Page 18 - Priorities #53 2012-June/July

18
Why are we good? The debate over the It is my own desire known as an Act of Omission),
motivation for Humanity’s morality has been going on for millenia. Generally, whether people do or don’t believe in God greatly affects their moral decisions. However, my personal experience is that while I strongly believe in God, He is not the reason for my moral choices. However, just as Carlo Martini says, it is God that “gives me the light and strength necessary to be good in difficult situations.” My morality is quite simple, and is based on seven key aspects: 1) the experience that being good feels good, 2) my desire to rejoin with God, 3) my desire to be an example, 4) the principle of Karma, 5) the idea that virtue is our inherent nature, 6) self- respect, and 7) the knowledge that it feels good to have a clear conscience.
Being good feels good. There is something so pure about the cleanliness that honesty and integrity bring. These qualities seem to attract me, they call to my soul. Just as I could not physically harm someone, I can not lie or be deceitful. Some people think that lying does not hurt anyone, but I would say it hurts the liar, it breaks their integrity. And by breaking that integrity, we weaken our link to God. It’s not a matter of morals to be good, it’s that being good makes us whole, connected to our Self and to God.
I, like many others, would like to one day be reabsorbed into an infinite energy when I die. Most religions agree on some sort of a Supreme force. They may disagree on name, but all understand its existence and purity. This “vision of a great Substance into which we will one day be reabsorbed can generate a vision of tolerance and of benevolence, precisely because we are all invested in maintaining ...equilibrium and harmony.” Achieving this requires effort on my part. I need to be clean enough in my thoughts and actions in order to be able to rejoin this pure energy.
to be a part of something
larger than myself that
motivates me to be good. I
quite enjoy Umberto Eco’s
idea that we are good in
order to be examples, to
leave the world a message,
“because in some way
what one believes or
what one finds beautiful
can be believed or seen
as beautiful by those who
come after.” The idea that
part of what motivates us
to be good is our desire
to leave behind a legacy
is one that I find quite
intriguing. When I’m gone, I want to be remembered as someone who lived her life with integrity and who inspired others to do the same. This aspiration, therefore, creates a motivation to be honorable to do the right thing. I’m imprinting my moral life on the world. I’m leaving “a message in a bottle.”
When in the process of making a moral decision, I’m often inclined to lean on the principle of Karma. Karma recognizes the difference between instant gratification and delayed gratification. Dr Craig once asked his audience what would make them act altruistically in those situations where “morality runs smack in the face of self- interest.” My immediate response is that one will be able to act morally when they understand that the right choice doesn’t necessarily bring immediate benefit to the self. Karma doesn’t always act instantly. The principle of Karma is important when considering whether to be good or bad because it makes you remember that everything you do has a reaction. I pay attention to the long term result of my actions. For example, if I’m in a situation where I could help someone who is being bullied and I chose to do nothing (also
the karmic reaction will be that when I am bullied, no one will come help me. Karma does not motivate out of fear of a punishment, it is simply the awareness of the larger picture of action and reaction.
Morality is our inherent nature. I believe that we are actually souls, not the bodies we inhabit. Souls were originally clean and pure and full of virtues. However, over time, as our souls experienced the cruelty and temptation of the world, they began to change. They became darker, until their
light could hardly shine through anymore. When most people experience a deep sense of emptiness, as if nothing can fill them, they are feeling their soul’s desire to become good again. When we act morally, and according to whatever we perceive to be the right course, we scrape off some of the mud that’s covering our true self. Goodness causes us to become clean once again. It’s the soul’s innate desire to return to its original self that motivates human morality.
Some might say that it takes effort to be virtuous, but I believe that being good comes naturally when you are seated on the seat of self-respect. When you experience yourself as an elevated being, one that isn’t degraded enough to speak with anger, or to become jealous, it becomes easy to make the right decisions.
I act morally because I like sleeping at night. Someone once said, “A clear conscience is a good pillow” and I couldn’t have said it better myself. I appreciate reviewing my actions throughout the day and seeing that I’ve acted with kindness, warmth and compassion. The few experiences I have had of acting badly, I have regretted immediately
Morality is our inherent nature. I believe that we are actually souls, not the bodies we identify with.