Who are you being good for?
#80* - sunshine meets 10 days of holiday
Apologies this is out on Thursday, a few technical issues. Will be back with #81 this Sunday đ
Hi there,
All those treks through icy winds and the pain of freezing fingers on our journeys to school have been vindicated once again - summer is here. With a sustained run of sunshine this week, not having to wear a jumper, at least in the daytime, and soaking in the warmth of golden sunlight has been wonderful âď¸
It was a varied week with running a school captain campaign, getting test scores back and turning thoughts towards the summer and university applications.
Highlight of the week: spending Wednesday afternoon volunteering at the primary schools cricket tournament at school. Reminiscent of Year 9 when I helped out loads, standing in the sunshine, waving my hands as an umpire and speaking to younger ones was a great stress-reliever.
At a new grocery superstore this week, I noticed that the pistachios were âgrab and bagâ style, free for anyone to steal and snag. Faced with a dilemma between the crunch of the salty green heart and a brief moment of self-indulgence and pride, I opted for the latter. This rather innocuous incident got me thinking about morals and why we follow them.
If you think about it long enough, morals are essentially societal conclusions about what is ârightâ to do, setting boundaries and expectations of certain virtues and when they should be followed. By this idea, we can choose whether we agree with morals and how much we abide by them.
The example with the pistachios is a question of principle: is it the âcorrectâ thing to do? Then the question remains as to who judges what âcorrectâ means. How do you define âcorrect? Does conforming to them mean you are accepting the normal way of life and not challenging traditional views?
For me, it boils down to a simple question - who are you living your life for?
In a situation where I was being watched, the primitive need to be likable and trusted would kick in and I would more likely to refrain from stealing. This is an example of trying to keep one's reputation by adhering to morals, and staying part of society. It is signalling, implicit or explicit, that you are a good person, thus garnering othersâ respect
On the other hand, you may say that actually our actions shouldn't be driven by impressing others and to influence what others think of us but rather we should act on our own accord. We mustn't lead our lives in the goal of impressing others, something outside our control, but instead impressing ourselves and sticking by our own values.
The true test of a manâs character is what he does when no one is watching John Wooden
I've been listening to a podcast this week about status signalling and perhaps being moral is another form of showing to the world that we are a higher quality human being because of an ability to be righteous and virtuous. To counter this however, it must be asked what virtues you want to uphold. Should we all be settling for the consensus reached by civilisations gone or do you need to carve out your own ethics?
And this all started from a humble box of pistachios in the supermarket! It's been a very unique kind of post today, one exploring my thoughts around a philosophical topic out loud on a page. It goes along with another mission (Iâve come to realise) behind my blog posts - to make us think.
Book of the week đ
Iâm finally back on my bike, loving the tales of âadverbial growthâ in The Obstacle Is The Way
Podcast of the week đď¸
WSJâs The Future of Everything: Can flying taxis get off the ground?
According to this short episode, it isnât too futuristic - could be zooming around town by the end of the decade!
Article of the week đ°
Divergence and Convergence: The Two Fundamental Stages of the Creative Process
An interesting way to distinguish between preparation and action for a project
Quote of the week đŹ
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. George S. Palton
Are there areas in which you arenât according to your morals? Have a think and let me know
Adi