During Thanksgiving break, my perceptions and beliefs were called into question regarding a family matter that I discovered. It is not my place to share specifically what I am referencing, however I would like to share a few thought developments and questions that I have. Possibly you could even help me answer some of my questions to help me better understand.
I shall begin with this – there are things in life that we know are wrong. Stealing from someone is wrong, hurting another individual is wrong, and marrying your first cousin is wrong. These are just a few examples of things that society has determined are bad to do and it should not be tolerated. Well my questions is, when do we begin to recognize that something currently considered wrong is actually not wrong at all, and it’s just societies influence on our perception/belief that is clouding our judgement? Take myself for example. I am gay. Is that wrong? No, of course not. I was born this way. But even 50 years ago, being gay was not tolerated. The majority of the population thought it was disgusting or immoral. They thought it was a choice and not something that an individual was born with. Back then, this information was considered accurate and poorly treating those that were gay was acceptable. Over time, of course, society has come to realize that this is something that can’t be helped and there are people born attracted to others of the same sex. This is the same story for race, religion, and gender. People of the world are beginning to realize that a born characteristic should not hinder one’s place and role in society.
Well my issue is this – what are the societal perceptions and beliefs that will be considered acceptable in the future, but are considered wrong today? It is so easy to disagree with the actions of others when it is considered “unacceptable” by society. When someone asks you why you disagree, the simplest response is, “Because it’s just wrong.” But who determines “wrong”? You, me, Congress? We hear this same argument over and over again until someone finally brings so much attention to the issue that people actually have to open their eyes and ears and formulate their own personal opinion. But then on the other hand, when is it enough? How far can we push the envelope until every individual has the free will to do whatever makes them happy as long as it is not dangerous to others? This would bring me to the entire concept of religion, but I promised myself that I would not open that box today.
So my questions are as follows:
When are we wrong?
When do we begin to recognize the ignorance of societal standards and begin to question their validity?
And what is the limit to these changes in societal standards when we realize there does need to be some form of guidance to how people live?
Help.
Hi Alex,
I’m always fascinated where your thoughts roll. I think in your case, the best thing to do is to spend more time with yourself, perhaps writing in a journal will help unfold some of these abstract ideas you are thinking. However, if you want my opinion, we as human beings are naturally influenced by our environment. But the unique factor is that at the end of the day we have our own voice. There isn’t one person, one body, or one society telling you what is right or wrong. It is within your own conscious of what you believe is true for your. And that is the only thing that matters. If it is not “right” in society, argue your point. Why should people believe that your argument is “right”? No one is right and no one is wrong. This is the beauty of a matter of opinion and the rights we have as Americans to say what we think in our own mind is right or wrong.
Hi Alex,
You bring up a lot of interesting topics. Right/wrong is a classic debate in philosophy, probably because their is not right/wrong answer (pun unintended). Personally, I think this is the case because “belief” itself is a product of our environment. I do not think we come out of the womb with any ideology. What I believe is that our ideals come from external media: books, TV, celebrities, religion, etc. Evolution required our minds to be malleable, for adaption. This leaves a scary predicament however: if we can train people to be accepting and tolerant, we can also teach them to be critical and hateful.