How to Burn Morality
Take your morals.
Now burn them to the ground.
You might be wondering what the hell I'd do that for. When I was younger, I used to be very focused on questions of ethics and morality and how one should live. Even most adults believe that trying to do the right thing - whatever that might be - is a worthy goal, even if we're not always actively pursuing it.
A large part of my disappointment and disillusionment comes from not being able to build a perfectly consistent and complete moral framework. In some ways that's a given - not even mathematical systems can be consistent and complete, so there's absolutely no reason why a system based on informal logic should be consistent and complete either - but finding parts of my system which are incommensurable (or rather, having someone else find them because I'm too stupid to do so) is still annoying and upsetting.
That's a rather silly reason for abandoning the pursuit of doing the right thing altogether, though; building a consistent and complete moral framework might be impossible, but an inconsistent and incomplete one might still help one to get by and act morally.
Fortunately for you, dear reader, my reason for being so frustrated and upset is even sillier: I always seem to be doing or being something immoral, no matter how hard I try. From symbolic things like putting brackets around my name or using a filter on my profile picture to serious questions of identity, I always seem to be doing something immoral, justifying oppression or unconsciously oppressing someone else by existing. And I'm fed up.
So what's the point? If I'm always going to fuck up and be a terrible person, why should I even try to pretend otherwise?
You, good moral people that you are, have fun judging people like me who live and breathe evil and I sincerely hope you do good for other people, too. Me, I'm tired of this. I'm done. I intend to concentrate on enjoying my life; if I'm going to be a horrible piece of shit, the least I can do is be a horrible piece of shit who's also happy.
Now burn them to the ground.
You might be wondering what the hell I'd do that for. When I was younger, I used to be very focused on questions of ethics and morality and how one should live. Even most adults believe that trying to do the right thing - whatever that might be - is a worthy goal, even if we're not always actively pursuing it.
A large part of my disappointment and disillusionment comes from not being able to build a perfectly consistent and complete moral framework. In some ways that's a given - not even mathematical systems can be consistent and complete, so there's absolutely no reason why a system based on informal logic should be consistent and complete either - but finding parts of my system which are incommensurable (or rather, having someone else find them because I'm too stupid to do so) is still annoying and upsetting.
That's a rather silly reason for abandoning the pursuit of doing the right thing altogether, though; building a consistent and complete moral framework might be impossible, but an inconsistent and incomplete one might still help one to get by and act morally.
Fortunately for you, dear reader, my reason for being so frustrated and upset is even sillier: I always seem to be doing or being something immoral, no matter how hard I try. From symbolic things like putting brackets around my name or using a filter on my profile picture to serious questions of identity, I always seem to be doing something immoral, justifying oppression or unconsciously oppressing someone else by existing. And I'm fed up.
So what's the point? If I'm always going to fuck up and be a terrible person, why should I even try to pretend otherwise?
You, good moral people that you are, have fun judging people like me who live and breathe evil and I sincerely hope you do good for other people, too. Me, I'm tired of this. I'm done. I intend to concentrate on enjoying my life; if I'm going to be a horrible piece of shit, the least I can do is be a horrible piece of shit who's also happy.
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