American Morals
By Sam Frescoe,
Veteran’s Recall
http://veterans-recall.blogspot.com/
In a prior post, America
Requires Morality, I put out there the idea that if America is to be a
nation of honor, that does what is good, then Americans must have a unifying,
transcendent, and well understood morality. I acknowledge that the study of
morality is much more than a single blog post. But, I hope I was able to
scratch the surface enough to hold your attention and stir discussion.
“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
“Where do you draw the line?
When do you stop?” When I served as a unit commander I was asked these
questions many times. The settings changed (peace-time, war-time), but the need
to know was always present. My warriors needed to know that if they did what
they were trained to do, then their actions would be honorable, noble, just,
and true. As an officer and commander, I was the keeper of moral authority for
the unit. I needed to give them an answer that was unifying, transcendent, and
well understood. My hope with this post is to leverage that experience to offer
you some of those answers. While my background is military, I will endeavor to
present my thoughts in a practical way for all my readers to consider, military
or civilian.
Morals
I commonly find the term moral (or morals)
defined in multiple ways. One definition suggests morals are rules concerning
the judgment of right or wrong regarding human action and character. Another
says that a moral is based on what someone thinks is right and good. I’ve been
told by my children that a moral is a “short word” for the point of a Veggie Tales story. After reviewing my
dictionary I can say that each of these definitions is recognized in America
today. However, I find that none of them are sufficient to adequately capture the
full magnitude of a moral as it relates to morality.
I find the best working
definition of a moral is as follows: a moral is a principle that defines right
and wrong in order to govern personal decisions and behavior without regard to
emotion or circumstance. Therefore, morals are a set of principles that
transcend time and circumstance. Morals are objective truths (not opinions, not
consensus, not outcomes, not opportunities, not feelings) that define what is
right and what is wrong. Morals govern by holding the default position in our
mind, heart, and soul. Morals serve as both the “tip of the spear” and the “final
defensive line.” Morals do not change according to our feelings, the feelings
of others, or any other circumstance. Morals are absolute, constant, and ever-present.
“What is a moral?” This is a
great question. I recommend that we begin with restating the question, “What is
sacred?” To boil things down further let me rephrase the question again. “What
is sacred about the American way of life?” The question is aimed at the essence
of individuals. An essence that is present simply because that individual
exists.
To keep from going any further
down a philosophical rabbit hole, I am going to jump ahead and offer a set of
morals. If the ultimate purpose of an American moral code is to keep any
American from intentionally causing harm or loss to any other American,
regardless of circumstance, then let these morals be that code.
American Morals
An American’s worship is sacred.
An American’s earnings from
labor are sacred.
An American’s charity is sacred.
An American’s parent-child
relationship is sacred.
An American’s life is sacred.
An American’s marriage is
sacred.
An American’s wholly owned property
is sacred.
An American’s truthful statement
is sacred.
Going Forward
There is no substitute for sound
moral thinking.
Answers to questions that most
deeply preoccupy Americans are not as far away as they may seem. The answers
may be hard to accept, or difficult to implement; but, they are often simple at
the same time.
Where do you draw the
line between right and wrong?
How straight is that line?
How straight is that line?
We all know that there is a
difference between what is right and what is wrong. We all know that the
difference cannot be legislated by law, decided by culture, or rationalized by
upbringing. We all know that sacrificing for what is right is always good and
just, even when the results are painful and unspoken.
Morals exist and Americans need
to define them, teach them, and live accordingly.
Related Posts
Postscript:
In America today, absolute
certainties are being replaced with relative absurdities. How often do you hear
or read about an authority proposing a rule (an objective absolute) and then
offering an exception to that rule (a subjective condition)? Let me put the
question to you this way. How often are you told by the government that you
can’t do something and then find out that the government is doing that
something anyway?
In an America that is
increasingly driven by feelings of social injustice how is anyone to discern
right from wrong? The answer is morals.
Got morals?
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