Three Greatest threats for Moral life

Aristotle argue, three things needed for persuasion. Logos, logical argument. Pathos, Emotional delivery. Ethos, Character of the persuaders. Although those three principles are important, the most vital principle is Ethos. The character of the persuaders make the logical and emotional aspects believable and convincing. That is why, there is a wise saying, people do not care what you say unless they know how much you care. Character does matters. Character contribute to the greatest influence to others. Character talk. The Latin word for Character means, engraved. Therefore, Character is something that is very close to us and even, who we are at the basic level. In this case, we know that Eastern people have a high regards on this area more than west did in the past, culturally speaking. The shame culture of Asian helps to shape the ethical contour of theirs more. Therefore is its not strange that even the discussion about sex was considered as taboo in Asian than in Western World. This prove how much Eastern people regards on what we called as morality but as for today, both Eastern and Western values  morality for indeed as history unfolds, without talking deep about morality and ethics, we are only ended in war. Even the discussion about ethics itself can bring war, how much more if there are not any? That is why in the past Heraclitus once mentioned, Character is our "fate", the very thing will bring us forward in future. Of course, not all things in the worlds has ethical value. Mathematics do not bring any ethical implication. Statistics as the application of it might have been. Yet, ethical values encompass almost all things in the world for ethics is related very close to human, as an agency who has a will and disposition. To talk about living human is to talk about ethics and morality. 

The issue of morality and ethics isn't trivial. There are countless voices that we need to listen. Voices from within and outside which speak conflicting each other on the very issue of which one is good which one is bad. What ought and what ought not. Our objectives not so much dealing with the ultimate ethics but to be more aware of the threats for living a moral life. To prevent is better than to heal, this maxim is right. Frequently, people believes that the greatest threats for ethical life or moral life are these: Money, Sex and Power. Richard Foster has written a classic discussion regarding this. Timothy Keller also discussed those issue profoundly in his works Counterfeit Gods: The empty promises of Money, sex, and Power. Drawing the truth from Scripture and wisdom from Reformed Theologian, John Calvin, Timothy Keller point out the concept of the idols of the hearts (Calvin uses the word, factory of idols) whereby we uplifts and becoming spiritually addicted.  Idols does not only belongs to the ancient (stone to be worshiped) but more evidently expanded today in concept. Basically all those three, money, sex, and power are essentially "neutral" unless, we depravedly use of them for the evil things. But the threats actually are not mainly originated from outside but from within. Those three things of money, sex and power can corrupt people but the source of the corruption is the "heart of man" who set those things as Idol to be worshiped besides or without personal God ("counterfeits God"). From the writer stand point, there are three greatest threats of moral life that comes from within that could tempt us to to create idols,

First. Boredom. Even with the technological advancement, we cannot eradicate boredom. Nowadays, with the help of advance technology we are not easily pleased anymore. We need more and more and a higher dose of pleasure to excite us. True, humanity are planning to go to Moon (Jeff Bezos), some are planning to Mars (Elon Musk). Soon these are not a fairy tale. Yet, for certain, whether in earth, in Moon or Mars, boredom will always existed inside of us. One writer says that in the middle decade of twentieth century is emptiness...they do not know what they want; they do not have any clear idea of what they feel. They try to do this, do that. Why? Because they feel bored in life. Part of it substantially because they have lost the sense of meaning. We have too much free time, money to spend, and facilities to enjoy. This is good yet also dangerous. King David also fall into sin because of this. He have nothing to do then the devil tempt him to do evil actions. Two things are important. We need to found our meaning in life. Second, we need to do something that is meaningful everyday, so that so, it hinder us to fall into sin. Billy Graham famously says, as Christian we are never bored. Christians have lot things to do. To reflect God's Word, to Live His Word and to Preach and Share his Word. 

