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Every society is different, and it evolves when the environmental conditions change. Therefore, moral codes tend also to adjust themselves to be responsive to changing conditions in society. That can be a good thing or a bad thing.
If greed becomes increasingly important in a society because economic times are good and many people are prosperous, there may be a loosening of the business code of ethics. That in turn can result in an increase in fraud, theft, or simple dishonesty within the group. A society can just as easily make a negative adjustment to environmental conditions as a positive one.
Let’s look at a different scenario. Famine is an issue in parts of the world, and other countries where food is plentiful respond to that famine by sending food to those who need it. That is an example of a positive adjustment to a moral code. There was no need to share their food before the development of this environmental condition, but when the famine occurred, they adjusted their moral code to environmental conditions and chose to lend a hand.
What are the environmental conditions that surround you now? Take a few hours and look through at least three popular newspapers in your country. What are the top stories? How do those stories relate to you? Do you see the moral codes in your society adjusting in reaction to the environmental conditions? What part do you play in that? Are you proud of your moral code in relation to the present environmental conditions?
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Rob was the last person on the block to get a computer; he held out and didn’t buy a cell phone until his boss forced him to do so; and Rob is still trying to find a way around the move to HDTV. He resists change, and that resistance wastes a lot of time in his life. If Rob added up all the hours he spent refusing to change and evolve with society, he would be mortified to see the days and years that have been shaved off of his life.
Are you like Rob? Do you resist change? If you want to achieve success, you need to always be on the front end of change. That means you should constantly be asking yourself questions to check in with where you stand in relation to the rest of society. One of the best ways to do that is to have the courage to question your own moral code.
Go back and look at the moral code you wrote down on Day 211. Has anything changed in the last few days? Have you read anything or considered any new ideas that might cause you to want to edit your moral code?
Today you have an opportunity to go back and edit your code. Add anything you didn’t think of a few days ago and delete items that don’t seem as important now that you have had several days to consider them. Your moral code should be a constant work in progress. It is not set in stone. It will change as you grow and mature, and it will also adjust as a result of the changes in your environment. Be willing to always improve your moral code. Change before you have to.
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It certainly would be a wonderful gift if the good fairy could instill in each of us an indestructible sense of wonder. Then all of the doors that slammed shut as we became older and “wiser” would automatically reopen.
Do you remember what it was like to have a childlike sense of wonder? Think back to when you were a small child. What gave you a sense of wonder? Can you remember a specific memory of when you experienced something that was completely new? Draw up one of those memories and write about what it felt like to see, touch, hear, taste, or smell something for the very first time. Maybe it was the first time you rode a ferris wheel, or the very first time you held a garter snake in your backyard. Do you have a special memory of your experience the first time you tasted your grandma’s homemade pie or cookies? What did it feel like when you were introduced to a brand new
