Collective Consciousness (2) Moral Values and the “Long Live the Snake That Doesn’t Bite Me” Mentality

When we consider the historical starting point of the concept of “collective consciousness”, we see that it fills an important gap in the sociological sense. At this point, let us consider the following questions:

What do concepts such as democracy, human rights, equality, fair trial and respect mean? Which political developments and administrative arrangements prepare the ground for the degeneration of these values? The answers to such questions must take a clear place in collective memory, and the mentality of “long live the snake that doesn’t bite me”, which feeds selfishness, must be torn out by the roots. For very often, knowing everything does not mean doing everything right.

People who have made the pursuit of their personal interests their first priority may stand by while the law is trampled underfoot like a doormat, so as not to leave their comfort zone or risk their gains; they may applaud when certain interest groups treat the values that hold society together as a hindrance.

It seems that one of the most important things that must accompany “knowing” is morality. We are not speaking here only of a religious phenomenon. What is meant is an understanding of morality capable of stopping the ways of acting of self-centred, hedonistic individuals who know no limits and who could turn the social order upside down with the motto “any road to the goal is permissible”.

Morality has been a subject dwelt on over the course of history by various religions, cultures, societies and philosophical currents. Whatever the source, what they all share is the distinction between right and wrong actions and the arrangements foreseen so that social life can continue without breakdown. Of course, “morality” has been understood in different ways in different periods and societies. Even so, broad agreement on what is right and what is wrong can be observed. Many acts, such as theft, murder, lying and corruption in public office, have been accepted as wrong and immoral.

Behind the national values that bind the nation tightly together and strengthen the will to live together there are, no doubt, certain moral values. The spirit of self-sacrifice covers the selfless and useful acts an individual performs for others without expecting anything in return. Setting aside one’s personal interests and comfort and making efforts that serve the interests of society or the country also falls within this scope. The spirit of self-sacrifice is one of the basic dynamics of an understanding of morality. The point to underline here is this: Whatever our choices in matters of faith, it is not rational to see moral values as connected only with religion, or to keep one’s distance from morality because one keeps one’s distance from religion.

Taking our historical and cultural values into account as well, when we combine this heritage with universal human values we can largely obtain a functional moral framework. For this reason it does not seem possible to agree with those who push the concept of morality into vague definitions or who resort to the distinction of “according to you, according to me”. The desire to benefit from the driving force of such an important lever for the sake of social solidarity must not be sacrificed to certain ideological and religious differences.

(To be continued)

Part One: Collective Consciousness (1) Our Social Antibody