CHARACTER BEGINS WHERE APPLAUSE ENDS

Truth be told, the law can prevent you from doing something but it can't make you good.

That is always intriguing to me.
There are numerous things that are within the legal boundaries but not really on the moral ones. Similarly, there are times when there is a personal sacrifice to be made for the right things, although the law doesn't say to do so.

I wonder then, what is the moral limit that really forms us?
Are we going to blame our upbringing?
Our culture?
Our religion?
Or Life throws at us?
I'm not sure just picking one is the solution.
I think our moral compass has something to do with layers and layers.
It starts at home.

Prior to laws or philosophy, we learn through observation of others. We observe our parents treating others, whether they are keeping their promises or not and their approaches to resolving conflicts. The early lessons of right and wrong are subtly bestowed upon us.

However, culture is another layer that comes with it.
All societies transmit inculcate some values. Many times, people's values for respecting the elderly, hospitality, honesty, and community form part of how they view the world. Culture is not flawless, however. There are some traditions that need to be kept and some traditions that need to be challenged. History has taught us that even the things that are accepted in the culture can be wrong in the moral sense.

Many find religion also to be a very important aspect.
It fosters compassion, forgiveness, self-governance and accountability that goes beyond the law. While not all of the values espoused by religion are necessarily religious, many of the values of kindness, generosity and respect for others are still useful building blocks for a society.

I should choose experience as the greatest educator of morality, however, if I had to decide on the greatest one.

Life challenges our values and expectations.
Honesty can be easy to say until it is in your best interests to tell a lie.
A person might say they're compassionate without feeling hurt, but when they do, they are not.Saying you're compassionate is easy to say, but if you get hurt, you aren't.
Preaching fairness is easy to do until you're the one who can favor himself.
Our character is not only discovered in our experiences.
It refines it.

I've also come to realize that freedom and morality aren't the same thing.
You can't assume that just because you are free to do something, then you should do it!
In freedom there are options.
Morality enables us to make a right choice.
For instance, social media.
Lets say It's ok to insult people, talk behind their back, or embarrass someone in public.
Those acts are not in many instances criminal acts.

However, they can still cause emotional scars to remain in their wake.
No legal penalties mean no personal responsibility.
So, I don't judge a person's sense of moral responsibility based on the fact that they don't break the law.
I judge it by the way that they treat people when there's no advantage to them.
Are they able to give back the extra change that the cashier has given them?
Do they follow through when no one is around?, Are they willing to accept errors and not to place the blame on others?

The subtle choices they make often reveal more about their character than any big public display of it.
Morality doesn't mean "looking good.
It's about making good decisions over and over not only when people are looking but when no one is looking.

Finally, laws can establish order.
There is guidance available in the form of religion.
Perspective can be influenced by culture.
Wisdom may be gained from experience.
Character is molded, however, one choice at a time.
And those decisions typically occur in a split second, when no one is looking.

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