What I Really Learned
Through this course, I have learned many things about what it means to be a moral person. The major thing I have really learned from this class is how to recognize the situations when I am tempted to commit an immoral action and how to deal with my temptations. I have also learned that it is my duty of being human being and a Catholic Christian to act with an upright conscience and a moral approach to life. I learned that Jesus was the ultimate model of what being a moral person is. By looking at Jesus’ life and his decisions and actions, I can greatly change the way I do things in my own life.
The first thing I learned from this course is to talk with “right speech.” Right speech is Buddha’s method of becoming aware of our speech patterns and understanding what they say about us. This experiment helped me to really learn things about myself through the way I speak. Since this experiment, I have tried to avoid lying as much as possible. I no longer use white lies and I quit lying to get myself out of trouble. The latest example of this is when I had to give a statement to my insurance company after my car got totaled on highway 40. I was hit from behind and I hit the person in front of me, but I was not 100 percent sure of the sequence of events. Instead of telling the insurance company that I got hit from behind first to ensure that I wasn’t liable for the accident, I told them I wasn’t sure whether I hit the car in front of me first or whether the person behind me hit me first. This is a large step towards complete right speech.
Through the study of other religions, I have come to understand that there is an objective truth about what is morally good and what is morally bad. I have come to really learn this by looking at the similarities between all of the religions we have studied. The one universal belief I have noticed in every religion is that a morally good person is kind to those around him. Some other similarities I have noticed in other religions are not to misuse sexuality and not to misuse (or use at all) alcohol. These similarities give evidence for an objective morality that every human being faces. This point is emphasized in one of C.S. Lewis’ publishing. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argues that there is a Law of Human Nature in which all people are aware of a standard of morality. This law tells human beings what they ought to do, but the problem is nobody is doing it.
One very helpful way to know if I am going against the Law of Human Nature is if I contradict any of the Jesus’ or the churches teachings. These two systems have a lot in common. By reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I can easily understand what the church teaches about modern social issues. This leads me to make correct and moral decisions in all aspects of my life.
Taking all this knowledge of morality into account, I can apply them to specific aspects that I know I will deal with in the future. Concerning the aspects of business, war, and medical ethics, I have already considered a great deal about choices I will have to make and what the correct way to respond certain situations concerning these aspects of life. I have learned that there isn’t always a clear line between right and wrong. This is where good decision making skills will need to take over. I’ve learned that by using proper methods of making a decision and by using my value systems to discern right from wrong, I will make a good moral decision. To me, this is what this junior morality class is all about. I have taken what I’ve studied in this class and can apply it to life situations. I’ve really learned to be a moral and upright Christian.
Links
Paul Castellano Homepage
Junior Morality
Email
ItalianStalionPC@aol.com