A moral code is a set of rules that is accepted by a person or a group of people that explains acceptable behavior. Moral codes define the difference between right and wrong according to that group or individual. It’s important for any society to be governed by the observance of certain moral codes, or the result would be chaos.
What are some moral codes by which your society is governed? “Do not kill” is probably one. What are others?
What about a personal code? Do you have your own moral code? If you haven’t stopped to define what you individually believe is right and wrong and the rules you choose to follow in your life, then you may be living in individual chaos.
What is your moral code? Create one today in your journal. Write down all the rules you think you should live by in order to be a productive member of society and a successful person. For example, one of your rules may be to be helpful to others. Also think about individual activities. You might want to write down something like, “It’s good to meditate daily,” if that is a rule you value. Create your own list of laws, or code, today, and you will have a chance to go back and look at it again in a few days.
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Emmeline Pankhurst was a British woman born in 1858 who spent most of her life working to get equal voting rights for women in Great Britain. This right came to many societies around the world at different times, and Great Britain was one of the last countries in the western world to embrace equal voting rights for men and woman in 1928, just a few weeks before Emmeline Pankhurst died.
What do you do when the moral code of the society you live in does not match your own moral code? Emmeline Pankhurst spoke out. She was jailed many times for protesting the fact that she was not allowed to vote on the moral codes of her society.
How far are you willing to go? Would you break one moral code in order to establish another? What are your priorities when you find that the code of your society needs to be revised? Write about your code for dealing with the revising of moral codes. What is acceptable behavior? What is brave, and what is arrogant or dangerous? How can you honor your moral code but also have the ability to revise it if it can be improved upon?
This exercise is asking you to go down a very philosophical road, but it’s worth it. It can be extremely difficult to look at long-held beliefs under a microscope and consider altering them. Change is difficult. Changing a code that has long been part of your life is harder still.
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What is your moral responsibility in this world? Do you have any responsibility to reach out and contribute to the society you live in, or is it your duty simply to be a good individual and not cause any harm to anyone else?
Lord Acton brings up an interesting contrast in the quote above. It is not really a moral dilemma if a rich man becomes poor. It is unfortunate, but it is not a moral evil. This man is not completely in dire straits. He still has something to work with. He may have the capacity and good luck to build his fortune once again.
On the other hand, if a poor man becomes destitute—meaning he may die as a result of his lack of basic necessities like food, clothing, or a roof over his head—then it is the moral obligation of the society in which he lives to lend a hand.
Some people believe this to be true, and some do not. Where do you fall on the spectrum? Do you have an every-man-for-himself moral code? Or do you feel that it is the obligation of society and you individually to help those in need?
Consider the actions you take today that reflect your moral code. Do you help those in need? Do you donate to any causes? Do you spend time volunteering? What are the ways that you contribute in a positive way to your society? How much do you take from your society, and how much to you give back to it? Draw a picture that reflects your answers.
