• silverwhisper said on Apr 01, 2007....

  my moral code is generally pretty straightforward: i am in general a fan of what enhances quality of life and reduces suffering. this yields some interesting results at times. and what i find is that secrets and a lack of openness are the things that contribute most to screwing those things up, to be honest.
  
  ed

• Zayda said on Apr 01, 2007....

  silver--forgive me but i'm not sure how being a general fan of what enhances quality of life and reduces suffering equates to a personal moral code. afterall, we could argue that air-conditioning enhances the quality of life and reduces suffering for some.
  
  
  

• mom said on Apr 01, 2007....

  Zayda- I do try to treat people the way I want to be treated.  I don't always succeed but I do try.   I don't know if that is what you mean.

• lioneljay said on Apr 01, 2007....

  Z, I'm with you on this one: I think that air conditioning is the root of all humane treatment of one another.

• silverwhisper said on Apr 01, 2007....

  i will elaborate in greater detail in the morning when i'm sober. this is a matter on which i've expended no small matter of thought or reflection.
  
  ed

• Zayda said on Apr 01, 2007....

  should i line up a mocha or some diet coke w/lime for your morning, ed?

• silverwhisper said on Apr 01, 2007....

  i've got the latter taken care of, but thank you, my friend. :D i'm not a coffee guy though, so if you do set up some mocha, do feel free to enjoy it yourself. :>
  
  ed

• polarheart said on Apr 02, 2007....

  I base a lot on consideration for fellow beings and the "doing unto others" thing.  I also feel that the innocense of children should be protected, perhaps because of my religious beliefs, but to me that is the gut moral thing to do.  Live and let live.  Of course there will always be exceptions to the "rule", but these apply for me 99% of the time.

• Alyss said on Apr 02, 2007....

  I'm a 'do as you would to others' kind of person and try not to cause harm to anyone.
  
  Having said that I think moral codes are tricky things, as they tend to be rigidly defined and then fail when challenged by particular sets of circumstances. For me having there's a bell curve of rights & wrongs and sometimes it's better to be a little less good than a lot more bad, though I doubt that makes much sense!
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Apr 02, 2007....

  i have no moral or ethical right to dictate my worldview or morality on others. i don't, b/c to believe differently requires accepting that others have that right vis a vis me--it would be pure egotism to believe otherwise.
  
  from that enlightened self-interest-based beginning, i can extrapolate a great deal. i can extrapolate that murder is wrong--depriving a person of his or her life is morally not acceptable, unless other factors (self-defense, defense of someone else) come into play.
  
  but this is only half of the equation--if you design a system of morality or ethics based solely on negation, that doesn't get you very far. therefore, it's to me critical for such a system to have objectives or general principles underlying it, and for me, this is it: support that which enhances life and quality of life and/or reduces suffering.
  
  i could do a whole blog entry on the matter--or indeed a series of them--and still not tease out all the ramifications, but does that more or less answer your question, super z?
  
  ed

• lioneljay said on Apr 02, 2007....

  I notice that no one took my air conditioning comment seriously. Oh well. It was actually not entirely in jest.
  
  Humane treatment of one another with an eye to the future is a starting point for my moral code. I was raised Catholic and was a very good student of the catechism. Only when the pastor of our parish was unable to satisfy my curiosity about the paradox of free will in a life under an all-knowing god did I begin to doubt. On this basis, I suspect that much of my moral code is derived from essential Christian beliefs.
  
  That said, it seems to me that if we choose to behave well towards others at all times and act so as to never deserve retribution, then we'll be moral persons. Ed said it more eloquently - but then he's probably had more caffeine today than I have.
  

• MissMimi said on Apr 02, 2007....

  Do you know how many times I've started this comment? I won't be eloquent like my friends Ed and LJ -- too tired to think in terms of big words. I try to always keep in mind the Golden Rule, say what I mean and mean what I say, and never knowingly cause anyone pain.
  
  
  I didn't take your comment about air conditioning entirely in jest, LJ. Summertime heat and humidity can have a huge effect on my civility.

• beyondtheveil said on Apr 02, 2007....

  zayda- Your question on the afterlife was easy compared to this. It is very difficult to pin down in a sound bite and very "tricky" as alyss mentioned.
   
  However, describing my personal moral code, I would have to fall back on the saying "let your conscience be your guide". My conscience almost always tells me what is right, wrong, or in between, and if I'm struggling, it seems to be my conscience I'm struggling with in one way or another.
   
  I cannot define a personal moral code covering all situations any better than this.To elaborate over pages of writing would just be coming back to what my conscience is telling me.

• Zayda said on Apr 02, 2007....

  beyond--I'm not asking you to pin it down in a sound bite. Take as much space to say what you want to say. Come back and say things several times if you want. In fact, I'd much rather not have a sound bite or a "pat" answer. :)
  
  
  I'll respond more to everyone else later when i have time to read fully and breathe. :D
  
  
  I just wanted everyone to know that if you end up with a very lengthy comment, that's just fine by me.

• lioneljay said on Apr 02, 2007....

