We're Crippled By Moral Absolutism

Hey Jessilites

Globalisation has brought with it, its own set of challenges as we come together as a species we're finding any and every way to draw a line in the sand. Personally I think its the idea that we're all unique that has poisoned the mind and people have drawn a line in the sand and used labels to differentiate themselves.

We live in a polarising world where every difference of opinion needs to be debated and nothing actually gets done. We find it very hard to agree on anything these days because we all have different believe systems and apply it differently to our view of the world.

I often complain that people have found a way to reason their way in and out of everything and there's always a grey area.

What may seem absolutely cut and dry as a rule or value you don't break may be seen in a completely different light by another, this moral relativism causes quite the stir up and if you don't take the time to understand it you can often find yourself in endless loop arguments that never really go anywhere.

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What is moral relativism?

Moral relativism is described as any of several philosophical positions concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures. It is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles.

It’s a version of morality that advocates “to each her own,” and those who follow it say, “Who am I to judge?”

A simple example would be something like having more than one life partner. In many parts of the world, monogamy is practised and seen as the socially accepted standard. While in other parts of the world cultures accept that one man may take many wives as long as he is able to provide for them.

In moral relativism, we accept that both understandings and practices are allowed to exist and that no one is superior to the other.

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Mistaken for moral absolutism

However, many of us believe in moral absolutism, that the ideals of your culture, society and upbringing are superior and everyone should be following your interpretation of how to live in this world.

We apply the lessons we learned with rigid intent and do not take the time to realise that our ideas are shaped by many external factors and most of it being social acceptance from our peers. We're fighting so hard to protect our ideals as we don't want to see others living in ways that contradict our own as it would start to bring up deep insecurities we have.

We want life to be "fair" and in our minds fair means we all play by one set of rules, but this is a lie we tell ourselves. When we see someone living a certain way that doesn't harm others or themselves but triggers us. We do not take the time to realise that these triggers are internal questionings of one's self and would rather focus on the externalities instead of the truths making us feel comfortable.

We would rather snuff out this "weed" than deal with the deep-seated problems within us.