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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Do you find the whole idea of 'taking sides' is generally upheld over ethnical responsibility? Do people usually bend the truth and or their sense of proprietary or morality? Have you find this or not found this in your own life? Say the idea of helping a poorish friend steal for their livelihood...
Say the idea of helping a poorish friend steal for their livelihood...
I do not agree with stealing, but I can make exceptions. Stealing from Simon Cowell to help a friend who was starving would not bother me a jot. But I would do it because he was starving, not because he was my friend.
I don't believe in twisting my morality to help people just because they are friends with me. That is both a test of my morals and my friendships which I believe I can come through.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Small_Feather
I do not agree with stealing, but I can make exceptions. Stealing from Simon Cowell to help a friend who was starving would not bother me a jot. But I would do it because he was starving, not because he was my friend.
I don't believe in twisting my morality to help people just because they are friends with me. That is both a test of my morals and my friendships which I believe I can come through.
Say it wasn't Simon Cowell but some ordinary, honest person?
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovesMountains
What exactly is this thread all about?? Why not ask a specific question...
Basically, I was thinking about this whole concept of 'loyalty' among friends, lovers, family, countrymen, corporate organisation - basically any kind of group and how often in life people do things that are wrong or ethically questionable out of 'loyalty.' I was wondering if people have observed this much in their own life and if they believe it's one of the prime problems with human nature and the world today.
It seems like the question is loyalty to those who know such as loved ones or friends versus respect for fairness and equal treatment under the sun.
If you think about it, it's really, a matter of loyalty to few, versus loyalty to all (if you believe fairness or morality means loyalty to all humanity).
Respect for all is a futile ideal. In everyday life, we always put loyalty to some individuals first. You would not treat a stranger the same as you would your brother, friend, wife etc.. and you would not care as much about starving kids in a country you've never met before than your own kids (in fact if you did people would question your sanity). But if you think about it morally, one person is one person, right?
If you saved your brother's life from a fire, is it morally equivalent to saving a stranger in Africa? One life is saved either way. Yet qualitatively, it's different for us.
Your financially struggling best friend gets fired and damn, it's that bastard who stole the job. But that bastard also now gets to feed his family and has friends who say "Yes! Good on ya. I'm glad it was you and not that bastard who got it". He'd say the reverse in your shoes.
When it comes to the law, the law already prevents us taking sides too much, and puts or is meant to put equality before us (okay... of course, "in theory"). Perhaps few would be willing to for a loved one, steal, tell an alibi for, or even help avoid the law, but that we have the urge to or feel conflicted, means that it's still human nature to hold some to a different standard.
Universal love is futile for one to accomplish (let's side aside theology for a moment) and an ideal that remains to be actualized.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stumbler.
It seems like the question is loyalty to those who know such as loved ones or friends versus respect for fairness and equal treatment under the sun.
If you think about it, it's really, a matter of loyalty to few, versus loyalty to all (if you believe fairness or morality means loyalty to all humanity).
Respect for all is a futile ideal. In everyday life, we always put loyalty to some individuals first. You would not treat a stranger the same as you would your brother, friend, wife etc.. and you would not care as much about starving kids in a country you've never met before than your own kids (in fact if you did people would question your sanity). But if you think about it morally, one person is one person, right?
If you saved your brother's life from a fire, is it morally equivalent to saving a stranger in Africa? One life is saved either way. Yet qualitatively, it's different for us.
Your financially struggling best friend gets fired and damn, it's that bastard who stole the job. But that bastard also now gets to feed his family and has friends who say "Yes! Good on ya. I'm glad it was you and not that bastard who got it". He'd say the reverse in your shoes.
When it comes to the law, the law already prevents us taking sides too much, and puts or is meant to put equality before us (okay... of course, "in theory"). Perhaps few would be willing to for a loved one, steal, tell an alibi for, or even help avoid the law, but that we have the urge to or feel conflicted, means that it's still human nature to hold some to a different standard.
Universal love is futile for one to accomplish (let's side aside theology for a moment) and an ideal that remains to be actualized.
I was thinking how nature is fundamentally designed this way. It sustains itself through competition, life depends on death and vice versa. It's in our very DNA, for Pete's sake, so how can we separate ourselves from it?
I think by looking towards ideals, looking beyond the natural, physical world.
there are many ethical dilemmas that exist. I think that your responsibility is to yourself and your family before anything else.
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