Spinning Compass!

A Spinning Moral Compass!

I was told I had no moral compass and could not be trusted! This opinion of my character was expressed by a disgruntled third party! Since I have made it a lifelong mission to treat others fairly, be objective in my decision making, consider others above self and attempt to discern right from wrong in every situation, this accusation left me wondering what it meant! Was this assessment correct? Was I, in fact operating without a sense of right and wrong?

In researching the definition of moral compass, I determined what our culture defines as a normal moral compass.

A moral compass is defined as a person’s ability to judge right from wrong and act accordingly. It is an internalized set of values and objectives regarding ethical behavior and decision making. Additionally it is consistent, and a true indicator of the physical and spiritual direction one is taking. One’s morality is considered the basis of character, which is then wrapped around ethics. A moral compass is central to our current society. It plays out daily in our personal decisions, our collective and individual conduct within society, and in the words and actions of our leaders, again both collectively and individually.

See Brian Orchard: The Moral Compass at vision.org

See Wikionary Definition: which states that moral compass is related to an inner sense that distinguishes right from wrong and that a moral compass incorporates the Heart, Spirit, and Mind.

When I was told I had no moral compass, I could not figure out where the comment was coming from, how it was substantiated, what it was based on. In researching and reflecting on the importance and involvement of the moral compass in our lives and society, I found it related to the following issues:

I discovered that many people form their opinion of a presence or absence of a moral compass on the basis of a single event. This often does not take into account the consistent behavior or decision making of the parties involved. It precludes also that it is possible to make NO MISTAKES, ever, or one’s moral compass comes into question.

A single error in judgment is not necessarily enough to call into question a person’s lifetime of decisions. Rather a statement regarding the presence or absence of a moral compass should be based on a lifetime of the quality, quantity, and frequency of mistakes. Are the mistakes accidental or intentional? Is intent a key to whether or not the mistakes should be considered in the evaluation of one’s moral compass? Are the mistakes widespread? Are they occurring around a single subject area? Are they pervasive in the party’s life? How often do they occur? Do they affect others? Are they universal across subject areas or only based around a single set of circumstances.

Obviously, such a comment regarding lack of moral compass should be based on a broad range of circumstances, instances, subjects, and on how, in general the person conducts themselves in relation to others.

Moral compass decisions fall into several categories: Selfishness, honesty, pride, treatment of others-particularly the less fortunate and of those perceived as enemies.

Failures in the areas of selfishness could be determined in the instances where one’s self interests are placed above those of others. Have the failures occurred in the area of justified self interest? This is often considered ‘good business sense’ in our culture, so this may or may not be a valid determination of the existence of a moral compass. Raising the price of an item that is being offered on the open market does not constitute a lack of moral judgment.

Creating a toxic environment that is detrimental to the public in order to create a product for a lower cost may, however be considered a lack of moral judgment. Seeking personal gain at the detriment of someone else’s survival, personal safety or well-being could be considered a serious instance of selfishness. There are many lesser instances of selfishness that occur in everyday life. Once again, it is the broad overview of these events, the seriousness of their application, and the results and instances that determine if selfishness indicates a lack of moral compass.

An excess of pride may be considered an indicator of a serious flaw in one’s moral compass. Again, our culture demands that we maintain some level of self-worth. Those without a substantial self-image are considered negatively, they are seen as dependent, push overs, and insecure or needy. However if pride limits a person’s ability to learn from mistakes, leads to over confidence that threatens others safety, causes a failure in ability to listen to the advice of those who have had experience, or for whom a wise perspective is available, then pride becomes a potential indicator of flaws in one’s moral compass. If one clings to an opinion or idea even when facts prove that the opinion or idea is potentially mistaken, when instances prove one wrong through a multitude of facts, outcomes and experiences, pride may be at play.

The inability to be honest may be a “due-north” indicator of a flaw in one’s moral compass. Lying willfully and knowingly, in order to mislead the listener and fulfill one’s own agenda becomes manipulation. The believing of one’s own lies creates a whole new set of problems. This area of mental function may be an indicator of psychosis, dysfunction, maladjustment and social irresponsibility. If the lying is habitual and complete, it can indicate a lack of conviction, and leads one to be hypocritical to self and others.

Treatment of the less fortunate and those whose opinions run counter to the person in question can also lead to a negative evaluation of one’s character. Does the person in question kick and torture; animals? Small children? Disadvantaged or disabled? The homeless? The treatment of those perceived as ‘enemies’ with un-necessary cruelty and abuse? Clearly this indicates the absence of compassion for anyone other than the self and those ‘on my side’. As a case in point, someone pointing the finger at a moral compass failure over a single issue, and who claims they themselves never make a mistake in judgment, opens the door to being considered self-motivated, and of attacking the less fortunate or disenfranchised based on self-interest.

Getting back to the original comment in which the judgment was made that I had no moral compass and was therefore untrustworthy—surely this was based on placing blame on someone other than self, removing self from any responsibility for the creation of any situation that called for a decision that was not 100% supportive of the judgment placer’s perspective and participation. The person making the judgment thereby became the victim, the martyr, the recipient affected of the lack of moral compass in the situation. A moral compass cannot be judged from where one party perceives ‘due north’ on strictly personal perspectives. It cannot be perceived as that point where one most benefits, but must be objective, not subjective.

After this careful investigation by way of research and reflection into the nature of a person’s moral compass, it could be perceived that I was selfish. After all, I was unwilling to advance value without pay, so was self-motivated to maintain a profit level. It could be perceived as an act of pride, as I was unable to abide being ‘pushed over’ and taken advantage of for the benefit of another, at the point of violating a written contract and agreement between the parties. Based on these points, a label of faulty moral compass might have been appropriate. However, it was not instigated by me but by an action perpetuated by another. In this case, the ‘another” was the judgment placer!

Based on the circumstances, my decisions were made in reaction to an act, not an instigation of pride, self-motivation, or selfishness without provocation. I determined after my research, that the label of possessing a faulty moral compass was misplaced. I had proceeded in this instance based on business related motivations, inflicted little or no harm to un-related individuals, and decisions were not based on personal motivations that failed to take others into consideration.

I continued to seek right and wrong to the best of my determination, and made sure that the long view of the decisions I made were ethical and justified in the context of the larger world. From this position, I marched forward into the future, better informed, wiser, and more self –confident with decisions that lay ahead of me.