Venting I feel so paranoid about what's morally right and wrong. I feel like I am insane.

[Namelesa]

(this was stuff I started writing 2 days ago but didn't have the energy to write fully)

I realized something that has made me feel really really paranoid and conflicted. How am I supposed to know what I am doing and saying is morally correct? What if I am too biased in how I think? What if what I am doing is actually wrong and I don't know it? What if I just believe what I doing is right but it isn't? Am I actually manipulative? But also what if it applies to others morals as well? What if they are biased and wrong? I don't know who to trust when it comes to morals now as any of us could be wrong and we don't know it. Or maybe they are manipulating others to think that wrong is right? Could we be inflicting more pain and suffering with our morals? But if we are actually right we would be letting more suffering happen if we let things be. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE.

I am probably so insane for questioning everything hehehe. I mean some people here even think I am insane so it must be correct hehehe. I am genuinely doing a laugh of insanity right now.

(writing from now)

Okay I am bit calmer now but that's mostly just cus of not wanting to think about it too much. I am still paranoid about what's right and think I am insane and potential evil. It can literally be about anything. I feel like sometimes I don't even know basic morals that most people know. I feel evil for not understanding others morals sometimes as that means something is wrong with me that I can't think correctly. Why do I see good in things that people see that are bad and see bad things that other see as good? One person has to be the more morally correct one here right? But who is it? I don't know and that makes me paranoid on what to do. I need to lessen the suffering in this world so I need to correct people that are wrong but who knows whose the correct one here? Am I just causing more issues arguing when they were in the right or potential making others more immoral or am I doing the right thing by causing issues on those who are immoral and maybe potentially making them better people?

I am more frozen in what I should being doing now. I don't want to hurt or cause issues by arguing on innocent people but I feel like I should argue back at those who have wrong views and do bad actions. Everything feels risky now. Its probably best for me to be alone forever or kill myself so I can't cause any potential issues or suffering or making others more immoral.

 

[StrugglingSienna]

I'm going to respond to this more fully later bc I have to go into work in 2 minutes, but I wanted to say something right now. I think that you should stand up for what you believe is right, but you should also try to understand where people are coming from.

But also, where do you think morals come from? In order for you or the other person to be "more right," it would imply that there is some higher moral authority above you (God, I suppose) or otherswise that morals come from a place of objective truth. Many people do believe that morality is objective truth, but do you believe that? Many other people including myself believe that morality is highly subjective based on your personal values, so in that case it could be that both you are right, because your morals are based on your own values and reality, and there is no higher judge of who is more moral.

Sorry, this was probably more confusing that helpful... I'll come back to this thread later.

 

[Namelesa]

I'm going to respond to this more fully later bc I have to go into work in 2 minutes, but I wanted to say something right now. I think that you should stand up for what you believe is right, but you should also try to understand where people are coming from.

But also, where do you think morals come from? In order for you or the other person to be "more right," it would imply that there is some higher moral authority above you (God, I suppose) or otherswise that morals come from a place of objective truth. Many people do believe that morality is objective truth, but do you believe that? Many other people including myself believe that morality is highly subjective based on your personal values, so in that case it could be that both you are right, because your morals are based on your own values and reality, and there is no higher judge of who is more moral.

Sorry, this was probably more confusing that helpful... I'll come back to this thread later.

Don't worry <3 I understood what you are saying and about

I would say good morals are knowing what action cause the least amount of suffering and provides the most positivity to others. I would say there is one objective true morals and I don't believe in religion. Somethings just have objective truth such as 2 + 2 = 4. Surely morals have objective truth like you shouldn't torture innocent people or kill someone who wants to live, isn't suffering and is providing things to other? What if we just blind to see some of our morals as bad like pro lifers are transphobes think their actions are good?

 

[Forever Sleep]

In terms of action, I think a good standard is: Would I be ok with someone treating me this way? Or, someone I care about this way?

In terms of opinion- we're bound to have differences. So long as we're putting our views forward in a civil way, I think it's important to express differences of opinion and- why we hold them. If we just keep quiet about them, surely they just fester.

When it comes to our own inner thoughts and opinions, it's complicated. I don't always like some of the thoughts I have- prejudices etc. I can recognise that because I admire people who are more open minded than me. So- that makes me challenge why I have some of these thoughts and how reasonable they are. Some of our perceptions are likely inherited from our parents- so- that can be hard to shake entirely if we feel like they might be biased. Some is lived experience too.

The knots I get myself into tend to be: There are clearly problems in this world. But, how best do we solve them where everyone gets a fair chance to live the life they want? The problem is- I don't know! Which tends to reinforce the feeling that I just want out of it.

 

[beeptad]

I think the only way to `know` if you're being good or bad is to ask what your intentions are. If you genuinely care for people and are concered about them, then in your heart you must be a good person. In my opinion the fact you're questioning everything here shows that you truly care about right and wrong and I think that matters a lot. How many people in history did morally evil shit (slavery, torture, pillage, etc) because their society/religion/culture deemed it correct and never seriously considered what they were doing is wrong. It seems silly to me to believe that we must be in the one age in history in which culture is fully correct about morality so there must be things we accept that are wrong and the only way to find out is to relentlessly examine every belief we have.

 

[Namelesa]

I'm going to respond to this more fully later

Just wondering what you were going to say. You don't have to if you don't want to, I am just curious sorry...

 

[Tombs_in_your_eyes]

Have you ever been assessed for obsessive compulsive disorder? From what you've described, it's possible that you have a subtype of OCD called scrupulosity OCD. All types of OCD are highly treatable with a type of therapy called exposure and response prevention, if you're in a position to access/afford that.

 

[FrozenOcean]

I'm convinced there is no right or wrong, that is a human construct, but clearly one that is wrapped up in our evolution. At the end of the day you only have yourself to answer to, if it distresses you to live in an immoral way then don't do it.

 

[needwaytohell]

the only thing I feel is moral in universe is being nice to people regardless of any character. Nice is a really loose term to be thrown around tho ;_) I feel there isn't a solid ground on what's good/bad it's all relative and largely driven by choices of life itself. In my viewpoint helping can come in terms of knowledge and support.

 

[whitenoise-]

(this may not be very comforting particularly, but just my broad thoughts)

perhaps this is because i think morals are a bit more subjective, but i think it's okay not to fully understand where someone else's morals are coming from. even if there is an objective set of morals, i think people's personal moral codes are largely shaped more by their experiences and how they navigate around society, and i imagine that there will be some part of our morals that will be thought of as wrong in the future (think about how evil we think some of the practices people performed in the past are, or using your example, or how much transphobia is seen as normal even today among people).

that being said, i don't think this means that everything should be doubted. using your examples, i think there's a lot of things any sensible person can agree on, in terms of not torturing innocent people for example! for me personally, i try to follow the best morals i can based on what i know at the moment, and i think we generally know enough to instinctually know what's moral in most cases, especially if we're open minded about considering alternate points of view before judging them. i think in general, i tend to feel like i can be confident about what i think is moral as long as i'm making sure that i routinely genuinely consider other viewpoints and arguments, and appeal to my sense of what's right, since at the end, once people fully understand the different arguments, i think most people would come to the same conclusion as imo most people fundamentally have a similar idea of what's right.

i don't know too much about these things outside a small part of an introductory course i took once, but from what you've said, you sound like you would be closest to a rule utilitarian in terms of your morals. broadly speaking, rule utilitarians think that if an action, when used as a general rule by everyone, would lead to more happiness/less suffering, then this action is moral. if you haven't already, maybe reading more about that could make you feel more grounded in morals?