A random post I saw recently challenged me to articulate what my moral values are. I arrived at the following.

1. To me, “sin” is hurting others—emotionally, physically, any way at all. In little ways or big ways.

I believe that simply wishing harm to someone is a moral wrong. Or seeing them and automatically thinking some ugly insult or derogatory term for them. If we find ourselves feeling like this, our hearts are in need of adjustment.

2. The highest thing we can do is help people.

Most of the time this will be in small ways—words of encouragement, little gestures of kindness, a smile, a door held open. Other times it will be more substantial—a ride, the gift of your time, help with a chore, caretaking, financial assistance. All the way up to donating an organ or sacrificing your life to save another. (“There is no greater love than this: that one would give up their life for another.” John 15:13 – paraphrased)

3. Cultivating good will toward all people is a moral act that is good for you and helps mold within you a disposition of unity and brotherhood/sisterhood.

“How can I help?” is a far more important question than “How can I prove I’m right?”

Ideally, our goal is to love and include more and more. To discriminate and hate less and less. If the common denominator in our peer group is that we hate the same people, this is not a sign of healthy community.

4. Humility is a virtue. Not that you devalue yourself, but that you acknowledge the limits of what you know.

In most things, certitude is arrogance, in many cases it’s ignorance as well.

5. In the name of individual freedom, tolerance is a virtue—until we reach the point where harm is being done to people or property … then compassion for the victim and justice for the perpetrator outweigh personal liberty.

6. The more truth we can tell ourselves and others, the less our psychic burdens will drag us down.

The fewer “masks” we wear, the higher our chances are of knowing peace and grace.

7. Forgiving ourselves and others is necessary for spiritual freedom and healing.

Not approving wrongdoing but giving up the desire to punish the doer of wrong. If a law is broken, we must let our (flawed, sometimes corrupt) legal system deal the consequences rather than take revenge.

8. Seeing our own hypocrisy is critical to authenticity.

We don’t live up to our own moral ideals. We judge. We secretly wish harm against people—sometimes for seemingly justified reasons (observable cruelty), other times for petty reasons (getting cut off in traffic).

We can strive to see our moral failings and strive to do better. For our good, and for the good of society.

9. Respect those who are different from you. Love them if you can. Let them express themselves freely.

Different skin color, language, culture, religion, sexual orientation—see the beauty in human diversity, see it as the gift it is.

10. Fight to preserve free thinking and free speech in both public and private arenas.

We aren’t called to agree with everyone or approve of what we see as unethical views or behaviors. But as soon as we suppress someone else’s free speech, we endanger our own.

Again—the limit to this is the point at which someone’s free speech causes harm.

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Note:

I am hugely flawed. I do not all the time live up to my own moral code. But I view these principles as very important, and I strive to live in a way that honors more than dishonors them. I try to reinforce them in spiritual practice, in my relationship to God (as I understand God). But I do clearly see the many ways that I fall short, every day, all the time.

What would your list look like? Where do you disagree with me and why? What have I missed?