Is That Right?

In previous discussions we looked at how behaviors have extremes. Excess or deficiencies are the states we want to avoid. There is a place in between that is a sweet spot. This is according to what is right and beneficial. Let’s look a little closer at the nature of this “right rule”. To say we should always do what is right has no merit since it is a general statement. Some go as far to say there is no right or wrong, but is that right? We have to assume there is right and wrong by every statement we make. In order to accomplish anything that is in a person’s heart, one must have a way to determine what is the right way. This is an activity of the soul.

Virtue is using something to its fullest potential and best use. The two uses of the soul pertain to character and intellect. Moral virtue has to do with character and we have already spent time looking at using our passions the best way possible. We agree that the soul has two parts within it, the rational and irrational. 

Our rational side also has two parts: one that deals in definites and one that deals with variables. The one side registers associations and likenesses such as calling all trees, trees. This is what is meant by the word science. When we study, we are simply registering observations and associations. The other part of our rational soul is calculative. It takes what we remember and theorizes. It comes up with “what ifs?”.  The calculative side is the part that is rational and grasps principles. Both of these parts serve a useful purpose.

For anything to serve its purpose we need to find how to use it best. Action and truth are the work of the soul and the there are three things that control them; sensation, reason and desire. Movement that originates out of sensation isn't voluntary but reactive. We don’t need to study it further as a source of actions. We are interested in purposed actions, the defining difference between animals and rational men.

We affirm or reject material that is presented in the arena of our mind. In a similar manner we either avoid or pursue desires. Choice is deliberate desire. We think about the feasibility of what we desire first and then pursue it. If both the thinking is true and the desire is right, a good choice is made. We affirm desires first by deliberation and then act on them. One part of our intellect looks at truth and falsehood without action in mind. Intellect becomes practical when we couple this with the right desire.

Without truth and without reasoning there can be no choice. Some may argue that there is no truth. But without truth there is nothing to choose between. In order to have any kind of a will there has to be right and wrong with true and false. We can call nothing good without a bad.  

Having information alone won't move anything but when it is coupled with desires, information can become productive. This combination of good character and good intellect go hand in hand to produce good results. We set goals for the future with the desires we have in the present. Then we use the intellect to determine if it is doable. This is the scope of our ability to choose. It is important to keep in mind that we cannot rechoice the past. Even God cannot change the past. All we desire and deliberate on to influence our actions should focus on what can be reasonably done now toward what is best for our future.  The work that we are trying to get out of the intellect is truth so we can move forward and not stumble.

We will next look deeper into the part of our intellect that grasps truth.   

You Owe Me!

It would be nice to remove all injustice in the world. But is all injustice on purpose? We have a word called offence that best describes this concept. Sometimes just by being ourselves we offend others. Some call petty things offenses. Having hurt feelings usually means an injustice occurred. We all have different interests and strengths. There are standard pushers that call certain things sins, syndromes or deficits. But in reality, each person has particular tastes, ambitions and gifts. Most petty offenses are manufactured by our biases and ambitions. Where can we start when it comes to removing injustice from the world?

The part that is most under our control is our own sense of injustice. There are times we should make things right with others when we have unintentionally given offence. Sometimes people are just fishing for it because they want sympathy. If we receive offense, there is also a proper time and place to deal with it. Sometimes we take it for the team and take the higher ground and other times it is necessary to tactfully deal with people and their mouths. Even in wartime we want to use just enough force to bring peace and fairness to a society. At times the damage caused seems unjust but is necessary to eradicate an evil. Our founders felt that death was a small price to pay for freedom. 

But narrow minded people magnify single acts to get others on their bandwagon to discredit those who don't believe in their cause. They ignore the big picture and the real facts. We see this in our sensationalized media toward law enforcement and our military. There are perceived injustices, temporary injustices and outright injustices that are given and received by all of us. These can range from day to day annoyances all the way up to outright unlawful acts.  It is up to us to keep things in perspective and try to understand first before taking action with our words or deeds. That is why studying ethics and structuring our thoughts is important. No one wants to spend their lives pining away about manufactured offences or trying to fix nonexistent ones.  

