Morality in America

What is morality?

The word 'morality' comes from the Latin word moralitas, which means 'proper behavior', or 'a doctrine, or system of moral conduct.'

To fully understand what morality really means, and how it has been defined, shaped, and how it has evolved through time we must take a look back at its meaning through the years.

If we go back to the days of early Christianity, we see Christ as the leading authority of morality, we can examine the Old Testament and find the 10 commandments, where God listed such rules as "thou shalt not kill", "thou shalt not covet", "thou shalt not commit adultery", "thou shalt not steal."And in Hammurabi's Code, and the teachings of Socrates, and Aristotle. We can see that, even in these early years (between 3000 b.c. and 100 a.d.) of modern day man, we had a moral compass with which to steer our lives.

Now, we see that these moral codes were developed in what was considered to be, two of the most developed parts of the world at the time; the Middle East, and Western Europe. There can be a number of reasons for this, one of which is that both of these areas were generally very open, and free places (compared to the rest of the world), and were considered to be more free, and more open-minded at other times. Both Western Europe, and the Middle East, understood the importance of knowledge, and both had universities to teach math, the sciences, linguistics, philosophy, and more. At one point, Alexandria (the pinnacle of Middle East knowledge) boasted the largest library in the world, dwarfing any library in China, or Europe.

Whether it was the Sumerian's, Hittites, Romans, Christians, Jews, Moors, or other Muslim tribes, they all had a common belief in the importance of knowledge, as we can see today through the lens of Jerusalem, Alexandria, Cairo, Rome, Istanbul, etc. All understood that knowledge is the key to unlock the doors of possibility of tomorrow.

Ok, so we have a good understanding of how long this particular type of morality has been around (let's call it "Universal Morality, or Universalis Moralitas"). We still do not know know where it came from; did Hammurabi come up with his codes off the top of his head? Where did he get the inclination to think like that? If we point to the Christian God and say "He did it", we leave a hole in the minds of those who do not believe in God. As hard as it is, I want to help clarify things to the point that not even an Atheist, or fully fledged evolutionist can deny.

Did morality come from an evolving human brain?

If we are really the products of evolution, to the extent that we were once microbial in existence, we must ask why our brain evolved and developed such things as 'morals'. Assuming that evolution is beneficial (as we currently do), what good comes about from having morals?

Well, having a moral compass, that little voice in your head that tells you "don't do that!", or "do this", otherwise known as your conscience, can help protect you from serious injury. Whether that would be attempting to kill someone, or risk being killed yourself for sleeping with another mans wife, or stealing, it is always there, sometimes voicing itself louder than other times.

Essentially, morality acts as an offensive tool to keep us a step ahead of what we consider "good", and a defensive tool for what we consider to be "bad."

Ever wonder why nearly every civilization has had similar moral codes, and ethical standards, even when they have had no contact with each other?

Perhaps it's because we all think alike at a very primal level. We have been blessed with the opportunity to learn, and think, unlike any other creature on the planet, thus making us, in my opinion, the most interesting, and complex of any creature on the planet.

For thousands of years, the world 'round (with few exceptions), has had very similar ethical codes of conduct, and beliefs of morality. These standards of morality (Universal Morality), has helped safe-guard us over time, and allowed us to progress with little limitation... until recently.

Notice how revered the WW2 generation is. Why is that? In America, they are revered for a number of reasons: how they fought, why they fought, how they sacrificed, why they sacrificed, how they thought, how they talked, how they taught, how they learned, how they advanced, how they were thick-headed, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on! Tom Brokaw calls them the 'Greatest Generation', because they built America into the superpower that it is today.

They fought with courage, worked with humility, and lived conservatively.

... the exact opposite of today. Douglas MacArthur, in his last speech to Congress said: "Where communism exists, we must fight; it is our duty to save others from oppression." He nailed it! That is true Universal Morality at its peak!

America was a great nation, one that was revered by every peoples of the Earth. From Europe to China, and from Africa to the Middle East. There was no such thing as "anti-Americanism", at least, the way we define it today, and there were no terrorists that posed a direct threat to our country.

Why?

Because of our morality. We believed in God, and we believed in our families. We had a strong since of community, and a strong sense of what was good, and also what was bad. We withheld ourselves (broadly used term here) from sexual immorality and pervertedness, for a higher purpose, and in serving such a higher purpose, we served our nations best intentions. Profanity was frowned upon, as was intoxication, lust, materialism, and even a lack of faith.

We were happy, and taught others our ethics, our love for each other, and showed them our willingness to share what we had, and even what we didn't have. We showed them how we cared. It is through our morality, that we made friends, coming to the aid of those when they needed us most. We became a superpower because of what ethics and values we exported abroad.

The Change.

We have changed. We went from the pinnacle of humanity, to the stomping ground upon which all others walk. We were once the most revered nation in the world, now we are the most feared, and arguably, the most hated.

Why are we hated?

Because we have forgone Universal Morality, which produced a by-product, that became our Traditional Morality (God, family, friends; faith, work, perseverance.) Instead of exporting security and knowledge, we are exporting everything that most traditional societies (primarily Islamic nations, and Asiatic countries) detest!

Lust in the forms of sex, violence, money, and material things. Where the Chinese revere science and engineering, we are centered on video-games and sex; big cars, and art. Which aren't necessarily immoral by nature, but are rather misused, and now-days, misunderstood, turning them into perversions of nature.

Lets take a look at the Middle East.

Fifty years ago, anti-Americanism was nearly unheard of. Terrorists, whose aim was to destroy America, was not even thought of. We fought alongside Egyptians, Moroccans, Lebanese, and Palestinians during WW2. We assisted them in rebuilding efforts, and in higher education. We were at peace with the Middle East (albeit, the creation of Israel in 1948 strained our relationships with many countries).

What's happened?

American music is exported by way of broadcast through every country on the planet. We are huge in the music industry! For the last 15 years, and primarily, over the last 10, our music has become increasingly perverse. Our lyrics are centered on sex, drugs, violence, and drinking.... more to come.