No decision

  Judging, judgement and the discernment of truth. It's something we are being encouraged not to do these days. Today we are urged to just be accepting, inclusive and supportive of what others are doing or saying. It sure makes it difficult to know what is right when you aren't taught what is wrong. That seems to be the case these days, the removal of morality. For it is morality that I am thinking about as I write this blog. Ethics are closely tied to all of that. Morality is the personal beliefs a person holds while ethics are applied in a broader sense. Ethics are concerned with the behaviors of a group or an entire nation. Here in America our ethics are established by the people, at least that is the foundational thought behind the constitution and the bill of rights. We the people. 

 Those that composed the constitution were well aware of all that. The had experienced how the morality of the King had established the ethics in the kingdom. That is where all the taxation without representation, unlawful detention and seizing of property stemmed from. And it was that economic impact that was the motivation for rebellion. The truth being, his majesties subjects were being used and abused. The population had been effectively disarmed and left powerless to resist. That changed a bit in the colonies. They were armed, they had other means of obtaining food and land, and were not so dependent upon the king for protection from their enemies. The native Americans were forced into the position of choosing a side in the conflict. Which side offered them the most in return for their support? It was an ethical question. They had to make a judgement on that. 

  The very first amendment to the constitution concerns what? There will be no establishing of a state religion and you are free to speak your mind. You also have the right to gather in a group to present your complaints to the proper authority. The government is that authority. Who is the government? You, you are the government through your elected representative. The second amendment acknowledges the necessity for the people to be equipped, trained and able to defend themselves. 

  Why no state religion? The reason is straightforward and simple enough to understand. Religions establish morality which in turn will establish the ethics of a nation. Remember when King Henry VIII established the church of England so he could divorce his wife. That was a change in morality. The Pope had refused Henry a divorce, it wasn't allowed. Today, divorce is as common as getting a cold. The Pope wields great power and influence in the world. But remember it was protestants that settled the new world and they didn't want the Pope to control government. The problem is this, there are literally ten of thousands of denominations of Christians, including catholic denominations. How could you possibly subscribe to just one. You can't, not if you are going to allow dissent through free speech and the press.

  So how to know what is right and what is wrong. Is morality a conditional thing? It all depends upon personal beliefs and feeling. Modern scholars insist that morality is indeed a conditional thing. One can have overlapping values where it is immoral for you but moral for another. Morality isn't a set point. Our morality is established by what we are taught. That is also questioned as many stray from what they were taught as children, and engage in activities that are abhorrent to the moral values they were initially taught. Morals are established on an individual basis. Ethics however are those moral values everyone in the group decides upon. We sometimes call them, the law. The law is subject to interpretation and change at any time. But when we change the law, we don't change the morality. That is where unrest derives from. 

  You can't trust the law, it is subject to change. Ethical behaviors are in constant flux with the changing of the law. What was wrong yesterday is right today and vice-versa. And today we are being told that our morality should be the same way, flexible and changing to suit the wants, needs and desires of others. There is no wrong! When there is no wrong, it is extremely difficult to know what is right. And that, in my opinion, is what is driving society today. You can judge for yourself the results of that. It's a moral judgement. But like an old friend once said, knowing it isn't doing it, doing it is doing it. It is our morality that will establish the ethics in our nation. As we look at the great societies in the past and their decline it should be evident. When morality was relaxed, when ethical behaviors changed and a more permissive morality was established in the people, the society fell into decline. 

  I do believe it is an inevitability. It is the nature of man, the big flaw in our makeup. You can call it by many names, free will, being the most popular. We are not forced to act in any moral fashion except by our own will. You are simply subject to the ethical standards imposed by whatever authority you are subject to. You are free to defy that authority as well. The majority will ultimately choose the easier path and lower the standards. It is far easier to turn a blind eye than to address the problem. In fact it is far easier to just fabricate some reasoning for allowing just that. Why it is the only "moral" choice to make, no choice at all.