A person with good character learns to let things go that can’t be helped and to move on with productive things. Just think of how many relationships could be restored if we took time to understand and be effective. What if everyone was thankful for the sacrifices of others? What is keeping this from happening in the world?: Perceived injustices.

This concludes the section on injustice and why we are studying character. A society with good character is the best weapon against injustice. So lets move on and study the soul in more detail. Section six in Nicomachean Ethics.   

Driving

A good example to understand these principles is driving. We don’t get mad because people are selfish and have a destination but we find ourselves assigning motives to people. If we become absorbed in getting to our destination without considering other drivers, it makes driving miserable. There is nothing wrong with getting where we are going but it can be enjoyed when we consider that other people are just after the same thing. They sometimes get over-zealous as we do and there is no sense in getting angry about it. Anger in this case is bad for the blood pressure and causes us to make bad choices. Putting immediate pressure ahead of wellbeing can be dangerous and miserable.

These principles aren't meant to be condescending or a way to point fingers but the more we understand, the better equipped we are to deal with ourselves and others.  There are different personalities that can handle certain things. You would be surprised how many former truckers I know that just couldn't handle other drivers any more. I've met nurses that lost compassion and became teachers. There are alcoholics that cannot handle even one drink. Each person mentioned is a good person but recognizes their limitations. I don’t condemn them since I have my own.

When a limitation is recognized, the worst thing to do is to go in denial and allow it to cause major damage to one's own wellbeing. It is wise to back away to gather our wits. This is key to avoiding spirals in life. Each person has unique passions with potential to either cause damage to their lives or enhance their lives. It doesn't mean we should avoid passion and shelter ourselves, but learning how to deal with it can be a process. There are times when the best way is to overcompensate for a while and then come back with a different approach. Some things have to be avoided altogether. The former is the best approach and the latter more difficult. It is better to keep driving than to stay home.  

After the Bennies

One concept to keep in mind is that we are all little tyrants. Yes there are those who claim to be selfless but in the end we all pursue what is going to bring happiness to ourselves. Even in the example of a God giving his son, he still wants love from us and his son endured for the joy set before him. Neither act can be considered selfless. When we look at what is just, we have to look at what is good for both parties. Those who claim self-sacrifice usually take pleasure in having people think they are that way. It is still a form of self- interest and the pursuit of a pleasure.

The reason for making this point is to show that self-interest isn't a bad thing. Where it goes bad is when a person pursues his pleasure the wrong way. Affection should be for the right person, at the right time, under the right conditions, for the right reasons and in the right amounts. What makes something bad is when it becomes destructive to either person’s happiness. There is nothing wrong with having affection toward somebody. But it is in the application and the timing.

When a car goes into a slide the best chance of recovery is to relax and go with it. Over-correction will cause a person to lose control. To point fingers and find fault can cause more damage than simply examining things at their face value and making adjustments. If you say that someone is being selfish, I would ask what you are wanting out of it.  That is what justice is all about, finding solutions that benefit every party involved. People who are reasonable will take what is due them and will make sure the other person gets what they are due also. There are things that cause people to become unreasonable and we will examine them later.

It is the essence of virtue to both know what is beneficial and to do those things. Sometimes a person knows the right thing and doesn't do it while others simply don’t understand. Someone given to vice will pursue immediate gratification with no thought about how it affects well-being. A person who truly loves doesn't avoid gratification but will consider the effects of what he does toward the well-being of others first. We all admire a considerate person. His pleasure comes more from giving happiness over gratifying desires. Both people are pursuing pleasure; the former’s acts will be destructive while the latter will be beneficial.  

