Epiclog Before the Blog

You know how Harry Potter 1 The Chamber of Secrets was kind of like a big intro for the rest of the series? It introduced the main characters, the main settings, magical jargon, and the main villain (which started out as Snape and some distantly rumored dark lord named HeWhoShallNotBeNamed – which is a weird name when you think about it. His parents were probably indecisive about what to call him when he was born).

Anyways, before I can really ride off into the sunset of this blog, I have some prerequisite thoughts that need to be established so I can draw on them later to make different points. Kind of like after you heard 2+2= 4 you are then able to understand 4^{2 X  +} 81 = something mathematical.

Therefore I would like to focus the remainder of this blog on explaining how someone can determine What is/ is not immoral.

Remember when you were young and your mom would tell you something like, “Don’t eat candy that falls in the dirt”, “Don’t push your little sister”, or “Don’t steal money from old people when they’re not looking”? Do you remember whining the obvious question, “Why not? Why not?” Well good news! I finally have an answer for you and no it’s not “Shut up and eat your vegetables!”

As it turns out parents try to teach their kids what actions are right and wrong from a young age so they don’t commit felonies early on. Unfortunately they don’t usually have the patience to explain to their kids the reasons behind their reasoning. Today I’d like to make your life easy and provide a moral formula for you so you can always tell whether an action is right or wrong.

Here it is:

If  a person hurts themselves or someone else emotionally or physically they are acting immorally.

          This is the basis of all acts that can be deemed to be immoral or wrong. Here is how you apply the formula to life:

Is Murder immoral? Murder is the ultimate act of immorality because it (1) deprives the victim of life while making them endure extreme physical and emotional pain and (2) causes the family and friends of the victim deep emotional pain from their loss.

Is Grand Theft Auto wrong? The game is fine, but stealing a person’s car is immoral because it causes a financial loss, a physical loss of a possession, and an emotional loss from whatever attachment the person had to their car which all causes emotional pain. (I mean think about it, do you ever have a miniature panic attack when your wandering through a crowded parking lot looking frantically for your car and you don’t immediately see it? It has to be here, I must have forgotten where I parked it… What if it was stolen? What would you do?)

Is adultery immoral? Sorry Tiger Woods, but yes. When you cheat on someone you are in a relationship with, you cause them emotional pain (1) from the act of betrayal (2) for the loss of trust they had in someone they cared for.

Is it immoral to tell a white lie? As it turns out, no. White lies are lies made almost solely for the purpose of sparing someone’s feelings and avoiding emotional pain. “No you don’t look fat in that dress” is a white lie. Sometimes the truth can hurt and occasionally in practical situations to spare somebody pain, white lies can be used to prevent emotional harm to a person.

CONSEQUENCES:

          So what is the consequence of acting immorally? (No you’re not going to get grounded). Many people make the mistake of thinking the only consequences are jail time and being haunted by a criminal record. While these are good legal ramifications, they are not the most potentially devastating consequences to a person. There are worse results that occur naturally.

(Putting the law aside for a moment) If someone steals a car once, is that person deeply impacted by their actions? Maybe not.

 If a person steals cars regularly, are they deeply impacted by their actions? Yes.

When a person engages in any negative or immoral activity frequently, they change as a person and become negative or immoral individuals.

If someone steals cars regularly they probably don’t have much respect for other people’s property or the emotional and financial pains they experience after loosing a car. They then become detached in some ways from stopping themselves from hurting others in this way.

Here’s another illustration of this concept:

 It is not immoral to drink alcohol. But If you drink alcohol frequently and excessively it tends to negatively impact your health, your relationships, and your life. You can become an alcoholic.

Too much food consumption can lead to obesity and diabetes. You can become a glutton.

You bully people around enough times you become a bully.

You lounge around all day and don’t do much you are a lazy person.

Your actions become your habits become your character. Why do you think most serial killers have a tendency to hurting/ killing animals years before they commit murder? They become detached from and use to causing physical and emotional pain to living beings and eventually become hurtful, detached living beings themselves.

In conclusion, you should always be mindful not to cause others or yourself pain. Acting in this way can pollute a person’s character and eventually weigh against their soul.

(If you think this blog is really long, remember that Harry’s intro was an entire book. Appreciate.)