I know of no good people. By that I mean that I know of no people who are intrinsically good, always altruistic, thinking of others over themselves, unselfish, nice in their inner being. Nope, not a one.
That said, I know a lot of folk with high moral and ethical values reflecting the teachings of the great religions of the world and humanistic folk, religious or not. They are moral, I believe, because they have been raised in essentially moral and ethical family and/or communities, subcultures and cultures. And, they have practiced this ethical and moral behavior and a regular basis. And, the more they practice the more moral and ethical they become.
Surround yourself with immoral or amoral folk, and you may likely end up immoral or amoral yourself. On the other hand, surround yourself with moral and ethical folk and you are more likely to be moral and ethical yourself.
In a world where anomie (a state of normlessness) and bottom-line thinking (what’s best for me and mine), it is easy to be amoral, immoral and unethical. In a world that becomes increasingly impersonal, where we and text rather than talk, buy on the internet rather than a store, become small cogs in large machines and the like, again, it is easy to be amoral, immoral or unethical.
That is why I think it is important to surround ourselves in moral and ethical communities. Faith communities are good examples. Of course, faith communities can also be amoral, immoral or unethical as evidenced in the press, but most faith communities know that they need each other as they strive to be, not good, but ethical and moral people. It is why those faith communities regularly in the worship events, confess their sins. They know they are not good and need forgiveness for their selfish and immoral, unethical or amoral behavior. And in those communities, they accept that God forgives their ways and make them new and fresh on a regular basis…and…infuses God’s own Spirit in them to make more and more moral and ethical choices in their daily lives.
Perhaps that is why Christian folk places a high emphasis on coming to the Lord’s Table, the Eucharist, Communion. There they imbibe either the real, spiritual, or symbolic body of Christ (depending upon their various points of view.) They are what they eat in a very real sense and are better for it. And, in community with those around the table, they support each other in following in the footsteps of that most moral, ethical, and in this case, good man, Jesus of Nazareth.
Here’s to the practice of moral and ethical behavior in community.
