There is good news and bad news: Society needs moral codes, systems of rules for language for commerce, for everything. Otherwise, no society.
Ten Commandments, golden rules, laws of the sea allow us to agree to, generally, shared values. This allows currency to hold value, allows families to exist, allows all of those modern blessings to be maintained. Sure, there are folks who disregard them, but we mostly think they're assholes.
A stated 'moral code,' an oath of office, marriage vows, is different from an internal one.
We all like to be thought of as moral, as being able to keep a secret, as trustworthy. We go to great lengths sometimes to pretend we are all those things. But moral codes are like faith, fidelity to a cause, courage, they are inside us. When choices get at all difficult - "What price Senator?" "Hiya Sailor..." well short of being able to force oneself to enter a burning building, many of us fold.
This confusion about what we say we believe and what we internalize, clouds every discussion of morality.
Otherwise, how can someone like a former Speaker we shall not name (serial adulterer) crow about his support for the sanctity of marriage?
Otherwise, how can an armed and armored police officer who murdered an unarmed civilian in cowardice, claim he was just doing his job?
In our secret selves, we have a code, which mostly we dare not swear to.Statistics: Posted by bralbovsky — Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:43 pm
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