Neil Salsich's Morality Journal: Section 1
1. One paragraph summary of the key idea of the section: Why study morality? Answer the question showing knowledge and understanding of the content.
Moral issues are present in almost every part of life, even seemingly insignificant issues and moments. We should study morality so that we can face these issues with a developed, strong, and well thought out set of moral values to make our decision by. If we enter a situation without a strong set of moral values that have rooted themselves deeply in our way of life, we are less likely to give in to peer pressures (by peer pressures I mean more than pressure by teens to partake in drug and alcohol abuse; I mean pressure to agree with to what "the group", or portions of society at large, thinks is right) and emerge having made the right choice. Morality begins being taught in early childhood, with simple stories that have been passed down as moral rulebooks from generation to generation, such as "Aesop's Fables." We can also learn and study morality from the moral issues in literature, movies, and music. Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", a vivid depiction of poor economic and industrial moral's in turn-of-the-century America, is an example of a book that caused many people to re-examine their morals; it eventually led to large-scale social reform in the United States.
Another prevalent moral issue that we can examine is our own speech, both as individuals and as a societal whole. Huston Smith, building upon Buddha's beliefs that dishonesty is an ontological issue (it hurts us more than it helps us), encourages us to examine our own speaking patterns, and realizing how much it is filled with lies. What does this say about our character? Most of the time we lie to protect ourselves, so in most cases it reveals that we are selfish human beings who value our own well-being over the truth. George Carlin helps us to study morality by presenting us with a moral speech issue that applies to society as a whole: euphemisms. Euphemisms are complex restatements of hard-to-face issues; they are societies way to cover up things that people don't want to deal with. An example of a euphemism would be the progression from the World War I era term "shell shock" to the Vietnam era term "post-traumatic stress disorder."
2. (a)What “morality” did you grow up with? What stories did you grow up with? First brainstorm: What were your favorite TV shows? Who were your heroes? What were the big moral messages that you remember from your parents and grandparents? What aspect of your life was most significant in influencing your morality: religion? sports? school?
A predominant television show of my childhood that provided an example of strong, moral examples was the show “Full House.” It centered on a family of a single dad, his three young daughters, and his two best friends all living under one roof. Each episode, a character or multiple characters were faced with a moral decision, but in the end they resolved it by sharing it with the family and using the family’s advice and help to overcome it. Another show of my childhood was 7th Heaven. It centered on a middle-aged couple and their nine children, ranging in ages from high school to infant. The husband was a minister, and the mother took care of the kids. Each episode usually centered around a moral issue, either within the family or outside of the family (with one of the kid’s friends or with a parishioner of the minister). The caring, generous family always reached out to those in need and ended up becoming stronger as a family—a very family-oriented show.
I also gained moral values from my parents and grandparents. Strict rules, weekly mass, and daily chores instilled moral qualities in my childhood life from my parents. My grandparents (on my mom’s side) were also an example to me: they were humble, hardworking, and religious. School was also a strong moral force in my life. Our religion classes and loads of homework (relative to my age) helped shaped my moral values.
2. (b) Cite a book or movie from when you were very young that your remember and that taught you something you still believe and try to live.
A book from my childhood that I remember is Shell Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” It is a short children’s book with a great moral message nonetheless. In the story, a young boy makes friends with a gentle tree. As he grows, changes, and begins to pursue different things in life. Though the tree misses him greatly, she is always there when he needs her. At the end of the story, when he has used most of the tree’s wood for a house and a boat, all that is left is the stump. As an old man he returns to the tree, asking what the tree has left to give. All she has is her stump, and she offers it for the man to sit on. This story taught me the virtue of patience and the moral that sometimes in life, people sacrifice themselves for the ones they love.
2. (c) Cite a song that has a strong moral message that affects you even today.
Song: Cortez the Killer
Words and Music by: Neil Young
To view the lyrics, click here.
This song tells of Hernando Cortez and his conquest of the Aztecs in Mexico. The Aztecs were a peaceful people who were destroyed by the gold-thirsty Europeans. It helps remind me that I would not live in the United States and enjoy the life I live today if it were not for the deaths of the Native Americans.
3. 3. One image that reminds of “why study morality?” Attribute, link your source.
Source: NIST Virtual Museum
4. One good question you should keep with you to ponder.
Have the strong moral values I had as a child changed? What can I do to keep these values?
5. 5. What should you try to do to make yourself a better person, a more moral person, from this study?
Taking what I have learned from the right-speech experiment and the other examples and discussions of moral issues, I can re-examine my moral values and try to redevelop them. Not to say that my morals are drastically different that they were as a freshman entering SLUH, but they have relaxed a little.
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