Aaron Poelker's Journal: Morality Section 1
1.One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the topic of the week. The main idea of this section is why it is important to study morality. Many of the decisions in our lives today, especially for teens, involve moral decisions. Throughout the first two weeks of morality we have studied how euphemisms and how we as human beings keep getting further and further away from the truth. We also have studied how stories from our childhood and our present life form the way we act in certain spots, negatively or positively. It is important for us to study morality in order that we maybe just begin to start thinking about the decisions we make and how they affect us and the people around us. It is important to also remember Buddha’s right speech. Buddha warns us against not seeking the truth and letting our speech patterns stray further from truth and charity. Studying morality will lead us into the deeper questions of meaning and why humans act certain ways.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week. Cite a song that has a strong moral message that affects you even today. You must have a link to the words of the song.. Landlocked Blues by Bright Eyes
In Bright Eyes song Landlocked Blues Conor Oberst attempts to share his thoughts of despair on the Iraq War. This song really has a strong message to me especially the line “and our freedom’s a joke we’re just taking a piss,” it conveys the strong imagery that this war has taken away from our own personal liberty. It is significant to all of us because war is one of the biggest’s moral decisions anyone will ever have to face. Through this song Conor has showed us that this war is nothing more than just misunderstandings and lies. This song has been my own personal anthem about the Iraq War and how unjust and just plain wrong it is. We tend to assume the ideas, values, feelings, with whom we associate. Cite one value you have unconsciously acquired from those with whom you spend time. This can be either good or bad or just different and unique.
One example in my life where I assumed a value from an associate was from a friend here at SLUH. He always tries to step outside the box in tough situations especially ones that involve drugs and/or alcohol. He says that he just thinks about if this substance going to better me as a person? I really respect this friend of mine and I have also tried to employ this same technique, maybe not always successfully. By stepping outside the box we are able to see the situation for what it is and not just think about the immediate gratification the situation may offer. This technique may be old but it is certainly not outdated and very much can still be applied to lives, especially those of teenagers. I acquired this not through constant meditation on this technique, it just sort of happened to me one time at a party where I honestly thought to myself, “will this better me as a person in any way?” While the past can be the foundation, your present morality might be more influenced by personal and cultural forces we studied in the first semester: concupiscence, emotions, peer and cultural pressures, present hopes and fears. Look at your own “story.” What is the present state of your morality?
The present state of my morality is not always the best. A prime example of the moral decisions I have trouble with is when I might be at a party and I follow what the crowd is doing at this party. I know that it might not be the best decision to do whatever the crowd is doing but the immediate gratification is the compelling force that swerves me into bad habits or bad decisions. In saying this I must make it clear that I do not make any decisions intentionally to hurt someone although that might be a byproduct of what I might do. I need to work on the moral decisions I make and in which way I change will determine the moral character of who I am.
3. One image of that reminds you of the topic. Attribute, link, your source.
Source: No lies
4. One good question you should keep with you to ponder.
Do I realize my speech patterns and do they ultimately lead me to truth and charity?
5. What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more moral person, from this study.
I think I need to realize my speech patterns and notice what I say and how they may mislead or take me or other’s away from the truth. I also need to realize the implications of my actions and what they do to my inner self.
