Many people take their ethics from the ways they were raised, be it what mumsy and popsy said or from a religious text. This is something that can only last for so long, however, before people branch out and their interests take hold to reform their ethical values. Before I get into my own ethics, I have to state a simple fact: I don’t believe religion should be how we decided what is “good” and what is “bad”. These terms have too many shades of gray, and all instances of “good” or “bad” actions have a back story that must be told. Not only that, but there are many cases where religion is used as a crutch. "I cannot do that because the bible says it's bad."
Who are we as humans to judge the actions of another? There is a reason behind everything a person does- nothing can ever be 1oo% thoughtless. Why should a man feel guilty due to something he felt he did righteously, just because society frowns upon it? Who has the right to judge another’s doings? Laws keep us alive and it keep us in order, but why is the validity of the laws, rules, and regulations never questioned? Please do not misunderstand me; I am not looking for anarchy. That’s far from what I would want for any society. I just believe questions must be asked.
Now, before I begin to examine my own morals, I should give a bit of background. Many of my personal ethics come from fairy tales. Please don’t think me insane, just hear me out if you will. There was a purpose behind such old stories, after all, and yet no one seems to listen to them. I do not mean Disney stories, however, but the stories in their original forms.
Murder: This is a topic with shades of gray, in my mind. Have you ever heard the original story of the “Little Mermaid”? In the end, the Prince has fallen in love with another woman, leaving the mermaid to turn to sea form when the sun rises. During her time of mourning, her sisters come to her with a dagger, pleading that she kill the prince so that she may return to the sea and live on. In the end, she realizes that she loves the Prince and cannot kill him, but this brings me to my ethics on murder. I find that murder is acceptable if it is for self-preservation. It was not with a dark heart that her sisters wanted the mermaid to kill the Prince, but because they wanted their sister to live and love again. How is there anything wrong with such a desire? Killing someone in cold blood is another matter entirely, though, and that is something I do not condone.
Stealing: Has Robin Hood taught us nothing? If it is stealing for the common good, I can see no reason why that is a bad thing. If someone has been stolen from and they’ve worked for ever penny they’ve made, then stealing from them is wrong. If, however, they have cheated people out of everything, I feel they deserve to have it taken from them. Some may say “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”, but in this instance I cannot agree. Some people abuse their power and they need to be stopped. If taking back what is not rightfully their’s is the way to do that, I see nothing wrong with that.
Greed: “The Tinderbox” puts an interesting spin on human greed, if nothing else. In fact, it basically pushes you to become greedy so that you can succeed and live on. In the story, a man takes all the money he can possibly carry, but also takes a witch’s tinderbox, which he promised to return to her. Instead of the original agreement, he beheads her. By the end of the story, stealing the Tinderbox proves to save him from execution and he eventually gets to marry the princess. Obviously this is unrealistic, but what does it have to say about greed? It says that in being greedy, you can succeed. You must be greedy to get along.
Obviously these are only three examples of my morals, and whereas much of it may be seen as amoral, how can I help it? Some people are raised on the bible. I was raised on princesses, magic, and what seems like amorality. If someone can use their religion as a crutch, I see it only right that I can use fairy tales as my own.
Who are we as humans to judge the actions of another? There is a reason behind everything a person does- nothing can ever be 1oo% thoughtless. Why should a man feel guilty due to something he felt he did righteously, just because society frowns upon it? Who has the right to judge another’s doings? Laws keep us alive and it keep us in order, but why is the validity of the laws, rules, and regulations never questioned? Please do not misunderstand me; I am not looking for anarchy. That’s far from what I would want for any society. I just believe questions must be asked.
Now, before I begin to examine my own morals, I should give a bit of background. Many of my personal ethics come from fairy tales. Please don’t think me insane, just hear me out if you will. There was a purpose behind such old stories, after all, and yet no one seems to listen to them. I do not mean Disney stories, however, but the stories in their original forms.
