have an inhibitory (preventing firing) affect. Some drugs, such as cocain and niccotine, contain chemicals that resemble neurotransmitters. Because they resemble neurotransmitters they cause an over-active firing of the brain-cells that detect that type of neurotransmitter. The neural activity is the ‘high’ many experience. The brain tries to rebalance its self, and fire in a more normal pattern, by adjusting to have fewer synaptic-receptors on the dendrites. Because of having fewer synaptic-receptors more of a substance is needed in order for it to have the same affect on the brain – more of a drug needs to be used to attain the same high. Also, because of fewer synaptic-receptors, when the drug is not present they neuron cannot fire as regularly. The neuron may become over or under active during normal every day life. This abnormal firing pattern causes symptoms of withdrawl – where one needs the drug because they suffer without it. The withdrawl is pretty much to opposite of what the drug does, so if it causes one to ‘feel good’ then it would feel pretty bad without it. I read about this one drug (I cannot remember the name at the moment) where the withdrawl sympoms felt like you were being ripped in half and set on fire. That sounds a little unpleasent to me. Drugs also affects mental functions both when using the drug and when not. It hardly seems to be a life worth living, if you ask me.
There are more, commen sense stuff (forgive and forget, etc.), but I don’t feel like typing anymore. What I am really saying is that morals are a matter of personal ideals. The only way to improve the quality of the world is by altering one’s own self towards understanding truths about human nature, and understanding what is best for everybody. The point of morals is not to restrict anyone, but to make sure one’s self does not negetively affect anyone else. Because of that, real morals are independant of any social structure.
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