Conscience

We see a progression from conscience to morals to written laws. As we become more specific about the act, we become vague about the conditions. This makes it necessary to possess good judgment. A person of good character will be apt to apply good judgment when details present themselves. This is because the person is given to obeying his conscience. Right and wrong are found there but it becomes elusive to those who violate their conscience. We will go in detail about this later, but the point is that those we put in office or any leadership position must have good character to deal with particulars properly as they present themselves. Even among our associations we find that those who rely on preconceived notions and are self-righteous will also possess poor judgment. It brings inner peace to us when we have the ability to be just with our actions. That is where laws and morals fall short. They are based on violations and avoiding them has no value when it comes to being a good person. Goodness, peace and contentment come from within and not from obeying agreed upon standards. It is better to know what one is doing than to have the appearance of it.

Right and wrong do exist, but they exist in the arena of our conscience. Only we know the particulars such as our motives and intentions. When we hurt someone, we try to get the person to understand that part instead of the act alone. Those who are good at understanding each other in this way will have deeper relationships. This principle works in a community sense; as we understand, we can deal with people effectively and get along with each other. That is the meaning of grace: Making an effort to know what is really happening while keeping in sight of the goodness in others. 

We will find that there are people who defiantly disobey their conscience and those who want to obey it but are weak. The reasons for this vary and we will be getting into the subject a little at a time. First we will finish the section on justice in the book of Ethics. This has been a rabbit trail but I thought it important to explain why this study is valuable.  

Spontaneity

Since I built a roughed in structure in the last post, I should continue the summary and finish a few points: When we talk about passions and logic on a personal level, neither are good nor bad but there is a proper application that is right and this is unique to each individual. An actor will want to use passion more than a technician. People have different personalities, different upbringings and couple this with environments, we have a lot of particulars. We all have a gift called rational ability that helps us reason these things out as they present themselves. The ideal is to be self-governed and this brings the most happiness. No one likes to be a prude and be so disciplined that there is no room apply their passions to life. Moral codes are like maps, they give direction but aren't a replacement for the experience of a trip. There is so much to enjoy along the way and sometimes we want to take the back roads. Raising a generation that is good at using critical thinking and possess good judgment with the particulars should be our goal as a society.  Rules and codes are generalizations needed to address violations and if everyone made good decisions there would be little need for them.

When we interact with others, there are also particulars. If we want something built, we will make a contract that lays out as many details as possible so there are no misunderstandings. But spontaneity is desired when the relationship is for pleasure and fun. With spontaneity, the more that is allowed the more trust is involved; but it also gives the most pleasure. Even a contractor that is trusted will be given more leeway in design. Relationships are best when the people involved are allowed to set their own terms. No one wants outsiders to set the terms for them. It causes them to feel oppressed with no will of their own. With people at times there can be a clash of the wills. That is where rules of common courtesy apply. Free relationships will agree to their own boundaries according to the depth and the personalities. On a professional level, a car mechanic doesn't have to be as sensitive to his client as a doctor would. If people looked out for one another and used discretion, courtesy would be automatic and there would never be a need for others to intervene.

If everyone was self-sufficient and lacked greed, there would be no need for laws. There are so many variables that contribute to success in a productive community. At times things come together and sometimes they don’t. An occupation can be a perfect match for a person’s passions and they can make a good living at it.  Sometimes either the match is bad or no one wants to pay much for what a person has to offer. People who begin grasping and become spiteful can throw a wrench into the mechanism of a good productive culture. We see this on different levels. When determination and contentment are lacking, we need laws to keep these people from taking what doesn't belong to them. Treating a person who is poor with contempt is wrong. All hard working people are due respect regardless of what the economy rewards them. Good musicians should be able to enjoy their passion without being criticized if they aren't a rock star. A janitor should be able to hold his head high since greatness has to do with having pride in whatever work we are doing. But along the same line of thinking, success shouldn't be looked on with contempt either. Let people enjoy abundance if they have it. Why would it concern anyone else? That is why we need limited government; to keep spiteful planners out of our legal system. 

Laws should protect the freedom to produce according to one’s passions, balanced with self-discipline as one sees fit; to associate and make agreements without the interference of others; to discourage oppression from those have contempt for how life works and are eager to take the easy route of confiscation. It is far better that people be free to use their own compassion and benevolence. Voluntary exchanges build strong relationships in a community with less contempt towards others.