Morality Is Not Permanent

I believe that humans are naturally good, and that they are influenced by their surrounding environments. If people with morality are put into harsh environments, they would eventually change into someone different. Most likely, their strong sense of what is right and what is wrong will be weakened. This will lead to them being confused, and situations will no longer be black and white, but instead grey. The once morally good people will then begin to alter into people who are immoral because of the environment that they are put into.

Humans are born with morality because at a very young age, humans have a sense of right and wrong. For example, in order for babies to learn what is right and what is wrong, they experiment by experiencing the consequences for their actions. A baby might wonder if it is alright to hit others. Therefore, they will hit someone to test if harming others is approved. If they do not get punished for harming others, this will lead the baby to believe that hitting others is right. In contrast, if the baby gets scolded and is told by an adult that hitting others is not right, then the baby will understand and be sure that harming others is unacceptable. As a result, humans are born with morality because they have a sense of right and wrong, but depending on the environment, their morality can easily be altered.

Morality is innate to humans, but at the same time morality is also learned. Humans learn morality from their parents, teachers, and friends. Often, humans are influenced by what others believe is right or wrong. This is evident in everyone because one’s morality is greatly influenced by parents and teachers. As a young child, a majority of parents and teachers teach children manners and morality. Common rules that children learn are not to steal, not to lie, and not to harm others. Children are constantly reminded of these rules, and are punished if they break any of these rules. With the help of the constant reminders and consequences, children begin to have a strong morality, but their morality can also be easily disrupted due to their surroundings. The people that they associate themselves with are either a good influence, or a bad influence on the child. If the people are a bad influence, the child’s morality can easily be changed into immorality. Therefore, the people who the child associates with have a strong impact on the child because of the time spent together, and the child will eventually adapt to their moral codes.