A Primer on Moral Ethics
For a number of years, I spent every weekend in the streets of Dallas. During the time, I was one of the local leaders of the movement for black lives. I’d venture to say that during that time I organized tens of thousands of people to hit the streets. To say that I was critical of local churches and their lack of participation in these moments would be an understatement. Constantly, I would shout to anyone who would listen, “These ain’t no fucking churches…these are the epicenters of complicity…here in the streets…this is where the real morality is.” Looking back, I think I was right about the ‘epicenters of complicity’ part…but I was wrong about one very big thing…an assumption that just because someone was out in the streets that that automatically meant that they were moral. In the years since, I have seen so many people…even leaders…who were once out in the streets do horrible things. One was caught in the bed of a child. One beat their wife. One was complicit in a murder. One was caught laundering money from a charity. I could go on and on. It’s important to state unequivocally, I’m still down for the cause…just not the assumption of morality that the performance of actions around the cause have created. While there is no doubt that people are more than their worst moments, I do think that their worst moments can demonstrate the truth of their performative moments. You see, morality that demands performance will create performances…morality that demands love will create a lasting moral ethic.
On the nature of performance. It’s important that one understand that the world always demands performance. It’s as if people can’t help themself. They want to see something. They want to see one doing something. And if something can’t be seen that it doesn’t mean anything. The problem with such logic is that sight can be fleeting…life is often a mirage. People are often worse than their best and better than their worst. If we teach people that moral ethics are about performances, then we will never be able to find out who people really are or what they are about. A true or authentic moral ethic lasts…performances end when the curtain goes down. It’s the difference between doing and being. The moral ethicist does something because their moral ethic consists of something…love.
On the location of performance. In order to determine whether or not one is ethical, we want to see what a person does. There is an assumption that the moral ethic must always be public. Sometimes this is true…but most of the time it is not. The nature of moral ethics is that it begins within and proceeds without. While there isn’t one particular space of moral ethic, there is one particular launching point…the self. Love that is grounded in love will look like love. Performance that is grounded in performance will look like a performance. The moral ethicist chooses the location based on their moral ethics not based on the best location to perform. The location of true ethical interaction should always be the same…within to without.
On the nature of love. Love comes from within. It is at the center of who we are. Love proceeds without. It is how we truly connect with the world. Love cannot be performed. It simply is. The nature of love is that it constantly gives from within. It is at the center of what it means to give. The nature of love means that it cannot be a performance. It is always real. Performers perform. Lovers love. The nature of love is love.
On the location of love. Love is where we come from. Love is where we are going. Love is where we will always be. No matter where one is, the primary vocation of the moral ethicist is to make their location…love…known.
On the difference between performance and love. Performance is temporary. Love lasts forever. Performance performs. Love is.
On the creation of moral ethic. It is our job to foster love within that can proceed to love without. There is no future without love. The moral ethicist is determined to know love, be love and share love. There is nothing to perform. There is only something to be. Proper action flows from proper being. The moral ethicist is a connector of humanity from within to without in the name of love.
The definition of moral ethics simple…real non-performative no-bullshit…love proceeding from within to without.
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