People of high intelligence strongly develop their power of reason
and morality to resist their instincts. The more people have morality, the more powerful their reasons are, the more they are of great intelligence. Whoever lives with instinct is not moral or intelligent. Living instinctively, people can easily make mistakes, even commit crimes. We should forever improve morality our whole life so as to never be cheated by our instinct.
INSTINCT AND MORALITY
A truck pulled up to the execution ground. Military police escorted the prisoner out and tied him to a pole.
The judge asked him:
“Trần Hữu Ba, do you have any last words before the execution?”
The sinner whispered:
“Please send my deepest apology to my comrades, and to the country”
The judge asked again:
“Do you want to say anything to your family?”
“No. They have received too much love from me. I loved them so much that I betrayed my country. I don’t want to mention them anymore.”
The judge shed tears and turned away. Then, a volley of shots was fired.
An official from the bureau of military investigation was in the vehicle. He sadly told the colleagues:
“The enemy captured his daughter and forced him to steal the confidential military documents. They threatened him so severely that he didn't dare report to the superiors, just blindly following their orders. After his daughter was released, we discovered the missing documents, and suffered significant loss. The military intelligence investigated and found him. We then launched a fierce counterattack, destroying the enemy's spy network.
He was sentenced to death. He was so regretful and kept saying that he should have prioritized the country over his family. Today, he mentioned this idea one more time, that the love for family should never surpass love for the country.”
Another official said:
“Most of the time, the enemy captures our family to force us into betraying our country. By nature, people love their family more than their country. The enemy exploits this instinct, and they are usually successful. There are only a few people who are moral enough to love their country even more than their family. Love for family is instinct. Love for country is morality.”
Instinct is a strong and natural tendency that urges people to live and do accordingly. The love between man and woman is instinctive. Sex is instinctive. The love of parents for their children is instinctive. Greed for money and materials is instinctive. Feeling hurt when offended is instinctive. Caring about ourselves first is instinctive. All those instincts make people happy, but at the same time decrease their morality as well. Therefore, many educators and philosophers have offered doctrines and teachings to educate people on controlling their instincts.
Morality is the strength of reason that can constrain instinct. Instead of loving only our children, morality forces us to love our parents as well. Instead of caring only about ourselves, morality helps us care for others also. Instead of seeking sexual desires, morality guides us to look for inner peace. And instead of loving only our family, morality makes us love our country too.
There are many kinds of animals whose brain morally develops over their instinct. On the National Geographic Channel, we see geese that feed fish with tiny shrimp, or a lion that protects a deer from another lion's attack, or wolves that raise an orphan. Normally, the animals are overrun by instincts because they have very little reasoning.
People of high intelligence strongly develop their power of reason and morality to resist their instincts. The more people have morality, the more powerful their reasons are, the more they are of great intelligence.
Whoever lives with instinct is not moral or intelligent. Living instinctively, people can easily make mistakes, even commit crimes.
We should forever improve morality our whole life so as to never be cheated by our instinct.
Written by:
Janna
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