How our modern world broke our moral code?
Ever felt like you’re at a crucial point in life where a simple YES or NO could change everything? It’s never as straightforward as that. Some decisions can break a leg, others can break your entire life.
Let’s be honest. We’ve all made poor decisions. What we are now is the sum of those choices.
But what happens when you’re bombarded with too many options, and you can only pick one?
That’s the real struggle.
We base decisions on what seems reasonable to us, though what makes sense to one person may not to another. Yet we trust ourselves, sometimes letting others’ opinions take over because we find a reason for it.
But even then, making a choice is hard. We’re humans, evolved with highly complex brain functions. Unlike other living beings, we overthink and question ourselves.
With so many options in front of us, it’s easy to get lost. We struggle to rationalize one choice over the other, and the whole process feels overwhelming.
Think about how many restaurants there are in New York City. You could visit a different one each day and still have hundreds left after a year. Crazy, right?
How do you pick when there are so many choices?
Now, consider something more serious than picking a place to eat.
You’re someone who loves going out, spending time with friends, shopping, and enjoying solo trips. Walking through the park gives you peace of mind.
Then you get married. You have a wonderful partner and a beautiful, healthy baby. And what now?
Have your priorities changed?
Yes.
But it’s more than that. You’re now faced with choices that challenge your morale.
Didn’t get it? Let me explain.
After working six days of work, you get one day off. You could spend it with your child or hang out with friends like you used to. What do you choose?
Most of you would likely stay with your child, while others might think you can juggle both. But when both are priorities and you can only pick one, it gets tough, right?
You end up making a choice that goes against your old morale, something you once believed in or still hold on to.
In today’s world, you have several options: places to visit, mountains to climb, activities to enjoy, cars to drive, jobs to manage, houses to clean, kids to raise, a partner to love, friends to call, parents to check in on, events to attend, restaurants to try, clothes to buy. The list goes on.
Our ancestors had simpler lives, with fewer decisions to make. Over time, our lives have become more complicated. Every choice seems important, and some have life-altering consequences.
We’ve broken ourselves
Take something as simple as going to work. Do you drive your car for comfort? Ride a two-wheeler to dodge traffic? Use public transport to save money? Share a cab with a friend for a fun ride?
It doesn’t really matter which you choose because your main goal is to get to work on time. But you’re overwhelmed by the options.
What if the stakes are higher? What if making a decision requires questioning your own morals?
Say you’re a kind-hearted person who would never hurt anyone. But circumstances force you to harm or even kill someone. You feel guilt, cry yourself to sleep, and maybe even seek therapy.
You tell yourself that what you did wasn’t wrong. Maybe you acted in self-defense or didn’t mean to do it.
BUT STILL,
YOU BROKE YOUR MORAL CODE.
As humans, we sometimes justify our decisions by bending our morals. And breaking those morals, especially ones we hold close, is difficult.
When faced with too many options, we eventually compromise our beliefs. And if the modern, capitalistic, materialistic world offers anything, it’s “MILLIONS OF CHOICES.”
Stitch your life back?
Have you made choices that broke your beliefs? Do you still regret a decision because you sacrificed your principles or societal morals?
Some choices shatter our beliefs beyond repair. Yet, we continue living, making new choices that may break even more of our morals.
The modern world challenges our basic instincts. We follow laws, and we’ve institutionalized everything from MONEY to RELATIONSHIPS, all for what?
SOCIAL EQUILIBRIUM!
Humans have always faced choices. But the goal has always been to maintain equilibrium in our physical, mental, and social existence in this world.
What makes CHOICES less important is the OBJECTIVE behind it.
Your AIM was not to kill someone but to save yourself.
Your AIM was to be happy by being with your kid or spending time with your friends or both.
Your AIM was to eat a satisfactory meal.
All your CHOICES that broke your morals were only aiming for the OBJECTIVE you always had in mind.
Your OBJECTIVES are shaped by your BELIEFS and MORALS….!!