Chapter Three.
About Morals and Rules.
An element of morals is involved in every
action and communication.
• Morals are about how we should act towards each other and the environment.
• Moral decisions are made after thinking about the reasons for doing ‘this’ rather than ‘that.’
I have chosen to use the family situation for explanations partly because it is a situation we are all familiar with and partly
because we all play many roles in life. In one situation we may be in a position of authority and can identify with the parent and in many situations we are dealing with an employer and can identify with the child. At other times we may have to approach an authority figure in an organisation and can identify with a parent approaching the principal of a school.
In addition, most people are parents and home life plays a big part in their overall peace of mind and happiness, or lack of it, and that state of mind may influence other areas of life. Many parents don’t realise that the lessons they learn about getting the kids to cooperate in the home can work in getting people to cooperate outside the home, and many professional people don’t realise that what they learn about relationship building at work can be used in the family setting.
The word ‘moral’ comes from the Latin ‘more’ (mor ay) which refers to normal, everyday, acceptable human behaviour. We generally refer to normal behaviour as ‘the norm.’ So, moral behaviour really refers to the right way to act towards each other and the environment. It covers a multitude of ‘rules of behaviour’ that most people regard as just ‘the way we do things.’
One of the most important responsibilities we have is to teach children right from wrong, and every contact an adult has with a child has some effect, simply because an adult is an authority figure (Box 7). It’s more difficult now than it was for previous generations because we live in a rapidly changing world with more emphasis on personal choice; and on children knowing their rights. This makes our responsibility difficult enough without also having to cope with kids being encouraged to question the beliefs and values parents and others try to ‘impose’ on them.
Travellers on the road of equality encourage kids to know their rights and have freedom of choice, so we have no argument against that. However, there can be lots of trouble when we fail to include ‘consideration of the rights of others’ as an important part of having rights and freedom of choice. Every freedom carries with it a responsibility. Encouraging one without the other can result in all sorts of problems between people because equality depends on a balance between ‘individual rights’ and ‘responsibilities towards the rights of others.’ As we will see in chapter four, nature sets the scene during normal development for children to acquire a strong sense of justice as one of the changes in their thinking ability. That means by late primary school children ......
CHAPTER HEADINGS.
ABOUT RULES AND MORALS ..................................................................51
The necessity for rules.
ONE WAY WE CAN TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG .....................................58
Why is it wrong?
THE GUIDELINES FOR MAKING RULES ............................................61
EXAMPLES OF FAIR AND SAFE RULES ...................................................63
DEMOCRATIC AUTHORITY ..................................................................65
COMMUNITY AND HOME CAN BE COMPLEMENTARY ................................67
Go to Chapter Four.
action and communication.
• Morals are about how we should act towards each other and the environment.
• Moral decisions are made after thinking about the reasons for doing ‘this’ rather than ‘that.’
I have chosen to use the family situation for explanations partly because it is a situation we are all familiar with and partly
because we all play many roles in life. In one situation we may be in a position of authority and can identify with the parent and in many situations we are dealing with an employer and can identify with the child. At other times we may have to approach an authority figure in an organisation and can identify with a parent approaching the principal of a school.
In addition, most people are parents and home life plays a big part in their overall peace of mind and happiness, or lack of it, and that state of mind may influence other areas of life. Many parents don’t realise that the lessons they learn about getting the kids to cooperate in the home can work in getting people to cooperate outside the home, and many professional people don’t realise that what they learn about relationship building at work can be used in the family setting.
The word ‘moral’ comes from the Latin ‘more’ (mor ay) which refers to normal, everyday, acceptable human behaviour. We generally refer to normal behaviour as ‘the norm.’ So, moral behaviour really refers to the right way to act towards each other and the environment. It covers a multitude of ‘rules of behaviour’ that most people regard as just ‘the way we do things.’
One of the most important responsibilities we have is to teach children right from wrong, and every contact an adult has with a child has some effect, simply because an adult is an authority figure (Box 7). It’s more difficult now than it was for previous generations because we live in a rapidly changing world with more emphasis on personal choice; and on children knowing their rights. This makes our responsibility difficult enough without also having to cope with kids being encouraged to question the beliefs and values parents and others try to ‘impose’ on them.
Travellers on the road of equality encourage kids to know their rights and have freedom of choice, so we have no argument against that. However, there can be lots of trouble when we fail to include ‘consideration of the rights of others’ as an important part of having rights and freedom of choice. Every freedom carries with it a responsibility. Encouraging one without the other can result in all sorts of problems between people because equality depends on a balance between ‘individual rights’ and ‘responsibilities towards the rights of others.’ As we will see in chapter four, nature sets the scene during normal development for children to acquire a strong sense of justice as one of the changes in their thinking ability. That means by late primary school children ......
CHAPTER HEADINGS.
ABOUT RULES AND MORALS ..................................................................51
The necessity for rules.
ONE WAY WE CAN TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG .....................................58
Why is it wrong?
THE GUIDELINES FOR MAKING RULES ............................................61
EXAMPLES OF FAIR AND SAFE RULES ...................................................63
DEMOCRATIC AUTHORITY ..................................................................65
COMMUNITY AND HOME CAN BE COMPLEMENTARY ................................67
Go to Chapter Four.
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