Morality - An Innate Human Concept

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

There is something fundamentally  unique about human beings.  We are different from animals, we have choice, free will, we shape our destiny and yet at the same time we have some type of guidance.  All human beings across the lands throughout the world and religions hold very similar principles of morality.  Principles such as: Do not murder, do not lie, kindness is a virtue, generosity is treasured, loyalty is honorable, helping others reveals greatness within yourself, and many other universally “moral” concepts and ideals are commonplace.  

How is it that so many different societies, that in the past never interacted with one another could have such common moral leanings?  Human beings, within themselves possess an innate sense of right and wrong.  This sense guides those to choosing between right and wrong, though obviously people are able to ignore this moral compass or conscience if desired.  

Great corruption and a dangerous situation arises when human beings are dishonest with themselves.  People become truly lost when they make decisions that they know to be wrong and immoral yet use rationality to counterbalance this moral compass trying to justify and rationalize their actions.  For example, Genocide was justified with “moral” causes and twisted ideas of “cleansing” throughout history by various civilizations as people do not like to face their own demons within and admit to the beast that exists within their hearts that is causing them to act in such an unethical and barbaric fashion.  

There is always a rationalization to unethical actions in a majority of cases.  The rationalization will twist someone’s mind and heart (science has found the heart has brain cells in it) into a contorted creature that is human but has ignored the moral compass that leads to “humanity”.  Judgement and vision become clouded eventually leading to further and further misguided decisions.  

We continue to see modern brainwashing “justifying” immorality in our world today.  Four billion people live in poverty today, and yet somehow the financial banking system is still a valid and viable option because “the world can not survive without the money lender’s practices of charging interest and deeming the extremely poor not credit worthy”. How else will things run?  Even the financial collapse of bank giants in 2009, still has not led the majority of people in the world to question the banking system’s fundamental principles.

Wars ravage lands and their is always some “rational” excuse..... 

I truly believe, that human beings are capable of a greatness that has never been achieved.  It is idealistic, though if every person in the world would focus on listening to their own moral compass, and question the rationality that leads them to certain choices, with an open heart, then the world would be a better place.  I am an idealist and believe that these things are possible and the potential for true greatness is there for all of humanity to benefit from.