A common question that secular humanists are asked is “where
do you get your morals from”? This is often in response to
someone saying they do not necessarily rely upon a holy text for
acquisition of their morals. On a macro societal level, our
development is the result of tens of millions of years of social
evolution. Society is always changing and that has been true
since documented societies began. I, like many others, have
acquired my morals from my parents. They themselves are
products of their social environments.
On a micro level, however, I would say that my group of friends
and overall social communities I have been part of throughout
my life. We are all influenced by our social communities. I
personally identify as a humanist and the crux of my morals are
centered around that which does the greatest amount of good for the
largest amount of people.
Growing up in the church, I was handed my morals on a
platter. I was told all of society’s ills are due to people not
praying enough. A simple answer for a complex solution. Being
young with still developing cognitive skills, I had
no recourse to dispute this. As I have gotten older, I have
adopted a different moral perspective and it is: complex
problems have complex answers. I say older and not wiser
because, just this week, I wondered how efficient it would be for
me to jump off of the roof of my house whilst wearing a wingsuit.
Nevertheless, self-discovery of morals is one of the most
rewarding experiences since I started embracing my secular
humanism. That is something which is developing as I acquire
additional information. Since embracing secularism, my
perspective is developing constantly and that certainly includes
my moral development. – J