"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true." ~ Socrates How would you describe your system of morality?

I think my system of morality has a fairly strong base. Like most people, I fall somewhere smack in the middle between Mother Teresa and say, Casey Anthony. I do know the difference between right and wrong in my intentions, decisions, and actions, but I’ve been known to slip up and stumble at times.

My moral standards have definitely been dynamic rather than static over the years. There was that time I let my brother take the blame for eating all the cookies when I knew I was just as guilty, and the day I allowed the girl in front of me in Spanish class to cheat off my test though I knew it was wrong.  I’ve told my share of white lies, I’ve been guilty of speeding and parking illegally… and then there were those wild college years (we won’t go into the details here).

In thinking about how I developed my sense of morality, I come up with the following list:

• From my parents as role models. I’m pretty sure that my mother was the first one to explain the Golden Rule, and I definitely remember watching her return money to the cashier when she was given too much change. Being the electrical inspector for the city, my dad was given plenty of opportunity to accept contractors’ bribes, but he prided himself in taking a pass on the free lunches and gifts he was offered.
• From social interaction with peers, teachers, friends.
• Through instinct. I’m particularly thinking about the quality of empathy--the ability to put myself in others’ shoes is a big influence on my morality.
• From episodes of Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver.  J

Religion is noticeably absent from my list; it’s never been a particularly big influence on my life. I remember once when my daughter was young and I discovered she had shoplifted a necklace from a store we visited. I made her return it and apologize, and later I told a friend about the incident. She remarked, “Have you ever thought about taking her to church?” I was struck by the fact that she equated religion with having a higher moral standard. I believe it’s entirely possible to distinguish right from wrong without knowing anything Moses and the Ten Commandments written on the stone tablets.  I also think a moral compass derived from within is much stronger than one dictated from the outside; i.e. threats of not going to heaven if you don’t behave; fear of no gifts from Santa if you’re naughty.

It occurs to me that there are lots of shades of gray in between the black and white of morals. If I found out that my neighbor stole $1,000 from the store down the street, would I report it to police? More than likely. If I found out my neighbor had cheated on his taxes by $1,000, would I report it to the IRS? Probably not. So, does it follow that stealing from the store is wrong, but stealing from the government is OK? Food for thought.