Morality

The last blog, “The Bottom Line,” said that we all just want to be happy.But what about morality?Morality is no different. Morality is just a set of old rules and ideas about what kind of behavior makes us happier.  Moral rules tend to be more evolved than the kind of instantaneous impulses that we think will make us happier.  Moral rules are wise.They are wise, but only if we use them wisely.  They do not make us happier if we use them as rules for constraint. Then they make us unhappy because we can’t do what we want to do and we resist.However, most morality is about being happy, not constrained.When we have our freedom from morality, we begin by saying we can do anything we want to do.  We tend to have an immature approach to happiness.  We tend to think immediate gratification will make us happy—spending, eating, philandering, stealing, lying, cheating, and so on. However, as we become more wise, we realize that these impulsive behaviors do not give lasting gratification, and that more balanced behavior leads to more long term satisfaction.Morality was invented to try to pass on this wisdom; however, like so many misused tools, it has become a vehicle for oppression, control, and manipulation, rather than a way to connect people with their own wisdom or to upgrade that wisdom.When we take the lessons of morality and divorce it from the control, these rules are helpful in guiding us into long-term happiness and kind, loving relationships with others.  Morals are not for us to impose on others but can be useful in supporting our long-term abiding happiness through the lessons and wisdom they carry.What are your morals?  How would you translate them into wisdom and extract the control?  How are your morals advice for happiness?