Theme: Moral Choices
Morality lays at the heart of every healthy society. An ethical set of values is what creates wholesome relationships and families.
If the idea of morality makes you think of dogma and didactic scolding, the following look at moral choices could change your perspective: A just society must be based on the kind of values that ensure respect for every individual. Each one of us has the power to make choices that lend themselves to an equitable society.
Here are a few basic principles that will help you assess your value system:
Belief in a Higher Power
Morality must be built on a truth higher than our own self-interest. A person who wants to lead a moral life must ask himself: What is my Higher Power? And why do I need a Higher Power in my life? Am I accountable to anyone but myself? How you answer these questions will define, more than anything else, who you are and how you live your life, for answering to a higher calling is at the heart of human life. It affects how we behave at home and in public, how we treat our family and our co-workers, and how we see our role and responsibility in life and in society.
Respect for Human Life
Ask yourself: How much do you value and respect life — your own life and the life of others? Do you consider life sacred? Do you take responsibility for your fellow man? Every human being was born with a specific purpose in life. Every single moment is meaningful and precious, leading the individual to how or her destiny. Each person matters; each person is irreplaceable. Do you hold precious every person you encounter? A healthy life is one in which you respect your own life and the lives of your fellow humans.
Respect for the Family
A healthy home is a macrocosm of the entire universe, helping make the entire world a divine home. Harmony at home, between family members, translates into harmony between communities and nations. When there is no harmony between blood relatives, how can we expect to create harmony between strangers? A healthy life is one in which you preserve the sanctity of your home and family.
Respect for Others’ Rights and Property
Respect for others is not just valuing their lives, but also their property and possessions. Money is life energy — it represents a person’s time, effort, and innovation. It is an extension of a person’s life. Stealing it, therefore, is like taking a piece of another’s life. A healthy life is one in which you honor the rights and property of other people, down to minutiae that might seem like they don’t matter.
Exercise: Look closely at your moral choices. What choices are you making? Do something to respect your fellow human. Look for opportunities to heighten your sensitivity to everything you encounter. Journal about it in your MyMLC journal.
All content on Moral Choices: Soul Vitamin: Personal Choices for a More Moral World | Weekly Global Class: How to Define Your Moral Standards
Go deeper into this subject: Harvey, Meet Abraham | Righteous and Just | Why Giving Away Money Is Difficult | Finding Oneness In Diversity | Toward a Meaningful Life |
SOULGYM I MASTERCLASS
Live with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
Can a (Truly) Religious Person be Immoral?
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 @8:30pm
Live Stream | Podcast
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To me, this sounds like Constitutional Conservatism: One can’t have unalienable rights unless they believe in G-d. To respect the individual is to respect his time and property and not take it away to serve others. Respect for human life because we are created in the image of God. And the home is the foundation of society.