What
is Morality?
In simple words,- Morality is—doing right.
But
how do you decide what is right and what is wrong?
Usually,
people say that religion is a source of morality. It can be customs, but how
do you connect the religion by being always right?
Morality
and religion are not the same as people assume that if someone is religious, they
accept that he/she is a person of character – a god-fearing person.
Does
morality Come from Religion?
The
straight answers are never appreciated. Therefore, let's discuss both terms. Both
are not the same-
Morality
is how a human conducts human affairs and his relations with other human
beings.
Religion
is something different, which is a relationship between human and invisible/
imaginary/ transcendent reality.
Morality
is a set of principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or
good and bad behavior.
Morality
is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those
distinguished as proper and improper.
However,
religion has an impact on morality, like having a father impact on a child's
behavior as it provides a specific environment for the child.
But in
many instances, religions and customs have challenged morality. For example, in
Easter India, there are thousands of women who were burnt alive in the name of
practicing witchcraft.
Female
Genital Mutilation remains a significant issue that impacts 200 million girls
worldwide in the name of customs.
What
if religion and customs make the human population so blind that they fail to
consider that someone innocent is getting hurt because of traditions.
People
are being deprived of their rights because women are considered weaker than men
in every religion and custom.
Can
you have morality without religion?
The
simple answer is Yes.
Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of
conduct from a particular philosophy, religion, or culture. It can derive from
a standard that a person believes should be universal.
Morality
may also be precisely synonymous with "goodness" or "rightness."
But
customs were primitive based on the limited understanding of human minds. For
example- a majority of people at that time assumed that the earth was flat. With time, evolution happened, and we obtained
more clarity about human existence and developed things for the better.
But,
when it comes to morality, people want to take the inspiration from religion
and customs that have failed at every other aspect of life- let it be
explaining the disease, recovery of illness and defining space, understanding
planet and formation of the earth.
The
decisions - how to act or behave, how to dress or what to eat, or where to go?
It depends upon the region, where customs are practiced according to the
collective faith.
Morality
is often drawn from the customs, and this is taken as a matter of pride. It is tough
to change, even when there is a need to alter or harm human rights.
The
closed ones often abandon those who revolt against this morality face isolation.
Psychologically,
it is a way to break the spirit of rebel down. People don't want to change. The
crowd follows those customs just because they are old.
What
should define morality?
Instead
of customs, religion, and respecting someone because they are old, the reason
should be sensitivity, empathy, and logical thinking altogether.
Non-pseudo-scientific
reasons should not inspire the senses.
History
has all the pieces of evidence of the customs conflict with the development, as per the customs of
Hinduism- it was assumed that if people crossed the sea, they would lose their religion
and become impure.
There was
a famous incident when Mahatma Gandhi kept the proposal in front of his mother
to go for the study in a foreign land as it was considered a sin.
His
mother lamented, and after a lot series of arguments, she let Gandhi go.
Due to
this customary morality, we Indians remained restricted to learn about others'
culture, and that why we faced slavery for a long time.
We
need to open and know that there is more than customs and religion.
Thanks
to globalization, that helped humans adjust and learn so much with
globalization and understood that everything customarily could be right might
not be accurate.
The
Parker Solar has gone to the sun, which is also against a particular
civilization's custom, as the sun is a god.
Customary
Morality and Conflicts
There
are various regions in the world, and everywhere customs are different.
In North
India, as a part of Hindu customs, people do not head wash or cut nails on
Tuesdays, and while one goes to south India, people might cut nails on
Saturdays. If people leave India, people can cut nails any day in some
countries, and none of the gods or goddesses will be offended.
People
in India mistreated the third gender for a long as religious people consider
that the world is based only on two genders.
This
made a miserable life for millions of people since we evolved as a human.
Women who
protested against the imposition of traditional dress in some middle eastern
countries were thrown in jail, and women still do not choose in various areas
as per their customs.
So, the
custom and morality of different regions can come into conflict.
The
validity of Customs
The
customs are irrelevant in today's world because we have more access to knowledge
than it was previously available.
People
should not be proud for following the customs. Unintentionally also, they may hurt the
innocents because they believe that certain things have to be done this or that
way.
The foolishness
of customs itself need a proper lengthy book, but few incidents can be narrated
down---
When electricity
was introduced, the customary people protested.
We all
use electricity now, but can you imagine a world without electricity?
Do you
even know how many people protested when electricity was first introduced?
Today,
there is no development possible without electricity, and there is much more
growth to get.
The
woman remained deprived of her rights due to customs.
People
do not understand biology and still follow the norms as a menstruating woman is
impure.
Child
Marriage was the result of customs
What a
traumatic life can be after your life is entangled in Child Marriage. The pressure on the male child for earning
and the female child's health cannot be ignored.
In some
countries it is also prevalent.
Female
Genital Mutilation is also a result of customs
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all external female genitalia. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the
Middle East, and within communities from countries where FGM is common.
Can you even imagine how painful
it is for women and how unhealthy it is for them?
A
conclusion: If you follow customs, that might make you a flawed human
Just
getting offended in the name of tradition does not make the argument valid. The
validity should be purely based on rationality and reasons based on human
rights and equality.
So, in
the willingness to obtain acceptance, we have been following the customs without
using sense.
Some of
us might notice that a custom or a religious practice is wrong, but we
compromise and do not speak.
Do not
do that. Speak against injustice, even if it is driven from the custom and religion,
and speaking against them does not make you
a wrong person but a hero.
