Traditional Disconnection
Now, I understand that discontinuing the traditions of “right-wrong/good-bad” thinking could possibly commence the breakdown of standards of morality in society. I also see this breakdown, however, as a potentially beneficial move in the direction of real peace and authentic mainstream compassion in culture.
There’s no more something “right” with compassion-oriented language than there is something “wrong” or “bad” about evaluation-oriented language. The difference, however, is real, and it may constitute a clear advantage of benefit to ourselves and others in actually getting our needs tended to, more than does the beliefs/judgments-based orientation of who’s right and wrong.
So if the essence of morality is about acting out of a “should” or an “ought to” or a “must” that we deduce from our beliefs of what’s right and wrong, as well as whatever habitual strategies of interaction that encourage such “should-” and “right-wrong” thinking. I honestly see a gradual weaning off from such ways of thinking, and sitting with the small truths of our interdependent needs relations, to be a crucial step to amending (and preventing any further) damages of the violence incurred by those of us acting out of our own “moral biases.”
For an evaluation-oriented morality leads to something I imagine we’re all familiar with when carried out to it’s end: “might makes right.” In short, retributive force and punishment, the tools for violence, are the necessary means to enact this framework and maintain powerful control by those who wish to serve their needs (or a small minority’s needs) over others’.
You have an amazing capacity for thinking these things through – it is the power of a philosopher. As you should imagine – most of us move through these scenarios with a shrug and keep going down our own paths. It is good to pause through your reflection.
Thank you, Mike! I really resonate with that thought. I’m making a very conscious effort at this time to slow down, in order to fully experience the greater depth to what may seem a “trivial” matter to me at the time. I’d say I probably even take more time to try and meditate with it and feel it out over think through it much (since my thoughts on the first go-round tend to stimulate more frustration or pain than acceptance or gratitude for the experience). It feels great to receive that recognition for my efforts!