Second. Anxiety. Nothing is greater than what May Rollo has brought in his book, Man's search for meaning. In the very chapter of His book he argues that the greatest inner problems of humanity are anxiety. We can say anxiety is synonymous with insecurity. The feeling of we are never enough. We are incapable. We feel lonely, isolated and alienated as one romantic and melancholic songs describes this condition well, Me and My shadow, not a soul to tell our troubles to...just me and my shadow, all alone and feeling blues. Everyone, no matter how well established they are in the world can still feel this anxiety. The paradise-lost syndrome also evident for those who owned many materials. Actually, insecurity is a clear signal that we have been preoccupied with our self, most of the time. To deal with anxiety one need to change the direction of life to be more other-centeredness. Caring and compassion toward others are really important. Life is not about me otherwise we will amplify the feeling of anxiety more and more, to which Emmanuel Levinas called this phenomena as "the negation of self". In other words, I'm Thinking much about myself until I harm myself by thinking myself is not even a self. This is the paradox. If we are holding to ourselves tightly, we will lost ourselves in no time. To let go is to receive. To hold is to lost.

Third, Pride. Perhaps, this is more dangerous than the first and second. Pride elevate ourselves to the position of God, to do whatever we want, as we like and think the best for us. Through pride, we disregards the voice of others or the divine at worst. Pride is the thing that make devil, devil. No wonder, pride was included in the list of seven deadliest sin and won the title the most deadly sin of all. Theologians and also Philosophers also agree that pride is the chiefs and parents of all further sin.  The order is fix since medieval. Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. Talking about the gross example of pride, an African scholar, Michael Eric Dyson have written a book entitled Pride: The Seven Deadly Sin. He mentioned how the white supremacy in the past has brought about the full implication on how deadly pride could be. Pride make subjective and bias hierarchy of which one is lower which is higher. The other experiment is this on the "paper bag test", when the people skin darker than typical sack, they often ridiculed and ostracized. When we are success in life we can be prideful. When we are not success we can also be booastful on what we are actually not. Either conditions are a fit condition for pride to blossom. One of helpful way to deal with pride is to always asked the right question and answer honestly to ourselves. Moreover, we need others as well to be our accountable partner (otherwise we won't listen) to give questions and answer to each other as honest as possible. This can help us to tune our high deception about ourselves. 

These three things are the things that can bring us to downfall in life anytime. No matter we are a religious leader or even saint-like person, we need to be aware of these three theats, and  evaluate ourselves periodically. Am I bored? Am I anxious? Am I arrogant? From  these syntomic options, boredom, anxiety, and also pride which are the things that we are most tame of at the moment? Indeed, these three inner symptoms can suddenly hunt, grow and flourish inside of us depending on our current situation, mood and context, in every specific and particular cycle of life.If we are not aware or ignorant about these inner threats, we will easily fall into many temptations and of course, potentially move forward to misuse the three classics: money, sex and power. Forming them as idols. This how it works, when we are bored we tend to misused money, sex and power to entertain us. When we are insecure we tend to misused money, sex and power to calm us down. When we think we are really that important and supperior, we will misused money, sex and power, whatever we like. Once again, the greatest thread is not from outside of us but inside of us. The situations inside can worsened the outside threats. Therefore, we need the mercy of The Lord, the Grace of God and the power of His Word to transform us more than ever! That is why, we need to come to God not occasionally but consistently. 

Last thing I would like to bring as closing is this, in our so callled "cancel-culture" of the modern world. I believe in our world today, we tend to diminished and judge people harshly through their last actions or current public image. One need to be holistic and realistic in assessing people. The boldest questions from Jesus adressed this issue as the Lord says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your borther's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"Therefore, when somebody we know or more specifically the respected one fall short to the prey of the inner threats of moral life. Three things we need to keep in our mind. First, all of us also are in the same shaking boat. We can fall anytime. J.C Ryle aptly said, "the best man is man at best". We are all sinner. Nobody was imune from it for "Sin, in short, is that vast moral disease which affects the whole human race, of every rank, and class, and name, and nation, and people, and tongue; a disease." Although Christ already saved us, perfect santification is still a process. So, don't judge others more than the virtues and lessons we should draw and learn from their moral failure in the first place. Two, we should not cancel the good things that they have brought about in life. Indeed, people who commit a moral failure does not cancel the truthfulness let say, his speech on particular issues. It might effects the trust or the efectiveness and acceptibility of what they conveys but not the content. Yet at the same time, we do not justify they wrong doings. Wrong is wrong. Three, we need to guard ourselves and pray to God more for protection since devil is like a roaring lion who love to destroy the moral life of man. Devil perfectly knows that in our world, by destroying people ethos, one will lost everything in life!