What is the source of your moral standard you live by?

The liberal and humanistic tradition of cultural (not religious) Judaism and the values of my parents.

My family. I was raised by good people.
Not to mention that I just think that people are inherently good, for the most part. I think it is in our nature – no religion or deity necessary. If we weren’t, it would have made evolving to the point that we are now pretty difficult. Imagine how far we would have gotten if it was in our nature not to work together and help one another. If we were hard wired to always work against each other, we wouldn’t be here today.

My concern for the welfare of my fellow beings. And that doesn’t come from anywhere.

My parents mostly. In school growing up teachers emphasized the golden rule, being respectful to others. As I have matured I see how being generous and kind to others is the way to go. I have two specific incidents where friends of mine benefitted greatly from a pay it forward moment. These really reinforced to be aware of other peoples needs, and to help when it is easy to help. I guess I would say along with being told expectations, witnessing people acting morally was a very big influence also.

All of us are the same in this regard we create our moral standard by our experiences and environment.

T.V.

No religious faith at all. I know what’s morally right and wrong. It’s as simple as that. I know what’s right and that’s what I try to do. And I live by my word. That’s very important to me.

I observe the world around me and think for myself, and I act how I wish others would act. So far, I don’t think anyone hates me too much, so I think I’m doing all right.

@Adirondackwannabe Lurve

Living by your word is integrity and I admire that.

My moral standard came from my parents. They were married 56 years and dedicated to each other. There was no cheating with either parent(at least to my knowledge). Starting at age 7, my parents guided me through the right and wrongs of life. I feel that I was honored to have had their teachings passed onto me. I have passed these same moral standards onto my children.

Moral standards, I believe, come from a persons parents.

A very solid upbringing by my parents. That’s where my strong moral code emanated from.

My experience and my conscience guide my morality. However, my morality is not fixed. I change my beliefs and actions based on new information and experiences.

My parents.

YES @psychocandy!

I was trying to think of how to put this, as I think that the idea of a “moral standard” is insidious in all honesty. @psychocandy put it well – I’m going to say further that I think that the best way to simply articulate anything of mine that can be considered a “moral standard” it is “critical thinking.:

My Grandmother. She was the most caring, generous non judgemental person I’ve ever known. She did have the most rigid set of rules to live by though, and I’m blessed that she passed them on to me. There was no grey line, there was only black or white, right or wrong. I haven’t ever stolen anything, I don’t lie, I don’t cheat, I try to do whatever I can to help when I can. I was taught that if you’re lucky enough to have something, you should also feel lucky enough to be able to share whatever it is. Whether thats money, food, possessions, doesn’t matter. It should be a privilege to share. Everybody needs help sometimes, my Grandmother said. She had such a huge heart and I know that she meant to try to make me a good person, but I grew up seeing the world a certain way, and mostly I still do, I do believe that for the most part people are kind, people are honest, people are decent. I don’t blame my Grandmother for not telling me about the tiny minority who aren’t because maybe that is something you have to learn through experience? I feel like I was very unprepared though for the bad bits of being in the world. That some people don’t live by the same rules. An example, a friend used to steal from me, and I would pretend I didn’t notice, because, well she lived quite a harsh life (because of her husband). We don’t have money but whatever I had I didn’t mind sharing with her, it hurt me though that she would steal from me. So, to answer your question sweetheart, my morals, my behaviour rules, I got from my Grandmother, also to the other part of your question above, we weren’t religious.

I’m no longer a Christian, but the Golden Rule suits me pretty well:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Also love.

We all can probably say our parents, and for me, maybe growing up in Catholic school had something to do with it as well. It is not something I think about often, I usually just take it for granted. But obviously you can see that there are others who do not have moral standards as high, and this raises this question. I would say that morality is developed during childhood and adolescence, and upbringing as well as social environment has alot to do with the ‘molding.’

I feel the same way as @psychocandy. I have no religious faith, and although some of my morals/values came from my parents, they tend to be more closed-minded about certain issues such as homosexuality and immigration, for example. I consider it to be mostly generational, and my folks have made some progress over the years.

Anyway, my morality is my own, and it’s developed from my own experiences and opinions. Like @psychocandy said, it’s also mutable – life experience has definitely changed my views on some things.

Would I want my grandmother to read about this in a paper and be ashamed of me? She has passed away, but I still think that way.

The source for my developing morality is an evolved capacity for reason and empathy, guided by my own experiences, and the experiences conveyed to me by others.

Sound logic and morality are one and the same to me. I (try to) live by the principal: Do whatever makes the most sense all things considered.

It was my guardian until I noticed that what she said I should do and the outcomes of my following those rules didn’t match up. Now it’s based on my experience of what behaviours makes me and others feel like there’s win/win situations the greatest majority of the time.

It comes from knowing that we have a consciousness that allows us to experience suffering and pleasure on myriad levels. I don’t like suffering, so I don’t intentionally do things to make others suffer. It also comes from knowing our time alive is short, so I would like to at least become a productive part of society that helps with the progression instead of working against it, making it harder for others to live.

I have a well developed sense of integrity that I hold myself accountable for.
My morals and values are intact so that I can feel as good about myself as possible.

If one does not like truly LIKE themselves they do immeasurable damage to self and others.

