My view of morality is shifting. Or, rather, it's probably more accurate to say that it's expanding. Over the last year and a half or so, I've been trying to get myself to see willpower to do what needs to be done, workwise, as a moral issue. At first it was simply a matter of realizing that I'm much more easily able to get myself to do something if I see it as an issue of morality, and trying to hack my brain into making me more productive. Over time, though, I began to find myself genuinely seeing the truth of that way of thinking, rather than a cognitive trick. I've always believed that morality is, essentially, a set of actions and beliefs that are what's best for humanity in the long run; it's a way of overcoming our ids.
Put simply, I've begun to genuinely believe that a good man does what needs to be done even when it's difficult. I mean, I guess I always believed that, but never realized how important it is. Growing up, my sense of morality prepared me to fight off temptations that could hurt other people if acted upon: lust, anger, greed. If I was doing something that benefited me at the expense of someone else, I knew that it was wrong, and although I stumbled, as all people do, I eventually learned to change my ways.
For a long time, I didn't understand why sloth and gluttony were up there with the other seven deadly sins. I could see how they could potentially be unhealthy, yes, but I didn't understand why they were sins. It seemed to me that hurting myself didn't fall under the purview of morality. I guessed, in an abstract sense, that denying society of anything great I might be able to accomplish through ambition could be seen as a way of harming other people, but that line of thinking was trumped by my belief that if you don't enjoy life, what's the point of living? It always seemed to me that it was okay to be lazy, as long as it didn't get so out of hand that it made life worse for yourself.
I still believe that. The seven deadly sins aren't things that are 100% bad in every situation, just in excess. Anger is often justified. Lust keeps humanity alive. Pride gives us the conviction to do what we must. We wouldn't have evolved these tendencies if they weren't necessary and sometimes good. That said, it's also necessary for us to learn to overcome them when we need to, and I haven't yet developed a good sense for when and how to overrule my sloth. I'm working on it, though, and I'm definitely making progress.
Put simply, I've begun to genuinely believe that a good man does what needs to be done even when it's difficult. I mean, I guess I always believed that, but never realized how important it is. Growing up, my sense of morality prepared me to fight off temptations that could hurt other people if acted upon: lust, anger, greed. If I was doing something that benefited me at the expense of someone else, I knew that it was wrong, and although I stumbled, as all people do, I eventually learned to change my ways.
For a long time, I didn't understand why sloth and gluttony were up there with the other seven deadly sins. I could see how they could potentially be unhealthy, yes, but I didn't understand why they were sins. It seemed to me that hurting myself didn't fall under the purview of morality. I guessed, in an abstract sense, that denying society of anything great I might be able to accomplish through ambition could be seen as a way of harming other people, but that line of thinking was trumped by my belief that if you don't enjoy life, what's the point of living? It always seemed to me that it was okay to be lazy, as long as it didn't get so out of hand that it made life worse for yourself.
I still believe that. The seven deadly sins aren't things that are 100% bad in every situation, just in excess. Anger is often justified. Lust keeps humanity alive. Pride gives us the conviction to do what we must. We wouldn't have evolved these tendencies if they weren't necessary and sometimes good. That said, it's also necessary for us to learn to overcome them when we need to, and I haven't yet developed a good sense for when and how to overrule my sloth. I'm working on it, though, and I'm definitely making progress.
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