Corrupted Morality
A spirited discussion developed on the topic of morality. Where does one begin to think about such an expansive idea? A promising launch point was suggested. Morality, what is good, and it’s opposite, is rooted in our visceral response to the external world. In short pleasure is an indication of what is good, and pain of what is not good. Upon that foundation of an idea, we followed several different directions of inquiry for the next hour and a half. I am amazed that a room full of mature adults, with a lot of life experience behind them, come to a focus, illuminating elements of importance on such a topic. As the years pass, life reveals itself as more complex, with colliding cross currents. The simple “answers” of one’s more idealistic youth are no longer convincing.
In the beginning, its peas or bananas. The toddler just learning to feed him or herself usually prefers the fruit. Our taste buds are biased for sweet fruit, more than for green peas. A caring parent will have strategies to support the consumption of peas because the parent knows that peas have nutrients important to the developing child. With good luck, and the passage of a little time the child’s preference changes to include enjoyment of peas; not that banana wheels are ever unappreciated. And so it is with us, for the rest of our lives. Morality, good and evil, is a wisdom of the body, the organism’s response to what the environment offers. On offer is both what is helpful, sometimes in disguise, and what is lethal often in a seductive wrapper.
I’ve known older kids who had a preference for junk food over all other forms of nourishment. Give them a choice between a plate of roast beef-vegetables-potatoes and a bag of cheetoes–they will opt for the cheesy snack. For another example consider the veteran law enforcement officer. The man or woman has spent years on the streets of an economically depressed, down and out neighborhood. In the dim light a hooded figure flashes around the corner of a building running hard toward him or her. Something must be done, quickly.
I concluded at the close of our discussion that the Golden Rule, is the best that we can manage when it comes to an objective element of morality.
That is enough.
