Ⓥ Moral Absolutes

I have found that I seem to have a very different view of morality than most people. Many things that others find to be completely unethical, I don't really think are all that important. I seem to be much slower to judge people for "bad" things that they have done than other people are.

The truth is, I think that the world exists almost entirely in shades of gray. Everything we do, we do for our own reasons which other people will never truly be able to understand. So to judge the actions of another person objectively is nearly impossible; we can never know what led a person to make a particular decision, or what goal they had in mind when they did it. For that matter, judging our own actions objectively is nearly impossible; we never know what implications our actions might have on those around us, or whether we even made a certain decision for the reason we thought we did.

That being said, I do believe that there are a few (though only one that I am absolutely certain of) moral absolutes in this world. I do believe that a few things are truly wrong, no matter the circumstances. I have some ideas about what these things are but, as I said, there is only one that I know for sure. The one moral absolute that I believe in wholeheartedly is this- To cause the unnecessary death or suffering of an innocent being is always wrong. I do not feel that this is something that can be debated. I do not believe that there is any argument that can be made against that statement.

Are there times when killing can be justified? Yes. Are there times when torture can be justified? Perhaps. Are there times when killing the innocent can be justified? In rare situations, when it is crucial for the greater good, probably. Are there times when harming the innocent, when there is no need for it, can be justified. No. It's that simple.

So this is why I'm so deeply dedicated to veganism even though, in many cases, I may seem to have less concern for what is or is not ethical than the average person. I feel like our society, as a whole, spends far too much time judging, and punishing, and berating people for doing things that really aren't that bad. All the while, we completely overlook the truly unforgivable things that are happening everyday.  

I still don't actually believe in good and evil though.