“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
These words are a reminder to me that a life of compromise and indecision will lead to life of misery. There is no satisfaction in being a gullible person who rides wagon after wagon, never finding a stable foundation. Without a foundation, a building will not stand long, eventually it will crumble. So is the same as our soul. We need foundation, because without it, there will be no peace or purpose in our lives.
Yet, once this foundation is established, and we refuse to conform to the whims of society, should we separate ourselves and become the island that decides that being alone is better? It does seem that it would be easier to live a non-compromising, moral life if we shut people and their opinions out of our lives. Become a mountain man who lives off the land, chopping wood as the sun rises in the east. I know that I have thought about that life many days when this world is getting the better of me.
Unfortunately, we are wired as social creatures. A healthy, productive human existence requires relationships with other individuals. Author, Erwin McManus, makes a case that humans are designed and wired to love and desire to be loved. Without this need filled, we began to fall apart at the seams and lose ourselves in the process. Community is important. we must find that balance to maintain integrity/morality and stand in the midst of society. This is a tremendous challenge that an individual must face on a daily basis.
One of the largest obstacles that comes from being a part of society is becoming part of an institution. The institution develops from the need to keep people “in line.” It wants to hold them to a standard and a specific set of behaviors, coercing those people to act a certain way. The government pushes very hard to institutionalize us, and we may fall prey to this, becoming robots and “yes” men. Even religion tries to institutionalize us and often with great success. They emphasize the “rules” we are required to follow, which results in people behaving and acting out of fear. Fear becomes their strongest tool, and many religions will exploit and judge the people based on how well they follow these rules.
To reach a higher moral standard, our mindset cannot be based on fear. It is not just about right or wrong, good or evil, lawful or unlawful. Our internal compass needs to be tuned towards what is good. We must desire to be moral and allow it to drive us forward. A heart truly focused on love will lead us to what is morally good and right. It also means that we stand up and resist when we are being forced in the wrong direction. Do not be fearful of doing wrong. A person must resist the immorality surrounding them.
Don’t run towards the mountains and become a hermit. Live within this world and resist fueling the fires of moral compromise. Hold firm as a rock to the moral good. Align yourself with others that have a burning passion for what is good and right. Find community and love with those that share your values and demonstrate to others who do not that a righteous life is worth living. It is worth standing against immorality to achieve life’s greatest happiness.
You do not have to accept society’s “standards” to live in it.
Instead of an island, be a beacon of light that shines bright upon a hill in the center of town.
Insurrection Of The Mind 