IMPACT AND IMPORTANCE OF MORALS IN THE SOCIETY

IMPACT: Part A

- Does a moral being contribute to the development of a society? Yes, the moral being does.

- what is moral? Ability to differentiate between right and wrong in every circumstance.

- What does it take for a man to be moral? Absolutely nothing.

This write-up sheds more lights on these questions and the topic with the aim of encouraging men, societies and administrators toward morality.
   Different individuals have introduced sentences that define morality on the basis of their knowledge and understanding which can't go beyond mans' experiences, therefore, i will not define morality but i will suggest that we ruminate on the following quote;
a)  H.L. Mecken stating Morality is the theory that every human act must be either right or wrong & that 99% of them are wrong. This quote preaches that every individual must do what is right and this can be biblically termed as ''don't follow the multitude to do evil"
b)  And the second quote is "morality without religion is only a kind of deed reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the distance we have run, but without any observation of the heavenly bodies"

Using the above quotes as a guide, i hope each individual can define that which is right from wrong. I share to you what my best friend said to me sometime ago & i quote "MY PERSONAL REASONING FACULTY TELLS ME BESIDES MY PARENT WHO BROUGHT ME INTO THIS WORLD, I KNOW THERE IS A SUPERNATURAL BEING THAT OWNS THE EARTH AND ALL THAT DWELLS THERE-IN..." end of quote & i believe that the GOD OF ISRAEL is that SUPERNATURAL, i hope we know that my friend brought us into religion through his thoughts, i bring this paragraph to conclusion by a quote of Seneca The Younger which states that virtue is nothing else than right reason which can be qualified by the commandments of God, or should man not ;
- Love God as he has loved us and have no other gods so that he doesn't get jealous
- Love your neighbors as God as loved you
 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness - HEBREWS 12:11
   In summary of part A, i dare say a virtuous man or woman is no lover of violence no matter how small or big it is, and why is this? because they want peace to reign. The question we should ask ourselves is that have i been a virtuous man/woman? and i heard someone say it is what we are full of that we shed off through our actions(note: peace is a sign that development will take shape, how? Simply because two heads are better than one) Let us stay on track to improve our society by being virtuous man and women.

IMPORTANCE : Part B

   Morality in the society have positive impact on the economy and environment and i believe that morality has no disadvantage, here are the importance of morality to an individual and the society. To be continued from here next week and a plus which is how man's profession can be a positive force to a nation's growth and development. 

Until then, let us ruminate on how to increase the rate of morality in our various societies through the different organization that we belong to & by so doing we are not only participating in community development but are also contributing our lowest quota to the growth & development of Nigeria, our nation.

THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD

Introduction:

   i praise the name of the Almighty Lord our God, creator of heaven & earth and of all things that dwell therein. For they that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth forever. Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
   Thus saith the Lord our God, a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against God, they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impudent and stiff-hearted and thou shall say unto them "THUS SAITH THE LORD" whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.

Body:

   Therefore, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee & will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations, and I will do in thee that which I have not done, & whereunto I will not do anymore the like, because of all thine abominations. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; surely, 
because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all of thy detestable things and abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
   When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman. If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he bloweth trumpet & warn the people. Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet & taketh not warning; his blood shall be upon him, but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet & the people be not warned; If the sword come & take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. If our transgressions and sins be upon us, & we pine away in them, how should we then live?

   As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die o house of Israel? The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness: neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin & do that which is lawful & right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Thus saith the Lord God, ye eat with the blood & lift up your eyes toward your idols & shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? When the Land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, & will break the staff of bread thereof, & will send famine upon it, & will cut off man and beast from it. Thus saith the Lord God, For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

Shepherds:

   Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. Thus saith the lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds and I will require my flocks at their hand & cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, & have multiplied your words against me, I have heard them. As I live saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey & my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves & fed not my flock. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I even I, will both search my sheep & seek them out, as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep & will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day, and I will bring them out from the people & gather them from the country & will bring them to their own land, & feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away & will bind up that which was broken & will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Prophets:

   Thus saith the Lord God; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, & have seen nothing. Therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; because ye have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God and mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies, because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he

should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore, ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: For I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

Conclusion:

   Thus saith the Lord God, repent & turn yourselves from your idols; & turn away your faces from your abominations. The days are at hand & the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the lord: I will speak & the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; It shall no more be prolonged for in your days, o rebellious house will I say the word and will perform it, saith the Lord God.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AIDING DEVELOPMENT OF A NATION

Introduction

   Jean Vanier said "One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing".
   What is a community? I belong, you belong, we all belong to a community. The family is man's first community but a family is also surrounded by other families and together they become a large community.

