How do Moral Values affect a Community?
Moral values define a person as to what kind of person they actually are. Whether they are good or bad, each person and their morals operate independently from each other. However, what happens when different values come into play together? Will they all come together into perfect harmony and strengthen the community? Will they clash with each other and create a chaotic society? Moral values define a person as who they are, and also have a lasting effect on our communities.
The first question is: what is morality? According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, morality can be used in two different ways. First, it is used as a description to “refer to certain code of conduct put forward by a society or a group, or accepted by an individual for her own behavior.” The second way that it is used is “to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational people.” These two definitions of morality typically describe society today. In today’s society, there are certain sets of rules that individuals follow in order to maintain peace and prosperity. For example, there are certain rules that punish people that steal, and it is morally wrong to steal someone else’s belongings. However, punishing your own child is legal, but it is morally wrong to do so. The idea of morality is vague and not specific enough that one definition is able to define the term. In my own words, morals are values that individuals hold true for themselves and find their own way to function in society.
Moral values define a person and influence their way of thinking. For example, someone that rejects stealing would not tolerate someone that steals. Morals are what differentiates one person from someone else. Individuals with similar morals would band together. Morals are also passed down from generation to generation. Within a family, parents tend to pass down what they believe is right to their children. Sometimes, children accept their parents’ morals, but most of the time, they do not. One primary example of this is in the novel Catfish and Mandala, written by Andrew X. Pham. In his novel, Andrew describes his older sister, Chi, and her relationship with her family. Every parent has their own set of morals that they held onto through the years. Andrew’s father kept his Vietnamese morals and passed them down through the family. In America, Andrew would describe his father as a “rigid traditionalist who espoused discipline, pride, and honor.” (Pham) His morals clashed with Chi’s morals, which lacked elements such as discipline, pride, and honor. Because Chi and his father had different views, their relationship became unhealthy. Chi became isolated from her family, and her family became divided. As time progressed, Chi was forgotten. This was a direct result of what happens when a community has differing opinions. One side would be favored by society, and the other is always excluded.
Morals do not separate people inside a community, but they could also unite. Throughout history, people have been united under a single clause and fought together to achieve some sort of goal. One example is Martin Luther King Jr, and his fight to end segregation during his time. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, he writes, “I hope this letter finds you strong in faith. . . Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” (King Jr.) King unites everyone under one good moral, the morals to treat everyone equally and as if they were your own family. Instead of dividing, King unites everyone and created an even stronger society. He also mentions love and brotherhood in his letter. As stated in the letter, he had created a loving community where everyone is loved and cared for by one another.
One’s own feelings and morals are both destructive and rewarding at the same time. They could lead to the destruction of some communities, but the creation of others. Even if we have different morals than another individual, remember that we are both human beings living on the same planet. Each and every one of us deserves to be loved by our family and the Earth. Even if we have different values, we have all been trying to live our lives to the fullest.
Photo [Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International] 2016 by Teodoraturovic