  Just to clarify my air conditioning comment. Wasn't it Nietsche who said something along the lines of "First comes a full stomach, then comes morality?" I could be mistaken about both the source and the exact quote but the idea makes sense to me: that a certain degree of physical safety and comfort are necessary before man can think in terms of moral behavior vs. doing whatever it takes to survive.

• silverwhisper said on Apr 02, 2007....

  interesting, i'm not accustomed to thinking of nietzsche as an existentialist.
  
  ed

• MissMimi said on Apr 02, 2007....

  As I've grown older and smartened up a little, the sharp edges of right and wrong have blurred a little. I've learned in the last few years that long-held rigid views of moral conduct can come back to bite you in the ass hard.
  
  
  What beyond said about conscience makes a lot of sense to me, though I think my conscience has relaxed its standards somewhat about some things. Maybe that's my way of trying to justify some of the choices I've made.
  
  
  I'm talking here about issues of fidelity and loyalty in a long term relationship, not murder and mayhem. I can remember so often through the years thinking, I will never be tempted, it will never happen to me; I won't let it. Well. I have learned to never say never, because you just never know.

• LadyGamer said on Apr 02, 2007....

  My moral code is simple.

   

  Do no harm. Leave them better than you found them.

   

   

   

• SeanRenaud said on Apr 02, 2007....

  Look out for number one.  Then remember the things that are connected to you.  Example.  I look out for me, then my community, then my city, state, country, alliances, than world.  If you would do harm to one of these things appropriate action will be taken, if you would aid one of these things then appropriate action will be taken. If more people lived like this (and understood that having a long list of enemies is no where near as beneficial as a list of friends) the world would be much better off.

• silverwhisper said on Apr 02, 2007....

  sean: wouldn't everyone wind up dead due to vendettas?
  
  ed

• tbs230 said on Apr 02, 2007....

  Moral code...what's that? Okay, serious discussion...
  
  My moral code...I try (stress on the word try) to treat others how I would want to be treated. I, obviously, derive this from my religion. In fact, all if not most of my moral code comes from Christianity. I do throw in the occasional "nature is alive and a separate entity" thing...but mostly, I'm a Roman Catholic through and through, following the teachings of my pope...at least Pope John Paul II (Not too sure of the current Pope).
  
  I do believe in justice, in empathy, in forgiveness. Sometimes my moral code has to be rewritten, or I have to find loopholes in order to feel good about myself after doing something horrible, but I feel my code is strong enough to endure changes in leadership. I figure when in doubt...go to the New Testament.
  
  Hope I answered the question.
  

• SeanRenaud said on Apr 02, 2007....

  They shouldn't.  It's kind of a matter of if people are inteligent enough not to through the first blow and to understand what appropriate action is.  Very, very rarely is violence an appropriate action to non-violence in my opinion.  Appropriate action is (for the sake of the conversation) as the action that puts you in the best possible position at the end of the day.
   
  Generally speaking escalation of a conflict is bad.  The only real exception to this isn't so much an exception as a loop hole.  Its call on my terms, like the Iran situation.  Do we escalate tensions and take out their nukes after they build them or wait until they atleast threaten to use them?

• uniquely-ironic said on Apr 02, 2007....

  I've really thought this one through for myself.  It's because of the joy, tragedy, sorrow and victories that I've fine tuned it.
   
  I always try to think of how I'd feel if I were on the receiving end.  I also have begun to try to imagine what might have happened to someone to make them behave either very good or very bad.  This always has an influence on how I respond.
   
  The last question that I ask before making a decision in a moral dilema is "can I live with it?"
   

• buck_rooster said on Apr 02, 2007....

  My moral code is similar to most of the other posters.  The Golden Rule is a big one, but it doesn't stem from any religious upbringing.  It comes from observing Nature.  Lioneljay is confused about free will under an all-knowing God, but the fact is we don't have free will.  It is merely an illusion.  We do, however, have a certain amount of control over what we do.  It is my belief that God is Nature (read Benedictus Spinoza) and as a part of Nature, we humans are directed by forces larger than our mind.  It is my contention that the emotions are evidence of God in us.  They do what they do whether we like it or not.  Once they have done their job (which at its most base level is to protect us) then we can work to rein them in, but we can not stop them from doing their thing.  It is in this respect that I contend that we do not have free will.  So, without free will, that is without the ability to stop emotion from affecting us, we shal try to adhere to these simple mores:  Live with honor, do not fear your enemies, and speak truth even if it brings death.

• truthsayer said on Apr 02, 2007....

  Zayda said:

  Through all this, what guides us? What yardstick do we use when morals change so much from century to century, from decade to decade, and seemingly sometimes even from year to year?
  

  Miss Zayda, you have described the apparent, "dilema" perfectly.  (I also appreciated your clear explanation of a "strawman" on a different post, thanks : )

  Since I was delivered of moral relativism in college, during a two week debate with a Jewish philosophy professor, I came to understand that the truth is absolute.  Only my understanding of it changes, deepens.  I use the Bible, most preferentially, the New Testament (which includes Old Testament references and the 10 Commandments as well), for my moral code.  My "personal" moral code would be my understanding of the truth at the time.

