June 5, 2008
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WCFQ 7B: Morality vs Immorality
In a society where immorality is fairly common, is there a benefit to still being a good person?
The_Chaotix_Factor
The answer to this question ties back into the concept of freedom in a way and also my previous post on normalcy. If you choose to do as everyone else does, just because it is what everyone does, are you being true to yourself? For some people it is enough to blend into the population without making ripples. They are content enough to exist as an extension of societal expectation. If society says hate, they hate. If it says kill, they kill…. without thought or regret. This is what makes change so difficult. Some people crave acceptance so very much that any sacrifice is acceptable in pursuit of this goal.So what then is the benefit of being a good person? You’ll certainly not be rewarded for goodness in an immoral society, at least not by your peers. Should we then look to religion to sate our need for validation when we do something that is morally correct in the face of social pressures? Some might, but I don’t consider this a valid reason to do “good works.”
Don’t all jump on me at once. Hear me out.
I don’t think that people who pursue a reward for their good works are going into it with the right frame of mind. You’re not doing something because it is the right thing to do. You’re doing it because you expect to be rewarded, and that’s selfish. When you do something for others because you expect and intend to ultimately benefit from the act yourself, can your actions really be considered “good?” The same thing goes for doing things out of fear of punishment. If the only reason you behave yourself and do good things is because you’re afraid of being punished in the afterlife, you’re a hypocrite in your heart if not in deed.
No, the only reason to do good in an immoral society is because it makes you feel good. They say goodness is its own reward. This is very accurate for those with a healthy self esteem. If you are not trying to prove anything to anyone (or any higher power), then doing good for goodness sake is potentially more rewarding than any external validation. This is especially true for people who do anonymous good deeds for others. Where there is no expectation of reward, the only reason to do good in the face of evil is because you can.
June 5th
Traditional corn dances are performed by the Pueblo people during the Spring and Summer months to honor the Rain People and the Earth Mothers. The dance ensures a good harvest and blesses the earth. Rattles are shaken, and women dress in white and feathers.
Saint Gobnatt of Ireland, a version of Domna (Domnu or Damna), patroness of sacred stones and cairns is honored through ritual perambulations. She is also known as Damhnaid, Damnata, Davnat or Dimna. In Ballyvourney in Cork near the bank of the Sullane River, she was known as Gobnet. At a green mound called ‘Gobnatt’s Stone, the bushes on the mound were decorated with rags tied to the branches. Nearby was a Holy Well. Devotees would travel four times round the cairn and saying seven prayers at each round. Boccoghs (beggars, especially lame ones), gathered to exhibit the Sheela-na-Gig, and image of the goddess. They were sometimes referred to as Gobnatt’s Clergy. Sheela was the patroness of women, and Gyg is the name in Norse for a female Jotun (Giantess). A wooden image of Gobnatt (or Abigail as she was called) was preserved in the drawer of the sacristy at Ballyvourney.
In the year 8498 BC, the legendary island/continent of Atlantis sank beneath the waves in a cataclysm believed to have been brought on by the anger of the great god Poseidon.
Comments (1)
Excellent.