Morality is of a big value in individual and collective life. “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them,” wrote Immanuel Kant, “the starry heavens above and the moral law within.” These days, the moral law within is being viewed with increasing awe, if not always admiration. The human moral sense turns out to be an organ of considerable complexity, with quirks that reflect its evolutionary history and its neurobiological foundations.
These quirks are bound to have implications for the human predicament. Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives each of us the sense that we are worthy human beings. We seek it in our friends and mates, nurture it in our children, advance it in our politics and justify it with our religions. Disrespect for morality is blamed for everyday sins and history’s worst atrocities. To carry this weight, the concept of morality would have to be bigger than any of us and outside all of us.
Some believe that fundamental hallmark of moralization is that the rules it invokes are felt to be universal. For instance, prohibitions of rape and murder are felt not to be matters of local custom but to be universally and objectively warranted. One can easily say, “I don’t like brussels sprouts, but I don’t care if you eat them,” but no one would say, “I don’t like killing, but I don’t care if you murder someone.”
Nonetheless, others believe that morality is relative and there is no absolute moral values. Imagine that a shepherd has driven the wolf from the sheep’s throat, has he done a moral or immoral act? The sheep thanks the shepherd and praises him for his act, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. So, this act seems moral to the sheep and immoral to the wolf. Regarding human beings, some believe that if you forgive a killer, it will be a moral act, but if you punish him, it will be immoral.
It does not matter whether moral values are absolute or relative, it is aptly said that “just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life” and moral values.
It is believed that humanity and moral values have declined to a great extent in our era in the wake of harsh and anti-moral practices. Viewing gory pictures and the riddled bodies of war victims will certainly desensitize the issues. Similarly, frequent violation of women’s dignity and hearing about rape victims will not only weaken one’s conscience but also embolden them to be engaged in such moral turpitude. No one will feel the pain and anguish of a rape victim, whose dignity is her only world.
Viewing the picture of a Rohingya woman sitting amidst war and shedding bitter tears, I was swollen with pain. The quotation which said, “People have been sharing videos of the killings on WhatsApp. Videos of women and children being killed. Innocent men being shot dead. You can’t begin to imagine how scared we are,” would add insult to your injury.
Although the rights of mankind, especially those of women and children, freedoms and spirit of brotherhood are reiterated in international instruments and political speeches, they carry less value in practical life.
The vacuum of humanity is strongly felt around the human societies and people’s rights and dignity are violated in the worst possible way. It should be noted that if the world does not seek to promote the spirit of brotherhood, religious tolerance, and racial acceptance, the bleeding will continue unabated and fill people with sense of revenge. The ongoing catastrophes around the globe, which compound human fatalities, are the tragedy of our century. The world needs to fill this vacuum with moral values and spirit of brotherhood and respect the rights and dignity of mankind. People have to listen to the call of their conscience so as to have mercy on one another.
All individuals have to empty their souls from vice and evil through practicing moral values and listening to the call of their conscience. That is to say, we are to abandon our wicked characteristics and curtail our desire for power and luxury. All should realize their human responsibilities and practice upon the golden rule “do to others what you want to be done unto you”.