To be human is to be constantly evolving. Everyday the great hourglass of life drops a little more sand onto everyone's pile. Everyday we receive a little more information and experience; another piece to add to the intricate puzzle of living and coexisting. More and more, I am frightened by the picture I see forming.
I feel a bit like a contestant on the gameshow "Concentration". Some vital piece of the puzzle has just been revealed and I think I know the answer. But it is so absurd, so hopeless in its implications, that I'm afraid to hazard the guess. If I'm right, I'm not sure I want to win the prize anymore. .
In early childhood we all learn by imitation. Out actions are largely motivated and shaped by forces of ourselves; by what we observe in the world around us. But at some point we begin to learn from internal forces as well. Out emotions, logic, and imagination, give us the ability to construct meaning in a whole new context: that of the Self.
It is in the way we file our external observations; the way we shape the sand that's falling on our pile, that makes us who we are. It is the connections we make and the interpretations we derive from our experiences that make us more than just the sum of our parts. This is what gives us our individuality, and once it is formed, all the information we receive is filtered trhough it. Likewise, everything we send out, all of our words and actions, must also pass through and be held up against our moral and ethical code. But herein lies the problem and the flaw: for most people, that filtering (or censoring) process is not internal.
Their actions are not a means to an end in themselves. They are designed to illicit a response from or demonstrate conformity to outside forces. Namely Society. As a people, our morals and our code of ethics are not contained within our reasoning minds, but in religious dogma and criminal law. .
Instead of learning right and wrong in the context of global coesistence and mutual respect, we are taught in the context of threat.
