Tag: love

COMMANDS FOR MORALITY AND ETHICAL LIVING

My name is Travis Sorrells, #1095956. I am incarcerated at Haynesville Correctional Center. I would like to comment on mental health both in prison and in our world today. I see many problems with mental health here in prison, especially around the holidays. I believe a large amount of these mental health problems are exacerbated by the way our society has devalued human life. I also believe this devaluing of human life has led to a drastic decline in ethics and morality that can be seen throughout our world.

To attempt to curb this decline in ethics and morality, I have come up with a set of moral and ethical commands that I believe could be displayed in schools and other public places with little complaint. Below I will list the commands and then provide a defense for them. Please read through them, meditate on them, and share your thoughts on them. I believe they could help to stem the tide of the devaluing of human life and help alleviate some of the mental health problems we see in our world today.

COMMANDS FOR MORALITY AND ETHICAL LIVING

1) Love one another.

2) Do to others what you would want them to do to you.

3) Be kind to each other and forgive one another; do good works.

4) Constantly think about ways to move others to do good and love one another.

5) Honor and obey your parents and guardians.

6) Do not commit murder.

7) Do not engage in sex outside of the bonds of marriage.

8) Do not steal, cheat, or defraud another.

9) Do not lie or deceive others.

10) Do not strongly desire to have anything that belongs to another.

My defense of these commands:

First and foremost, let me stress, and make it abundantly clear, that I am not trying to replace the Ten Commandments. Nor am I trying to change or secularize the Ten Commandments. I have absolutely no authority, power, or desire to do that. I am merely trying to present to society a list of commands, that if obeyed, could lead to a life of good ethical and moral character and decency. Good ethics and morals, of course, being a necessity for any civilized society to thrive, prosper, and exist.

As a Christian, I wholeheartedly agree with promoting the Ten Commandments as found in God’s Holy Word. As an American, I fully support the Constitution of the United States of America. The right to freedom of religion is a staple in our great nation. It is also a staple of the Bible. God gives us a free will and choices. We can choose God or we can reject Him. We can believe God’s Word or we can doubt it. God doesn’t force us to do anything. Therefore, as believers and as a nation, we have no right to force our beliefs upon anyone.

The “Commands For Morality And Ethical Living” are a combination of biblical teachings and six of the Ten Commandments. They have been written in such a way as to be modernized, easily understood, and universally accepted. Christians, without doubt, will notice no mention of God is made. However, they will easily see God behind each command. Non-Christians will likely view the commands simply as a list of moral and ethical principles. Thus making them applicable to persons of all ethnicities, races, genders, and faiths.

Today our world stands at an ethical and moral crossroads. The direction we take largely depends upon our future generations. These generations need a moral compass, an ethical barometer by which they can gauge thoughts, words, and deeds. “Commands For Morality And Ethical Living” can be that gauge. It can be displayed, taught, and recited in any setting, public or private, without fear of easily offending others. Seated within all humans is a knowledge of what is right and wrong. This knowledge leads to our understanding of what is ethical and moral, and what is not. These commands, especially being applied at an early age, can reinforce one’s knowledge of right and wrong and help establish one’s parameters for living a moral, ethical, and decent life. Thus contributing to the drastic betterment of our society, our nation, and our world.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you like it or at least found it thought provoking. As I said earlier, please take some time to meditate upon these things and share your thoughts on them.

Travis Sorreals

Choice.

Greetings and Salutations,

My name is Jay Strode and this is my first entry participation in Brilliance Behind Bars submission.

So to begin my definition of freedom, I would start with the premise that one is bound by something. Whether these things be natural physical means or psychological/mental and even spiritual means, to be free is to be afforded the opportunity/privilege to choose. To choose what you may ask? Well, I would say to choose life to choose love, hope, peace, and prosperity just to name a few things. If we as people are truly free why on earth would we choose things that would be to our detriment or counterproductive to our overall wellbeing? Could it be because we are bound by something? Ignorance, philosophical anorexia, or even lack of the ability to simply critically analyze people or situations, these can be root causes for the lack of freedom. My personal prescription for obtaining, securing, and maintaining freedom is a daily dose (in the midst of penitentiary living) of humility, forgiveness, and love.

We must remain open to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. For without understanding, there is no application of the things we’ve learned. And I believe that freedom is not only linked to choice, but also process as in the learning process. Choice is just that powerful. I never intend on belaboring a point or proverbially beating a “dead horse”.

So for that point and that point alone, I will close for now but never forever. Shalom. Meditate on these things.