Strength of Morals

[LogicfromLogic]

So, I have been watching all of these films about either topics of animal cruelty, the challenges of being homeless and hungry, and various other videos that create such a pull in some that it sends a drive to do something about it. But how many people follow through with their promises?

Statistics show that while most people feel that drive, about only a quarter of those people go through with their promised help. Either work, hobbies, or some other factors get in the way. But my question is, what kind of pull do most people feel when they are shown a video?

Is there some kind of psychology to what drives us to do something more than the other video? Such as I watched a rather disturbing video about where our meat comes from (being a vegetarian, I feel just a tad bit better but that still creates a disturbance in me that makes me want to hurl), and then I watched a movie about how a homeless man went from being an esteemed hero coming back from war to being homeless and hungry. Yet, I felt more for the animals in the video (not going to link that one here because it is horribly graphic and there are children on this site. More or less, you'll have to do your own digging for all the video references I make here).

So, what does that mean? I feel that I have more of a moral strength for things that cannot vouch for themselves. But I wanted to know if others felt stronger for certain causes, but lesser for others and why? Does that prove that someone has stronger morals than the other?

If that is confusing, let me rephrase it.

For someone who leans more towards helping animals or children, but kind of shys away from war torn, bloody genocides among humans (not to say children aren't humans they just don't have a strong voice for themselves), does that mean they lack empathy?

I feel that while sometimes videos get to you better than others, but that doesn't mean you are heartless. But my main question, one that I'll admit I've danced around in this crazy topic, is what kind of morals do you put into place while watching the videos? Or is it kind of morbid to spend your time watching them? And when I say 'morals', I mean what do you feel before, during, or after the video? I am not saying that you don't have them if you don't feel any. But if you do, I want to know the reaction to it.

 

[Harper]

Those kinds of videos just about always register a strong emotional response in me and generally leave me feeling a bit depressed so I really just avoid watching them. I wouldn't say you're morbid for watching lots of them, I think educating yourself on whats really going on in the world is not only important but admirable. Just make sure it isn't crushing your sense of goodwill towards humankind.

I think we all have certain causes that pull more on us than others and I think it has more to do with our own struggles than anything else. People who have ever been made to feel week, voiceless and unworthy, or perhaps were abused as children, are more likely to be upset for those who can't fight for themselves. There are also those who were simply raised with the belief that if you're an adult and in a bad situation, you got yourself there and its up to you to get yourself out. As for wether or not they do anything about it, I think there are many reasons why people see these videos and then move on.

Time. I know there are a lot of people like myself who work full time or multiple jobs and what free time they get either goes into trying to maintain personal relationships, or picking up extra shifts to cover expenses. They feel like they don't have the time to volunteer or pursue some great cause and really, they aren't left much time to mull the issue over anyway so it gets left behind.

Money. Again, speaking from experience here. I don't really have much expendable income, everything I make either goes to bills or small luxuries when I can afford them. If I really buckled down and budgeted better could I probably donate more? Yes, of course. I don't, and that may make me selfish but thats just how I am.

Politics. I feel like a lot of people don't understand that their role in politics does not and should not end with electing the person they feel best fits their views. Politicians are representatives that are supposed to be listening to their constituents and should be written to or spoken with so that they are more informed on what people want them to do. Of course, there are people in the government who, once elected, don't really give a rat's ass what you want until reelection comes up. These people need to be weeded out and again, writing to them and seeing that they continue to ignore what is being said is how you see who they are.

Big issues. One of the major problems that I've found with most of the videos I've watched is that their scale is too big. They often are focusing on major issues that require massive societal change in order to even begin to fix the issue. Rarely do they suggest small ways that people can move towards change. It's often some expose on some crippling issue followed by some dire warning and then maybe a link to some organization they teamed up with that helps to fight the issue. Personally, I try to help out keeping a Mother Teresa quote in mind. (She was kind of an awful person but pretty damn quotable.) "If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one." I really do apply that to just about everything I do. If a task seems insurmountable, just do what you can to fix it and eventually it won't seem as scary.


And you are welcome for that giant wall of text.

 

[Minibit]

I'd love to be able to donate to the hungry and homeless as often as I think of them, but it would put me in the gutter myself!

I put change in jars for the Red Cross, crisis funds, and the underfunded BC Children's Hospital, and I support my sister's company's bottle drive to cure MS each year, but I'm not rich either! If I gave $5 to every worthy cause, I'd have to put myself on the 'hungry, please help' list

 

[Quiet One]

Stuff like that makes me want to build my superhero suit.

Seriously, I have ideas for making a real life Iron Man, and even other suits like partners.

Okay, maybe these problems don't need a superhero to solve them. But anymore that's what it's starting to feel like for me. It's like we need some extreme example of right, some symbol for why things need to change, that people can be better. I'm pretty sure I'm not that person, so I'd like to find said person and give him a supersuit. I genuinely think we won't fix our world problems without what we need. An example. A hero.