Murder: This is a topic with shades of gray, in my mind. Have you ever heard the original story of the “Little Mermaid”? In the end, the Prince has fallen in love with another woman, leaving the mermaid to turn to sea form when the sun rises. During her time of mourning, her sisters come to her with a dagger, pleading that she kill the prince so that she may return to the sea and live on. In the end, she realizes that she loves the Prince and cannot kill him, but this brings me to my ethics on murder. I find that murder is acceptable if it is for self-preservation. It was not with a dark heart that her sisters wanted the mermaid to kill the Prince, but because they wanted their sister to live and love again. How is there anything wrong with such a desire? Killing someone in cold blood is another matter entirely, though, and that is something I do not condone.
Stealing: Has Robin Hood taught us nothing? If it is stealing for the common good, I can see no reason why that is a bad thing. If someone has been stolen from and they’ve worked for ever penny they’ve made, then stealing from them is wrong. If, however, they have cheated people out of everything, I feel they deserve to have it taken from them. Some may say “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”, but in this instance I cannot agree. Some people abuse their power and they need to be stopped. If taking back what is not rightfully their’s is the way to do that, I see nothing wrong with that.
Greed: “The Tinderbox” puts an interesting spin on human greed, if nothing else. In fact, it basically pushes you to become greedy so that you can succeed and live on. In the story, a man takes all the money he can possibly carry, but also takes a witch’s tinderbox, which he promised to return to her. Instead of the original agreement, he beheads her. By the end of the story, stealing the Tinderbox proves to save him from execution and he eventually gets to marry the princess. Obviously this is unrealistic, but what does it have to say about greed? It says that in being greedy, you can succeed. You must be greedy to get along.
Obviously these are only three examples of my morals, and whereas much of it may be seen as amoral, how can I help it? Some people are raised on the bible. I was raised on princesses, magic, and what seems like amorality. If someone can use their religion as a crutch, I see it only right that I can use fairy tales as my own.
I think it is interesting that you choose fairy tales, as they appear to portray the most morally compromising situations with the slightest separation from the reality we humans live. Like the Bible, these fairy tales emphasize archetypes in love, wealth, and deception. However, the element of the supernatural in many cases prevents one from connecting to moral lessons, which makes me wonder just how bizarre the situation must be for a moral lesson to go unnoticed. Using our creative minds, I'm sure everyone could justify a murder, theft, or wanting something you cannot have, but in the context of fairy tales, the unrealistic situation itself is realistic, and thus connects with us despite our other moral obligations. Overall, adhering to fairy tale morals sounds pleasant, but as you describe can be completely harsh and cynical. As humans, we cannot change the circumstances we are in without thinking ethically as to what needs changing and how to do just that. While fairy tales do not hold all these answers, nor do any other texts, it seems fitting the moral code develops from a shared inventory of archetypes.
ReplyDeleteThat question about the man who does something righteously regretting it because of society will wander in my mind for while because it is something I have never thought of. Wow. I think that he should stand his ground, but I can also see how exceedingly difficult that could be. If society is against us, but we know our actions are for good reasons, what happens? What happens when I expose the truth about the huge corporations that are taking over the country to ignorant people? Society says we should keep our mouths shut but most of us know being quiet has never helped get anything done. (Okay maybe a FEW things, but we get the point.) You are wise to take the advice from the past. That is the only way this world will learn what has and has not worked. Maybe fairytale are the words we should follow? It seems, though, that very few these days could even begin to think about a "deeper" meaning in something so seemingly childish. Stay excellent and keep asking the hard questions.
ReplyDeleteI like your connection to fairy tales! I was brought up on the Torah, not the Bible, though similar. But the interesting connection here is that I always looked at it as a bunch of fairy tales. They are written stories in order to teach a lesson. Sounds a lot like a fairy tale to me. So I was really excited when you mentioned these stories because I find that this is the way to teach a child something. Tell them a story. (Hopefully they won't take it too seriously...as many have done with the Bible.)
ReplyDeleteAnd one last thing. Asking questions is a good thing. Its the best thing a person can do. Questions bring knowledge. And knowledge is what we all seek, is it not?