My personal code of honor serves me first so that I can show up with others in my highest integrity. It’s a big picture thing.

@Coloma Lurve with a great answer.

I was raised by very strict parents who were God fearing and abided by the moral tenets of the Catholic Religion. Doing my time in the Cub Scouts further reinforced a high moral code of ethics and conduct. I still carry these moral tenets with me and am passing them on to my kids.

As long as you’re not causing harm to others—and by harm I don’t mean “offending” others when you’re not doing anything to them; those “offended” people need to get over themselves—I say do whatever you want. I’ve heard that it’s not that simple, but I think it is, or can be. We create the system we live under, we can make it as simple or complex as we desire. I don’t care what you smoke as long as I and others aren’t forced to inhale the smoke.

I think a system that creates outside “rewards” and “punishments” pulls us away from our true natures, that we already have inside us a desire to help and work, and pretending we need a carrot in front of us and a whip behind us (us and any animal, actually) creates more problems than good. That there’s a natural spread of interests, no one needs to be forced to do anything.

And honesty. I think and probably there are a few extreme circumstances this doesn’t hold true more knowledge to everyone can only do more good.

My moral standard comes from the fact that we (and many others) are sentient beings who are subjects of a life that can go better or worse for us, and who can experience pleasure and wish to avoid pain. My basic moral code is that all actions that harm innocents are wrong unless they are the only way to prevent a greater harm. As a corollary, all actions that harm no innocent sentient beings are morally permissible.

I think most of my morals come from my dad, I like to think I created my own morals, but it seems a mix of what my dad has taught me and what my experiences through life have taught me.

I was sent to a Catholic school and although my dad is staunchly unreligious he thought it would be the best because they have a better way of teaching (huh?) and I’m less likely to turn into a rebel :P Needless to say I rebelled and became an atheist.

But I believe my morals do not stem from the fact I went to a religious school.

My first reaction to this question was hostility. I wanted to make some kind of flip answer. I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s just obvious: our morals come from our lives and what we’ve learned while living them. They come from every experience we have. What is so hard to understand about that?

It makes no difference whether you believe in a religion or not. Life forms your thoughts about morality.

Maybe what makes me mad is the assumption of some kind of hidden agenda behind this question. Specifically, a religious person would say their morals come from religious teachings. Maybe you would use this information to somehow try to change us. I wish I knew the motivation behind this question.

Another thing this makes me think is that my moral standards are none of your business. Obviously, if I really believed that, I wouldn’t answer. Maybe it’s because the only way to really answer this question is to tell you the story of my life. In other words, you ask too much.

But, as you can see, I am living my life wun day att a time now. I am focusing on what is here for me, now. My present. It is, in part, the sum of all those past moments, but right now, it’s me, the yellow box where I get to write to fluther, and the thoughts in my head.

It is me. My morals are me. I am the standard I live by.

You’re correct in the direction of where I’m coming from but not in the direction I’m going. I geared the question to be answered by jellies of a different perspective than mine. I’m somewhat humbled, corrected, amm not sure how to articulate. I asked the question in sincerity. It’s an exploration for me, in that, will the answers make sense from the context with which I view this subject. I am humbled and can respect the wells with which you draw your answers. As much as I wouldn’t think I did or want to, maybe I asked the question from a vantage point of prejudice, but asked it just the same to seek to understand. I didn’t ask it to debate anyone on here. The fact that I have not posted up to this point, have not challenged anyone on their opinions and specifically ask that there was no debating in the thread should stand as evidence that I not preparing a retort.

Logic and life experience.

My family and just living.

Morality?

Some of it came from my parents and grandparents, some of it came from the rough and tumble of the playground and some of it is the idea of reciprocity. If you don’t like something don’t do it to others.

Reason, logic, commonsense and compassion: and my, long studied , ability to recognise and utilise them.

The stories my Grandparents told me of the lives of their families, what worked well, what didn’t, etc.

I saw a lot of crappy stuff and experienced too much crappy stuff when I was a kid/adolescent. That left me with a profound sense what it means to be a decent human being. I try to live as I would want to be treated. I try to help out those who need help when they need help in a non-judgmental manner.

My parents and the standards of the society I live in, plus good sense.

Myself. I decide what’s right and wrong, like everyone else, only I don’t fool myself into thinking someone else decided for me.

Like @tranquilsea, I suffered a lot as a child. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and I’ve done the best I can to be a better person than those who raised me. So, life experience and a huge compassion/empathy bone are the two main components, I guess. That, and Atticus Finch.

@augustlan Atticus Finch had a profound impact on me as well.

Family, society and tv. Little Opie wouldn’t have been allowed to be rude.

The moral standard that I live by and taught my kids was through logic and respect.. Everyone knows not to murder or steal or provide false witness (some don’t adhere to these logics but on the whole, everybody obeys their inner morals).. I treat everyone as I would want them to treat me (religion not a factor) therefore I would not judge neither a christian (or religions) nor an athiest for both know about life just as much as we all do and it’s their opinion, not my command. I do not assume religious doctrine because I hold no assumption that I can become perfect as the christian faith strives for.. Nor do I dispute these beliefs as I have no right to invict my beliefs on them nor expect they should change my ideals. We will all face death one day, I will not presume my beliefs are truth but will face up to my fate as we all shall, regardless the conclusion.