  I have things I am settled with, and things I still wrestle with in my understanding.  And there is always room for improvement ; )

  Often, especially in the past, I have held my own positions on social morals, over the word of God.  I have found my spiritual progress to be limited only by my unwillingness to understand "why", or my stubborn streak, at feeling like I have to understand "how" before I can accept a thing, and learn from there.  I have often been an unruly child ; ) and unwilling to accept authority.  Thankfully, my God is patient and kind, and he has the inside track on how to get through to me : )

  I think I learned the most, when all hope was lost and I had to ask to see people the way he sees them.  I had to learn that as soon as I was irritated by someone, or when I downright didn't like them, or was even repulsed by them...that was my 'cue' to start praying for that person.  I also had to learn why we are instructed to pray for our enemies.  It is not because it is weak, and it isn't for the reasons most secular people would think...it is a real eye opener when you understand "why" he gave us that instruction.  It makes you accountable in a way you would never anticipate in any "normal" kind of circumstance. 

  Anyway, I have been taught by some great minds, and I also have access to the mind of the Creator of compassion, science and the truth.  I can study fearlessly and do not have the moral conflicts that most people have, because I have humbled myself, and I know (metaphorically speaking) that I am not magnetic or true North, but my moral compass is pointed in the right direction because of who is.

  "still human and yet, seeking perfection",

  truthsayer

   

• shiningstar said on Apr 04, 2007....

  My own studies led me to understand that life is based on principals.  Gravity is one of those universal principals.  Love is one too.  Jesus lived his life based on the principile of love and never varied from it. To that end I endeavor to live without emotions that are only reactions to things that I do not agree with or understand and to seek an understanding from anothers point of view.  To live and let live yes that is a wonderful way to be.

• Zayda said on Apr 08, 2007....

  I've been a little busy and haven't had time to respond to this discussion as I would like to have. I've been interested to see that many draw their moral code from the principle of "do unto others..." or the golden rule. Largely, it seems that many of our moral codes are based in Christian principles.
  
  Given that, I thought I would share how Paulo Coelho responded to the question in Sallis book Ten Eternal Questions since reading that text prompted this series of blog questions for me.
  
  
  There are two ways to express the moral code: The Christian and the Jewish way. I am closer to the Jewish one, although I am Christian. The Christians say, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." This is a sentence that can create a lot of misunderstanding. You may not love yourself, or you may love yourself so much that you try to impose your values on your neighbors. Love is also a matter of sharing. So the margin to err in this concept is gigantic, because half of the crimes that humankind has committed were based on righteousness, the idea that we should impose our values on our neighbors. The Jewish concept is much clearer. It is "Don't do to your neighbor, what you you don't want him to do to yourself." Then you have a very precise and clear picture of what is right and what is wrong, because you put yourself in the role of your neighbor. The negative sentence clarifies the situation much more than the positive sentence. The moment that you step beyond this line, that you start to impose your values, or your ideas, or whatever, even if you have good intention, it is wrong. So let people live their lives. (Coelho qtd. in Sallis 79)
  
  
  
  

• shiningstar said on Apr 08, 2007....

  What id you just did away with the judgement of "right and wrong".  Jesus knew that this construct did not work and created the separation of people.  I use the word "Isness"  to reflect on the way things are in the moment.  When we judge things right or wrong we tend to seek someone or something to blame or someone to celebrate.  If all is seen as just the way it "IS"  then we can accept things and solve problems with logic and reason.  Judging blocks the flow because the enegy is focused everywhere other than what IS going on. True love, in my understanding is unconditional.  We are ALLOWED by a divine intelligence to just BE without judgement.  Love imposes it's self on no one,  expects nothing from anyone, and allows all to be who they are without threats of retribution or punishment.  The dictionary gives a wonderful definition of love.  The old saying "if it looks like a duck,  sounds like a duck,  it must be a duck applies equally to the word love.  Take 3 or 4 words to describe love and apply them to any teaching or experience.  If what is happening or being said does not fall into that definition it is not love.  It might be a duality that has equals parts mixed with hate which usually fits humanities definition of love which often is only control.

• Me-Myself&I said on Jul 10, 2007....

  This is really dragging ass but you post this before my time here at soulcast....

  I measure my moral code by...it will sound corny but...the return rule....if i do

  bad than i better watch out because it is going to come back at me 10 times worse. If that doesn't

  keep a person in check than .....

  I started this all wrong but i am going to check the rest of your series out...this is good,Zayda

• shiningstar said on Jul 11, 2007....

  My moral code is simple.  Respect all of life.  Each person is an individual and has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.  They can believe what they want to believe and worship who and what they want to  without facing any judgement from me.  I allow them just as I desire to be allowed.  Freedom of speech is not given unless all allows the other person the right to voice their opinions and beliefs without judgement,  namecalling, detrimental words or actions. Often those who defend freedom of speech resent what others say the most.  In a world view I believe that if all were open and honest and communicated with each other and had the best interests for all people at heart we would never create war again.  But respect for each other and every voice and every country is the moral code that I subscribe to.

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