I’m home, and I’m always a little surprised when I travel a long way that I 1) make it back alive and 2) pick up with the same life I left off. It’s sort of like a DVD that’s been paused, but the main characters step out for a bit. I’ve stepped off the screen into another world.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be moral. Can I honestly say that I am a moral person? I will admit that I sometimes struggle with this. Tonight, while walking the dog, I thought how much I wanted to walk off and leave my dog’s defecation. I really didn’t want to pick up the mess, and heck, no one could see me out there. I hesitated….oh….it’s always so gross to pick up that squishy pile.
It was only because I felt guilty about leaving the mess for my neighbors that I picked it up. Otherwise, I would not have done the right thing. There are times like this that I wonder how moral I really am. If I knew I was able to steal five million dollars without getting caught, would I do it? (My father says, “yes, he would.” He would make his life better and wrong someone else. No one would be hurt by stealing the money, only inconvenienced.)
We all have different moralities that change over time. Maybe when I reached the age of 70 I will feel as my father does. For Christians or other denominations, they remain consistent in their motivations and value systems. Morality is clear-cut. Black and white. Christians believe that God is watching over them as well as watching them. Be good or pay the price later–maybe even sooner than later if God decides.
For nonbelievers, there is no one watching over us, no reason to be “good” but the moral structure/reasoning we’ve set in place ourselves. What does “being good” mean anyway?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That covers a lot of moral ground for me.