Society and Choices

A couple of things have been on my mind lately, mostly due to what I've been reading recently concerning people's thoughts and opinions on various issues. This is mostly for my own cathartic purposes, but I hope others can get some value out of this as well. :) My thoughts have been  centering around our society's views on right and wrong, people's choices, laws, etc. So I hope you will bear with me as I share some of my thoughts on these subjects.

Most behaviors in our society can be agreed upon as either right or wrong.  For example, I think mostly everyone can agree that it's wrong to lie, steal, murder, etc. (There may be many out there who will argue there is a time and a place for lying. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty of having to answer honestly if somebody asks if their outfit makes them look fat... 😂😂)  I'm just saying that there are certain things that everyone can agree are wrong because they directly hurt someone else in a specific way, meaning the negative outcome is measurable (murder, assault, theft, etc.)  And because the effect is measurable, these things are punishable by law. Then there are things where the lines of right and wrong are blurred because of people's opinions. Things like homosexuality, abortion, pornography, adultery. In regards to these things, I often hear the idea that people should be able to do whatever they want as long as it isn't hurting someone else. Well hurting someone how? Physically, yes. But what about emotionally? Adultery is an interesting one because I think everyone would agree that it emotionally hurts many people (spouse, kids) but it is not punishable by law. In general the law doesn't punish people that hurt others only emotionally. There is always some physical element involved as well. But the health of our society is dependent on the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of individuals and families, more so than physical. We can't focus on the physical consequences only. Many things that laws actually support or don't address at all are emotionally and mentally destructive (pornography is a big one). So laws aren't necessarily the guiding or deciding factors in whether or not something is right or wrong. Laws govern behavior, afford protection, and regulate consequences, which can be a good thing. But too many laws are often evidence of a lack of morals. "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"--Tacitus. 

Another point I want to address is how people's personal views should play into the public sphere. I really don't like when I hear people use the principle of separation of church and state to say that people who are religious or spiritual shouldn't bring those views onto politics. What? What about people whose view of the world is based on science or mythology or atheism.  Everyone has views about life and the world that stem from somewhere. So how is anyone not supposed to bring their personal views into how they think or how they vote? I cannot say I will live my life in one way then condone things I believe are fundamentally wrong (as in DESTRUCTIVE to society, not things like "black people shouldn't be able to shop at Costco") in the political or public sphere. And it's not about taking away people's rights. It's about deciding what choices people should have in regards to the health of our society. It's about standing up for things that I believe are fundamentally right and that society will benefit from in the long run. Would we vote to support people being able choose whether or not they want to do drugs or be prostitutes or drink and drive? Those things won't necessarily hurt others physically, so why should there be laws against them? Because the emotional and possible physical damage they could do is real. We know that these things in our society have the potential to have some very bad physical and emotional consequences. I feel it is the same with pornography and abortion. And again, I get that not everyone will think the same things are going to be bad for society, but if you believe something is destructive and will severely and negatively impact society, why would you stand by and not do something? Why would you not stand up for it and fight for it even if it doesn't allow someone to do whatever they want? That is why we have laws in place, to govern behavior, to tell people what is and what is not okay to do. So I will use the values I have to influence society for good.

Just to clarify, separation of church and state means the following, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The reason our founding fathers made this law was so that people would be FREE to practice and live whatever religion they chose; so that the government could not dictate which religion they practiced. Our society has taken this way too far the other direction by saying that religion shouldn't be a part of anything having to do with government. Not the way this principle was supposed to be interpreted. 

I know there are always going to be differences in viewpoints in our society, and I believe we should try and listen and understand those who don't share our views. But I also think there's nothing wrong with standing your ground. I think we can all do a better job of stating our views and opinions respectfully and conceding if we are in error. I am grateful for differing viewpoints because it helps me re-evaluate and be more confident and firm in my own beliefs. I hope you enjoyed the read!