Make Believe Morals Part 1

I apologize for not blogging the past few weeks and promise to be more consistent as I learn the great virtue of time management. I left with what some might say is a depressing blog last time. I wrote about how I saw the world as a distortion of what it was meant to be and how the world had much evil in it.

The next logical question is how are we meant to decide what is good and what is evil? Many would say we instinctually know what is good and what is evil. I will write about what is called the Law of Morality. I promise I will not quote C.S. Lewis every blog but it is from his book Abolition of Man in which I will be referencing.

Lewis spent much of his life as an atheist, then as a theist and finally as a Christian in which his works are best known. Lewis laid claim to this Law of Morality and wrote about how every person instinctually knows this law but breaks it anyway. Lewis contended that human beings have not created new morals, per se, but that in such things as the Age of Enlightenment humans were just tinkering and changing pre-existing morals.

To paraphrase, Lewis states that this knowledge of good and evil has to be given by a higher being because it is meant for human beings to obey something or someone. He states that it is obvious that this higher being cares about love, faithfulness, goodness, etc.

When we look at major religions throughout the world we see many similarities. In the Appendix of Abolition of Man lies Illustrations of the Tao, which is meant to show examples of the law of morality within different cultures. It is divided into eight categories including: The Law of General Beneficence, The Law of Justice, and The Law of Mercy, to name a few. To show an example of this I will use the first law of General Beneficence in regards to murder:

'I have not slain men.' (Ancient Egyptian. From the Confession of the Righteous Soul, 'Book of the Dead', v. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics [= ERE], vol. v, p. 478)

'Do not murder.' (Ancient Jewish. Exodus 20:13)

'In Nastrond (= Hell) I saw... murderers.' (Old Norse. Volospá 38, 39)

'He who is cruel and calumnious has the character of a cat.' (Hindu. Laws of Manu. Janet, Histoire de la Science Politique, vol. i, p. 6)

This is just one example of the similarities of societies throughout history with regards to expression of the significance of specific morals. I will make sure to post the link so that you can see other examples as well.

The question remains, why do these religions share these things in common even though they were written in different geographical locations and hundreds to thousands of years apart? Why do the Buddha and Jesus Christ both stress the importance of “The Golden Rule?” Why do they share similar morals? Why does our society view certain things as good and evil? If morals are man-made and relative to each individual how do we have a clear basis for any set of standard and consistent morals? If this was to be the case, how would we judge the Holocaust to be good or bad?
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/lewis/abolition1.htm

The Anomaly

I’m just different. Not necessarily better, but different. My perspective, my drive and even my thought process could be considered alien to the stereotypical college student. I’ve recently been seeing the world I live in as a darker place then I once did. A distortion or blurred image if you will, of what this world was meant to be. I see it as “A place that is always winter but never Christmas,” as C.S. Lewis would allude to in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

We all have a sense of evil but to varying degrees. The nightly news shows us the murders, the rapes, the drug busts, the robberies and the corruption. Now and then we see global issues, the poverty, the hunger, the genocides etc. but they are all just that, things we only see on the news. These problems are much deeper than that. It’s easy for us to make a donation to a charity and say, “Well, I did my part.” What if everyone around me, including myself, is inherently evil? What if in the core of our being, we ourselves are a distortion of what we were meant to be? What if what we saw on the nightly news was just an escalation of evil that rests inside all of us?

Its not like I do not think there is incredible joy in this world, there is. There can be an incredible amount of joy and love in family and friends, in the workplace and in the beauty of the outdoors, music, art, as well as in success and hope. Good has always existed but is it currently in a state of overcast by evil?
I see so many of my fellow classmates reaching down in empty wells. Searching for the answer to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I do not see heavy drinking, drug use and sexual promiscuity as “good times,” I see them as desperate attempt to gain a greater inner joy that will never come through these avenues. The next few blogs will be dedicated to uncovering the search to find significance in this world.

The Beginning

And so my very first blog begins. What was SCC thinking giving ME a blog? (Just kidding). It’s my passion to write. I have aspirations to pursue journalism and freelance writing. It all started my sophomore year of high school. I wanted to be a great athlete but never had phenomenal hand-eye coordination. So what sport does every wannabe athlete join? Cross-country of course (Another joke). By the time I ran half way through my first 5K I realized that maybe this is not my calling and maybe I won’t survive till the end of this race.

So, I took a journalism class. The teacher thought I was very good so she asked me to join the newspaper staff. I was a staff writer my junior year covering any story, interviewing, taking pictures etc. My senior year I started as the Ad manager and ended as the editor in chief. I enjoyed it so much and learned a lot. I also wrote for the Suburban Journals as an Amp writer and currently as an Opinion Shaper as well as a staff writer for the SCCougar. I am always looking for ways to improve my craft and empower minds.

I am also active in my community. I love working with organizations like Restore St. Louis and Oasis food pantry. It’s my desire to show love to others around me and leave them better off for having known me. Christianity is not just a part of my life, it is my life, but do not let this inhibit you from participating in my blog. I want to hear other views and other perspectives. I want to be enlightened not ignorant. Thank you once again SCC for the opportunity and hopefully through my words and your comments we can improve the world in which we live.