As part of my series, Eight Rules for Life, here’s The Sliding Scale of Morality.
We all have a sliding scale of morality. None of us are perfect, hopefully, none of us are pure evil. So, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being evil and 10 being perfect, we're all somewhere in between. But we're also not static numbers on that scale. On my scale five represents neutral. Someone who's neither inherently good nor bad. Someone who wouldn’t go out of their way to help others but also wouldn’t intentionally harm anyone. We're all somewhere on the scale but some start higher and some seem to slide further than others.
Let's say for example that you're an eight at your best. Perhaps at your worst, you're a five. In that scenario, you’re generally an honest and decent person. Even when you're the worst version of yourself you still wouldn't intentionally hurt others. However, someone who starts at say, a six, could very easily become a three when they're at their worst. That person would generally be a decent person at best but dishonest and potentially harmful at worst.
In our lives, it’s important to surround ourselves with those who won’t hurt others during times of adversity and to be mindful of those in our lives who’re willing to do so. It’s how good people become duped by those who aren’t. Until one’s faced with adversity, it’s hard to tell what they’re capable of or what the strength of one’s character may be.
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