APPLAUDING THE BLUES
Morality and Happiness
As I drove past the corner of Broadway and Vista, I was given the finger by a driver plowing out of turn through a four-way stop sign. A few days later in broad daylight, my partner passed a doubled parked car on a busy road while a man was stealing a catalytic converter. There was no place to pull over to stop the thief, and he would be long gone before police could arrive. Both incidents made us angry and unhappy.
As crimes like these increase, I question the moral framework that guided those men when they were young. I think back to my childhood when families, whether religious or not, spoke of the ten commandments and golden rule and felt guilty when they were broken. Parents and teachers indoctrinated children with ethical behaviors that set the stage for their future.
Today, I doubt that children know the golden rule and wonder how often moral dilemmas are discussed at the dinner table. Children observe their parents tucking elders away in assisted living facilities, purchasing guns, engaging in self-defense cases, and observing neighborhood killings by inebriated, angry adults. Adultery is commonplace, as is stealing and lying. My guess is half the country is unhappy because they don’t follow the tenth commandment that says not to covet (desire)your neighbor’s possessions.
I believe there are more good people in the world than bad, but also realize that virtuous people aren’t admired as well as those who are bad. Caring, honest individuals are seen as open books that are boring. With evil-doers, you are called to figure them out, a more interesting process. As I write Rightfully Mine, my latest novel, my editor keeps telling me to add chilling events if I want it to be a page-turner. People are drawn to things that put fear in their guts like on a rollercoaster ride.
By surrounding themselves with like-minded friends, evil individuals and nations commonly justify their actions by blaming the other party as deserving of their wrath. The only interest some people have is to acquire power, money, and status. Without concern with harm being inflicted on humanity, they surround themselves with enablers to achieve their agenda. Their happiness, fleeting at best, makes them grab for more. Living on the edge of the law with adrenaline pouring through your limbs can be exciting. And for those who are risk-averse, there is a pleasure to be had by living vicariously through them.
It is difficult to be positive all the time and try to live in harmony. There’s no monetary reward to engaging in good deeds. Goody-goodies often become targets because they make evil-doers own up to things they’re ashamed of. So instead of altering their behavior, bad people are rude, become bullies, and label do-gooders as weak. Their pleasure results from making people more unhappy than they are.
According to Dan Ariel in The Honest Truth about Dishonesty, the world isn’t made up of a few really bad apples but rather a lot of slightly bad ones that include you and me. Most people cheat a little. If a cashier makes a mistake by not charging you for an item at the grocer’s are you likely to bring it to the person’s attention? Ariel says that telling people of the negative consequences of unethical behavior isn’t helpful because most people rationalize and don’t consider themselves to blame.
His advice is to remind people of moral principles before important decisions, like filling out tax returns or taking an exam, are made. An experiment at MIT demonstrated that students who signed an honor code before taking a test, didn’t cheat, while a high percentage of those who didn’t sign, did.
Global warming is a human-made situation resulting from the poor decisions of many. To combat unethical societal behavior, however, the rules we live by will have to change. Consider what would happen if people were judged on happy they were instead of how much money, power, and fame they possessed.
An enjoyment model would likely make us more empathetic and interested in how others are enjoying their lives. Days acquire meaning when you follow your interests rather than dig for gold. Creative activities can’t be stolen and doing them rids the psyche of anger and frustration, leaving time to love and have compassion.
I’ve been watching our country becoming more fractured, descending into chaos as groupthink and greed become its moral compass. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of countries that have happy citizens. An annual U.N. study of happiness looks at life expectancy, social support, trust, corruption, perceived freedom, and generosity as guidelines.
Finland, ranks first among the happiest countries in the world, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the Netherland. Those five are also among the top ten morally ranked countries, after Germany and Austria. You might want to visit them the next time you travel abroad.
Resources:
Ragjimatjam.Rak. (2012) The Difficulty of Doing Good. Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sapient-nature/201209/the-difficulty-doing-good
Website, reviewed by staff (2022) Ethics and Morality. Resources Psychology today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/ethics-and-morality
Lee, L. (2019) Edutopia,. George Lucas Educational Foundation.retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-teaching-ethical-dilemmas#:~:text=Teaching%20ethics%20can%20not%20only,and%20social%20and%20emotional%20competencies.
Morton,C. (2022) These are the Happiest Countries in the World. Conde NesteT. retrieve from https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-10-happiest-countries-in-the-world
website, Travel Morality Index: The Top Countries for Theical Travel. Latin America Travel Country. retrieved from https://www.thelatinamericatravelcompany.com/travel-morality-index-the-top-countries-for-ethical-travellers/
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