To be fair, each person has their own moral compass. What is acceptable for one person is unacceptable for another. Then, on another issue, it’s reversed. I get that. Yet, there are broad landscapes of overlapping moralities among like-minded people.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, understanding the moral foundations help us understand each other. And, more to it, understanding that not all people operate on all five (or six) moral foundations helps us navigate potentially volatile social situations; yields diplomacy.
In my own personal opinion, one’s moral compass doesn’t end at what is learned from parents. That’s a huge factor, for sure. “Train up a child…” Still, if our understanding of morals ended at what we were given as children, there would be no study into adulthood; no maturing.
I propose that a person’s morality becomes more refined as that person genuinely tries to understand human nature, human existence, and one’s own foibles. The problem is that such an undertaking is a difficult discipline to practice and even more difficult to measure. Our only barometer is our own understanding which is capped at our own understanding.
Enter religion, philosophy, and introspection. Rile against each and/or all at your own peril, and quite possibly, the peril of others.
Then again, maybe my moral compass is out of whack. I’m not too arrogant to deny that possibility. Only arrogant enough to preach to others about it.
Jason Salas 