Here is a simple, modern example of how and why our value-priorities dictate our morality: when Jane is a swinging single, it is “right,” it is “okay,” that she go out and have a carefree “going out” lifestyle, disregarding when and for how long she stays out. To her, it is not morally wrong for her to do this. Her highest priorities are herself having a good time and perhaps finding someone who makes her happy and whom she wants to be with. But if she has a baby, it is no longer right to her that she go out willy nilly, because her priorities have shifted. In fact, it would be morally wrong for her to go out whenever she wants, staying out to all hours of the night.
The subject at hand—going out without regard for hour or length—stays the same, but whether it is right or wrong changes. But, it didn’t change, her morality changed according to her priorities.
Your morality shifts when your priorities change. What was right before is no longer right. Why? Because your priorities have changed, what you care about has changed. And thus, the thing itself did not change from right to wrong, it is you and your perspective, your morality, that has changed.
Interestingly, most people, especially “religious,” but even “secular,” tend to live this backwards: they (are conditioned to) let their morality dictate their value-priorities. This causes a lot of problems and confusion. It is also how morality can be, and is, used (by religions and any other authority) to control people.
People (are told to) believe what is right and wrong and then they set their priorities, and act, accordingly. For example, if they believe that it is wrong to steal, they will value personal property and not steal; if it is right to fear, love, and obey God, then people will value and do what this “God” (or, rather, those who purport to speak for God) tells them to do. All organized religions have codes of ethics (as in the Ten Commandments) of what one ought or ought not to do. And since these codes of ethics come first, they dictate what is valued. It’s all backwards! (Just think about how screwed up things would be for Jane if she let a morality dictate her values as opposed to the other way around.)
Indeed, the first “Commandment” is to value God. (This is not a coincidence.) They have the moral dictate: do not kill. So, the religious value “life.” Do not steal. So, they value property. And how much of Western political/civic ideology is based on a value of personal (and) property?
What is valued? What “God” says and wants. What is valued? The code of ethics/outside authority. It is strikingly circular. Religion requires that values follow prescribed morality. If one’s value-priorities are dictated by morality, he tends to value first and foremost the morality, or moral authority, that gave him his value-priorities. This is the essence of mind-control and manipulation. Most people value (conditioned, prefab) concepts the nature of which they simply do not understand—concepts like God, Justice, Morality, Ethics, Love, Family, Life, Property, Money, etc. And, it is also important to note that if one gets his values from a prescribed morality, that will make it very hard for him to figure out how or why to truly question morality, for it has given him everything.
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From my personal notes, 8/19/99
