Daily Prompt: Morality Play
Where do your morals come from — your family? Your faith? Your philosophical worldview? How do you deal with those who don’t share them, or derive them from a different source?
This is an interesting topic for me to write about. It is one I have lived.
Once the moral shrew. Looking down on others who did not walk the perfect moral line that I did, ostracized even my very best friends for their choices in life, perceiving their choices which were different from my “pristine” life as offenses against me and our friendship. I suppose I developed my morals from both church and family, but taking it to the extreme was all my doing.
It is amazing how the holier than thou can be knocked of their high horses, and learn humility. Falling off is not the funnest thing, but you can meet some of the most interesting people on your way off. Realizing also that you can still maintain, or reclaim your morality through repentance without being condescending or self-righteous. Shew that horse on along.
I heard a quote by Dieter F Uchtdorf in the last year or so that really stuck with me, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” I believe he had read it on a bumper sticker.
I know several people who are extremely homophobic. Do I “agree” or “understand” that lifestyle, simply put no. I will always believe marriage should be between a man and a woman, but some of my dearest friends are homosexual. I would give my life for them and they for me. I sat and talked with one the other day, he had me rolling laughing because he talked about how he cannot stand the gay community. I had to double take, and wanted to remind him how long he has been with his partner. He is against gay rights and gay adoption. He mentioned that those who speak out and making “such a ruckus” are making it difficult on those who just want to live their lives. I had never thought about that. He is a great man, and I love him like a brother.
I remember the first time I found out someone I knew drank and had premarital sex. I was crushed. How would I ever look them in the eyes again, how could they ever look me in the eyes again. I realize now that aside from my family those that have had these bumps or even made these as their choices, but fought family and friends for the right to make their choices have been some of my greatest confidants and cheerleaders. Recognizing the hurt of letting those you love down, whether by their choice to be let down or something you actually did, or even your feeling of letting them down. That’s a lot of letting down.
I was 31 when I got married, though I never crossed that line completely before marriage, but it became blurry many times. Often too close for comfort, definitely too close to judge anyone else.
Alcohol and drugs, I have never tried either. There are several reasons behind this. Addiction runs in my family. I have an uncle and a cousin that are/were addicts. I know I have an addictive personality, and seeing what those substances have done to our family, I could not do that to my parents, siblings, husband, or my niece and nephews.
All in all, the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father help me to stay moral. Whether it is chastity or refraining from alcohol and drugs, those are things I made covenants to do, if you have not, that is your choice. My friendship does not depend on it, though I might not choose to be around when you are drinking heavily or smoking (being around smoke gets me physically sick).
We all have our agency.
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- Daily Prompt: Morality Play (dailypost.wordpress.com)
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