Tim Koen History 2 Ms.

Lomax A Perfect Utopia Imagine a world in which everyone knows what is wrong, and what is right is ideal. The way in which we enforce these moral values is with a belief system. Any civilization would want to be depicted as a peaceful, artisan, and intelligent society. A belief system may be incorporated into a religion, and as a religion typically does, it will cause conflict but also unite the people. Religions such as Buddhism have ultimately taught the act of selflessness and peace. If any civilization can create something like this, the belief system will be breathtakingly useful and efficient. Ultimately a belief system is important because of its impact it can have on people, even impacting their daily lives. The decline of moral values will be the failing of any civilization, but there is one way to prevent this, a belief system. As The Decline of Western Roman Empire states, The decline of moral values ultimately lead to the falling of Rome. This then means that having a belief system to keep moral values in check will decrease the rate of decline in the Koll Islands. In order to better understand the importance of belief systems within a civilization and how they can influence the actions and decisions of a people, please consider the following moral dilemma: A Callous Passerby Roger Smith, a skillful swimmer, is out for a leisurely stroll. During the course of his walk, he passes by a deserted pier from which a teenage boy who apparently cannot swim has fallen into the water. The boy is screaming desperately for help. Smith recognizes that there is absolutely no danger to himself if he jumps in to save the boy; he could easily succeed if he tried. Nevertheless, he chooses to ignore the boy's cries. "Why should I inconvenience myself for this kid," Smith says to himself, and passes on.

If Roger Smith were a Buddhist, the Eight-Fold path would guide his moral decisions. As Buddhists believe, you should not harm any being, and that you should promote right actions. Roger Smith would know that saving a boy at the sacrifice of his convenience (which is a craving) is the right thing to do. As The Right Effort states Promote good actions and prevent evil actions. (Frey 180) This means that Roger Smith would definitely have an obligation to at least try to save the boy. Although every single belief system discussed (Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism) would save the boy, they would have different reasons for doing so. If Roger Smith followed the teachings of Confucius, he would once again save the boy, as Frey stated, Confucius taught that society worked well when all people acted properly based upon their roles and their relationships with others (208). This then means that there would be multiple reasons for a Confucian to save the boy. Whereas a Confucian would save the boy as a role model, a Hindu would do it for the respect of all living things, and the possible reverb Karma would have if the Hindu did not save the boy. As Frey states For Hindus, the law of karma meant that the universe was just, or fair. Souls were rewarded or punished for the good and evil they had done. This shows that Roger Smith would have a strong moral obligation (and incentive) to save the boy. In the Hindu culture, one is punished for bad actions, and rewarded for good ones. In conclusion, although all the belief systems are different in how they worship and what they worship, they ultimately have a strong sense of wrong and right, therefore deterring the decline of moral values, and proving a point as to why belief systems are important.