Ethics Embodied 2: Moral Muscles

Been awhile...and summer invites us to a different rhythm of life. Nonetheless, this July 4th I am thinking about the things that we believe are worth "fighting for" and how this relates to the previous post on Embodied Ethics. The founders of our country believed that certain freedoms are worth "fighting for." One could say this belief was pat of their moral tissue--or moral "muscle" if you will.

Moral muscle...hmmm. That has me thinking. How strong are our moral muscles? What and Who are we willing to fight for? The Oppressed in the world are often not lacking moral muscle, but are rather being overpowered by individuals and systems that are unjust. Will we engage our "moral muscles" to fight on their behalf? Will we embody our ethics? What would it look like to flex our Moral Muscles and fight back poverty, discrimination, hatred, hunger, corruption,...

Embodied Ethics. Let's put some Muscle behind it!

Moral Tissues...Ethics Embodied

 Edith Wharton (1862-1937) wrote the following in her novel "Sanctuary" (1903) about a mother who is trying to guide her son...

"It was part of her discernment to be aware that life is the only real counselor, that wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissues." (p. 123)

There is a lot packed in this little statement I think. First, I think unfiltered wisdom in our day and age is actually called "knowledge". Knowledge about things can be interesting, but what to do with knowledge, applied knowledge, is actually called "wisdom."  And wisdom comes from experience. So...what about the phrase "moral tissues?" That's a new one for me....but...this was written in 1903. I think this is a fascinating somatic idiom, the idea of "moral tissue." Maybe said another way: Ethics cannot simply be a cognitive or intellectual exercise...although clear and rigorous thinking must be part of its formation. Ethics and morality must also become a part of our "moral tissues"...a part of the very fiber of our beings, i.e., ethics must be embodied.  This a challenge for all of us. When the rubber hits the road, when the birds come home to roost, when the gig is up...you name it....our moral fiber is being tested to see if it is really true. We embody what we believe, more than we know.