Participation

   This means being involved in an action or process, particularly doing something with other members of a group, family & community, there are numerous ways to participate in the activities of your community.

Where to participate

   We participate through schools, sports team, groups, friends, church and mosque. 

A-Z Of Community Participation Aiding Development Of A Nation

   A lot more can be done when everyone in the community is involved in some way from the beginning of a project to the end. Individuals should continue to think of ways to improve the welfare of the community through community development projects. For example, you and your neighbors can organize a cleanliness drive in your building, your neighborhood, your town or you can take some of the necessary steps to reduce the number of negative incidents in the community or render financial assistance for the purchase of new equipment and supplies needed for the growth, efficiency & effectiveness of a learning institution, health institution,etc.
   These are some of the few projects that you can take on, what is important is that the project is done together for your community. We don't have to call upon or wait for the government to solve all problems and i dare say that when community development project are embarked upon, it calls for help from government to address needs of such communities. 
   If community participation becomes the watchword on the lips of individuals in various communities, i believe that everyone will help in making the project succeed & all will be pleased about their participation in the success and would probably agree to take on other projects as well. Sometimes, its hard to get all this started but as you get going, others will assist to join in as well, so don't be discouraged if you are involved in community development project.
   In conclusion, do you know?
1)   The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual; the impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community - WILLIAM JAMES
2)   A community is like a ship, everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm - HENRIK IBSEN
3)   When the individual feels, the community reels - ALDOUS HUXLEY
4)   We live in a community of people not so that we can suppress and dominate each other or make each other miserable but so that we can better and more reliably satisfy all life's healthy needs - WILHELM REICH

I PRAY TO ALMIGHTY GOD TO CONTINUALLY HELP US SO THAT WE CAN LIVE AS AN HEALTHY COMMUNITY IRRESPECTIVE OF OUR DIFFERENCES, AMEN.

LIFE UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD BUT LIVED FORWARD

LIFE UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD BUT LIVED FORWARD

   Compliment of the season to my dear readers, i sincerely appreciate my readers for the honor & love shown to me in the year 2014, i pray for the continuity of the harmonious relationship that exist between us in the year 2015 and beyond, once again i say thank you all.

   Soren Kiergaard said "life must be understood backward but it must be lived forward", Socrates pronounced the unexamined life is not worth living; the above sayings of Soren and Socrates connotes "continuous review of the past to positively affect the present and future". In order to progress & avoid repeated mistakes/errors of the past, need be for the constant review of the past. The question is "what is the degree of responsiveness to reviewing the past in positively affecting the present and future? This should ring a bell among individuals, societies and administrators across the globe.

RELATIONSHIP OF THE TOPIC TO INDIVIDUALS, SOCIETIES & ADMINISTRATORS

   A stage where individuals, societies and administrators perform is LIFE. On the 26th of December, 2014 was a theme on this blog titled "purpose of man's creation and professional challenge" where I defined Life as a puzzle to be solved by all (Life needs the knowledge everyone has to offer and man will continue to repeat same mistakes if he doesn't review/study the past). There is a saying that "man is the measure of all things" which means that man is the manager of all things life has to offer, be it good or bad. How will man be an effective and efficient manager if he hasn't understood the life backward so as to live it forward.

   Management/Administration cuts across every human profession in this world, but man cannot manage life without him being a disciplined entity and to be disciplined means to have morals to stand on, there is a saying that "morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the distance we have run, without any observation of the heavenly bodies. What i mean is that in order for man to live life forward by understanding it backward, he must be morally upright.

   To conclude my write-up, here are some of the few sayings that will encourage man towards being disciplined;
1) Morality is the theory that every human act must be either right or wrong & that 99% of them are wrong - H.L. Mencken
2) A man that has lost moral sense is like a man in battle with both of his legs shot off: He has nothing to stand on - Henry Ward Beecher
3) Morality is a venereal disease, its primary stage called virtue...
4) Virtue is nothing else than right reason - Seneca The Younger