Leah Coon

10/21/15
Morality: The Balance Between Independence and Harmony
The decision of whether or not to be moral initially seems like an easy one. The concepts
of good and bad are instilled in us from a very young age, and each person has at least some
sense of what belongs in each category. However its difficult to determine any sort of overall
morality and to find a reason to act in accordance with such an ideal other than being good for
the sake of being good. Nevertheless, being moral is vital to the way our society works and alters
the way that we see ourselves and others. Before arguing whether or not to be moral, you must
define what it means to do so.
Morality is linked closely with the standards of society. Stemming from folkways and
mores, it is often based on what is absorbed growing up (Sumner). This comes from two separate
places: first, what living in society teaches you, and second, what you learn from your own
personal experiences. The common practices of the culture in which you live have an
unmistakable influence on your sense of right and wrong. Generally, it is easy and almost natural
to go along with the majoritys opinion. This is a safer option its much easier to feel validated
when others share your ideals. However, a large number of people believing in something
doesnt make it right. Take, for example, the widespread racism and segregation that plagued
America even in the late 20th century. Interracial marriages were illegal and people were killed
just because of the color of their skin. Blatant discrimination against black people was a societal
norm. Today, few people could argue for the morality of that. Therefore, simply following the
majority can actually be one of the least moral things to do. Continually, in that situation, if
certain people hadnt gone against the majority in order to stand up for what they knew was

right, segregation and even slavery would likely still be in practice today. As Sumner puts it,
often immoral never means anything but contrary to the mores of the time and place. Thus,
its essential that your morality has an aspect of independence. This is also where your own
experiences play into your values.
Independence is perhaps the most important aspect of morality. While it should and will
inevitably be affected by others beliefs, your own should be the most important. Morality
shouldnt have to cater to an overall opinion or standard and the justice of society should not be
taken as the ultimate truth. Creating this independence in itself is a reason to be moral. You
should know what you are capable of and what you stand for as a person, in order to better assess
how you would react in situations. Being moral almost loses some of its value if youve just
adopted someone elses - the point of acting in this way is to remain true to yourself and have
something to believe in. When you have a distinct set of values that you consistently use to guide
your actions, its much easier to remain confident in your decisions. Although, this is not always
easy to do as not every decision can be thought about for an extended period of time. Still, its
important to form your own opinion, as well as to feel good about staying true to it. Remaining
consistent in your actions is a valuable character trait. Furthermore, just following others and
adhering to the herd instinct often has no real form of reasoning behind it (McGinn). Ultimately,
you should be moral because it feels good to do what you think is right and having your own
opinion ensures that you are doing something you actually agree with.
While the independence of morality is vital, there are several loopholes that must be
addressed. If morality was a completely detached concept, then it would be difficult to call it
morality at all. What one person thinks is right could be something completely unjust to another
person. There are people who are completely misguided and might still feel just after all, most

villains dont see themselves as such. There should be some room for this, as its impossible to
have anything be completely universal. However, I think that there are certain things to be taken
into account when considering what is moral, such as empathy. Humans are incredibly social
creatures and most people rely on others for validation and reassurance. Completely ignoring or
going against the needs of others isolates yourself and can subsequently have an undesirable
effect on you. Furthermore, as McGinn states in his essay, kindness feels good. Having a positive
effect on others in turn has a positive effect on yourself, and can have a way of improving your
whole outlook on life. This must go beyond wanting to just appear kind, and should be about
genuinely wanting to make someone else happy because you can. I think that the way you treat
others absolutely ties into the true meaning of morality even if it doesnt completely coincide
with your own beliefs. At the very least, I think that purposefully having a negative effect on
someone else cannot be called moral. Even if you think that its not necessary to go out of your
way to help people, you shouldnt stand in their way either. This must be an aspect of morality
because its how people survive. If everyone was against each other all the time, the world would
be an awfully bleak place and that in itself is a reason to be moral.
This idea of empathy and kindness can also tie into treating others the way that you
would like to be treated, or the way that everyone wants to be treated. In Feldmans essay, he
mentions that this is difficult to be made universal as not all people want to be treated the same.
However, I think there is an absolute universality in the respect that all people would like to be
treated with. This mutual respect can also be applied to Kants idea of a universal law of nature.
Though all people dont necessarily want to respect each other, I think that all people do want to
have a right to their own thoughts, whatever they may be. Thus, part of being moral must be
about staying true to your own beliefs while still allowing others the right to their existence. In

an ideal world, all morality would be identical and this exception wouldnt need to be made, but
the world is not ideal. To reiterate, people come from completely different places and
perspectives, and this has to be acknowledged when deciding why and how to be moral. So, in
this way, you should be moral because its how you want others to act as well. If you want others
to treat you well, then you should do the same. Setting an example and living as if you already
are in your ideal world can, at the very least, get you closer to the perspective that you want.
To conclude, you should work toward the world that you want to live in. If you want to
live in a world where people go out of their way to help each other, then I think that the first step
is to do that yourself. Its never fair to think you are an exception to the rule, or even anything
more than a small piece of a very big universe. People have to work together to shape the world
and their own lives and I think its important to remember that. Your justice is not everyones
justice, but it will alter the people that you come into contact with. In the same way that your
family and friends values affect your morality, yours will affect theirs. Thus you should be moral
and just because no matter who you are you have an effect on the world, even if its just a small
one - even if its just on the people that you surround yourself with.

Works Cited:
Feldman, Fred. "Kantian Ethics." Print.
McGinn, Colin. "Moral Literacy." (1992) Print.
Sumner, William G. "Folkways and Ethical Relativism." (1985) Print.