MORALITY IN OUR CULTURE

Morality is a very complicated and sensitive matter that has many explanations, arguments, and opinions.  Same with culture that has a very strong effects, roles and part in human race.  In this world with millions of humans in different ethnicity, demography, environment, values, and status, it is really very impossible to put morality in one perspective.  It is because it involves people’s life that has started very long time ago.  Morality and culture are part of our ancestry, heritage, tradition, and belief.  Starting at a very young age, everyone has set of standards or sense of right and wrong within their community they belong.

 

How do cultural difference and similarities influence the perception of moral norms across different societies?  Our cultural differences influence our understanding of what is right or wrong and normal or not. Appropriately, the people on the south and north, to cite an example, have different belief about their life, etiquette, tradition, political rules, and spiritual belief because of their different demographical situation.  What are correct for us may have either negative or positive perception from other groups that not similar or belong to us.  They could misunderstand us because they were not used to accustom with our understanding.  Our dresses, foods, books, or sports for instances have different styles from dresses, foods, books, or sports from the people in the Middle East countries.  This is because of the climate, condition, and location for instances; these affect our life decisions of what’s to do and what’s not.  Different societies have different values, habits, laws and moral ideas that are overlapping with other societies’ environment, economic, religion, location and cultural norms.

Another example of moral differences is the situation of the Overseas Filipino Workers.  Many moral issues that an OFW encounters when living in abroad occur when his/her cultural expectations clash with the culture of the country he is working in.  This can create dilemma and causes him doubt himself and the company he is working in.  In this case, it is best to remain calm and try to understand the foreign culture while respecting and preserving his own moral integrity.

On the other hand and on the same way, our cultural similarities have influence in the daily norms of different groups whether it is topographical, political, social and spiritual because it makes life easier.  For example, travelling around the democratic country is not complicated because rules and regulations that exist in all parts of the country are applied uniformly.  In a federal country, you have to be mindful in your social norms that you have grown with because your judicial systems have different implementation.  In USA for example, you have to be careful when passing from one state to another state that guns are prohibited and not prohibited.  In Philippines, wherever you travel, gun ban is observed all over the country.  But the only constant in this world is changes.  Our dissimilarity can soon be in harmony because morality changes as times go by.  There were times cross-dressers gays in public were taboo but nowadays they can be seen on national television that is accessible to all ages.

What extent can we argue that morality is a universal concept?  We can argue about the universal concept of morality as long as it is healthy argument.  As long as it is within the civil manner and as long as it is diplomatic way, then that is healthy argument.  Like the professional people in a professional group, debate is part of growing up and it is always welcome.  Yes, morality is universal, versatile and adaptable concept if for the sake of survival and it is generally speaking.  “Thou shall not steal” is an example of moral thought in religious scripture, and at the same it is crime mandated by state.  However the religion’s teaching and state’s laws about stealing become versatile during the matter of life and death.  When hunger happens during let say in epidemic or in warzone area, and the only thing to survive is to eat, then the general public can be forced to loot and it becomes somehow acceptable because lives are at stake. There's a moral ambiguity in looting, as looting to survive may find casual justification as to postpone any rightful tenant of law to control it. Steal what you badly need but stealing for other needs (like appliance, cosmetic, fashion, etc.) in times of hunger is not acceptable.  However it is a crime and there is no justification for superseding the crime above the law as to overlook its casual action. Looting as a matter of life is quite acceptable but that doesn’t mean we need to justify a crime on the ground of anarchy, this may find support to most but giving any circumstances will find acceptable in order of society.  Nevertheless it only says that whatever or wherever your origin, education, faith, etcetera, morality can be universal when it is for survival.