Decency
“behavior that is good, moral, and acceptable in society”
ooh boy…this is an interesting one…one that could and can trigger people…myself included. Having been on this planet for 70 years I remember a time when it seemed like most people operated from a place of decency. Looking back on it now…were we more decent then? We just hid it better. Now with modern technology, the Interweb, and social media the lines of decency are certainly blurred.
Also…isn’t “decency” a subjective term? Who gets to decide what’s “good”, “moral”, and “acceptable”? Who are we to tell others what’s decent? Who are ‘they’ to tell us what’s decent? In the process of determining the answers to these questions, I’m afraid our behavior will be anything BUT decent.
So, where does that leave us? In a book about Aristotle, the author delves into Aristotle’s quest to understand the eternal question: why are we here? In the end, Aristotle discovers that our purpose is the pursuit of happiness…with the caveat that our pursuit of happiness must not interfering with someone else’s pursuit of happiness.
I shared this because what it mainly comes down to when pursuing “decency” is to be kind and respectful to ourselves and to others. And the only way to change society into something that is “good, moral, and acceptable”, is to start at the ground level: the individual level…in other words, we need to lead by example. I need to lead by example.
Is this a difficult ask? Yes, especially when our “decent” behavior is sometimes met with triggered reactions. But we persist. Will it be met with resistance? Yes, no one likes change or to be told to change. But we persist. Will it be worth it? Yes…although it may take a couple of lifetimes to make it happen. But we persist.
All we need remember is how we felt after we were NOT decent to someone. Did it make us feel good? I know for me, in the moment it felt good, but later upon reflection, I was embarrassed and regretted it. And how did we feel after we were decent to someone? For me, I feel happy and uplifted…and I tend to look for other opportunities to experience more of it.
Since we are a society that always seeks to feel good…being decent is the easiest, healthiest, and quickest way to do so. Warning…it may be addictive…but if you’re going to be addicted to anything, “decency” seems to be a good, moral, and acceptable way to go.
How about you? Is decency a core value for you?
BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with and a “gold” view…
joyfully,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day
Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.
Mandala of the Day 