Moral Compass
Moral vision is important when surmising what one’s morals truly are. My moral vision includes being aware of what I am doing at all times in context of a bigger picture. For example, is what I am doing a part of a greater moral picture and will it serve others or myself morally? I ask myself this question often when I am unsure of how to proceed in certain situations, and thus far, it has allowed me to lead a satisfying life. Values that allow me to anchor my moral vision include honesty, bravery, and generosity. I hear people often say, “I always try to tell the truth.” I do not understand this saying. Trying to tell the truth seems strange to me, as I have sometimes found it difficult to tell the truth, but I have always done it anyway because it is what is morally correct. Moreover, I attempt to always be brave. While this may not be a moral obligation to some, I find it to satisfy my personal values. Generosity also does this. If I am able to give my time or resources to those who need it because in all likelihood, they are in a greater need for them than I am. I do not have a single song, image, or story that satisfies my moral vision, but instead a collection of images and stories. Generous, moral people who have come before me, who have tried to be honest, kind, generous, and strong inspire me on a daily basis. Some are famous, and some fade into the background of a crowd, but I notice their actions and try to emulate them.
The rules and principles of my moral code are simple and align perfectly with my moral vision. My moral code is a quote: “The world is my home, and my religion is to do good.” I view everybody as my family. Anybody in need of help will receive it if I am able to help. Discrimination has no place inside of me, and while I have no religion, I accept the idea of doing good and being kind in place of the indoctrination religion offers. As you can see, my moral code and my moral vision are parallel. My wisdom tradition, then, rejects the idea that all religions are inherently the same at their core and, in fact, rejects religion all together. I do not see all people as the same, but instead choose to see all people as without a religion and choose to look beyond their beliefs. The wisdom tradition in itself foolishly suggests I adopt an idea that accepts values that align with a religion even if I am not a part of one, presenting a paradox of sorts. As an anti-theist, I have nothing to die for and everything to live for. Furthermore, I have every reason to help those living around me, regardless of what religion they are, and no reason to adopt the indoctrinated, faith-based core ideals in order to have a moral code. Therefore, my wisdom tradition is separate from religion, and influences my moral code by showing the two can be separate at all.
Moral fitness is important because, like anything else, it must be practiced to be maintained. I practice kindness and generosity in order to maintain a regimen of moral calisthenics. Patience is also important to my moral compass, as I have found not everybody wants to accept help, honesty, or generosity, regardless of what my own morals are founded on. This is okay, and it does not reflect on my own morals, but patience is needed in order to refrain from forcing something on somebody who does not want to be involved in facets of my own construction. Regardless of if another party or parties are prone to being involved in the inner-workings of my moral compass, I use these practices to improve myself as a person by practicing them at all times, not just when morality is called upon. It is important, after all, to simply be a moral individual, not just be moral in immoral circumstances.
While I have been challenged many times throughout my life, one instance in particular that challenged my morals came upon me when I was expected by a group of friends to ignore a person in need based on their conflicting religion. As stated, I have no religion, and even if I did, have made it a point to look past such things especially when a person is in need. This particular group of friends made it very clear I would be ostracized if I even thought of helping the individual in question and, at the young age I was, for a moment I was conflicted. I did not want to lose their friendship and internally I grappled with being alone and helping the person, or not helping them and maintaining friendships. In the end, I decided being moral and finding friends who respected my choices was a better decision. I have made this choice every time since and realized it was a defining moment for me, as it allowed me to surround myself with people who not only respect and support my decisions, but allow me to respect and support their decisions, as well. If I could, I would not rewrite this situation. Though it was painful and difficult to live through, it taught me many things about friendship and the hardships we must face to learn who our friends really are, as well as who we want to be as human beings.
In my future as a business leader, I plan to continue using my moral compass in all things. While I understand I may not be able to be generous towards everybody in all transactions, I will be able to reach the marginalized members of society better from a professional position of power. I will have to separate work and social atmospheres, but I imagine this will be easy, as I am good at compartmentalizing. My primary takeaway from this assignment is that I have a strong moral code and compass, and I am willing to cut ties with those who do not support me in order to surround myself with those who do. I look forward to continuing to strengthen my moral code in an effort to become a better person to those around me while fulfilling my professional goals.
