Moral Compass

moral compass

[mawr-uh l kuhm-puh s, mor‐]

Word Origin

noun

an internalized set of values and objectives that guide a person with regard to ethical behavior and decision-making:

As babies we are born innocent.  We have no understanding of good or bad.  We are, for the most part, clean slates.  We could debate DNA and how that changes how we absorbed the world around us, but for the sake of this blog, we will keep things simple.

As we grow into young children, young adults and into adulthood our understanding of the world around us transforms.  For each person that transformation is different.

How we ultimately process and navigate our lives and interact with those around us is different depending on how we are raised and our personal life experiences.

Developing a moral compass is extremely subjective as everyone has their own perceptions of what morals 'ARE' based on their internal perceptions on how they see people and the world around them.

To what degree do we:

Forgive? 

Have Compassion? 

Exercise Integrity? 

And take Responsibility for our own actions?

I would assess each of the points on a moral compass have a scale, so a very morally driven person would:

1. Forgive wholeheartedly anyone who hurt or wronged them.

2. Have Compassion for everyone who crosses their path, no matter how terrible someone behaves.

3. Conduct their lives with the utmost integrity, always maintaining honesty in their words and actions.

4. Always take responsibility for their actions.  And never blame anyone else for their hardships. 

Morals are interesting, often they are misinterpreted for being wholesome, or living life with many restrictions or being 'church like'.

However, morals are more about being a decent human to those around you.  Giving respect, with kindness, while still maintaining your own truth.  

I often gauge my own moral compass for what makes me feel good within.  If I say or do something against my core beliefs, I'll feel off or bad about it.  This is how I know if I am pushing against my own truth.

There is a strong urge inside to do what's right over what's wrong.  If we sense something does not feel right, the chances are it is not.  

I believe, we all have the ability to guage our own moral compass, to be centered, which in turn helps us thrive in our day to day lives.  

If we wake up feeling badly, unhappy, stressed or unfulfilled, there is some aspect of our lives that is not aligned with one of those points.  

Something is missing.

All of us want to live well and feel good, 

all the time.  

How does our moral compass change those feelings? 

How can we all strive to be better about how we interact with those around us?

I strongly believe we all have had bad experiences in our lives, but those experiences should never define how we we behave and our understanding of what is good within our hearts.

DO NOT let the past belittle current behavior.  

DO NOT let any wrong doings change 

who you are at the core.  

A moral compass is a guide for self evaluation. 

If someone else acts with less responsibility, less integrity, less compassion or forgiveness and their actions directly fall on our own lives, it never means we should allow this behavior to continue.  

We either walk away, we stand up for what's right or we ignore it.  

We, however, should never condone it.  

No matter how much compassion or forgiveness we may have, it does not mean we should allow others to behave with less than.  It only affects our own Moral Compass, not theirs, when we allow the behavior to continue.

You'll know because it feels unsettling within. 

If I have a friend who is feeling slighted or treated unfairly, I often say, "take it from where it comes from, you know that it is not about you." It dissipates the negative behavior and stops the ripple.  I find this helps keep a healthy balance on life.

Doing the right thing is often difficult.

  

People thrive off of negativity and feed into others drama.

 People tend to follow rather than to lead.  

It is hard to take a stand when everyone wants to sit in their comfort zone, nodding their head in agreement. 

Listen to the voice within and think about why people do what they do.  

Often you'd be surprised at the reasons people are driven.  

Often you find their reasons are from a place of self preservation.