You should follow your own morality even if it means the disapproval of society🧠
We should speak the rude truth under all circumstances. This may seem harsh, but your goodness must have some edge to it, otherwise it is just enabling. People should take care of those for whom they genuinely care about rather than engage in deeds because conventional morality says we should do it. Sometimes we may end up submitting to societal expectations of goodness, but such conformity is wicked because it doesn’t arise from our own sense of right and wrong.
Virtues are generally the exception than the rule. People do what is called good much as they would pay a fine in expiation. Their deeds are an apology or extenuation for living in society. We must do right by our own conscience, even if doing so means disapproval of society. We should try to live after what our own minds tells us is right, and not what looks pleasing to society at large.
What you must do should be all that concerns you, not what people think. This rule may serve for the entire distinction between greatness and meanness. It’s harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but an exceptional individual is one who in the midst of the crowd maintains the independence of solitude. The development of equanimity may help us withstand the difficulty of this task.
References
- Emerson, W,. Ralph. (1844). Self-Reliance and Other Essays Chapter 2 Self-Reliance ( Location 443). Dover Publications.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Philosophy / Ethics / Psychology / Social Psychology / Sociology Status:☀️