Can you Force Morality???

This is a topic that I have been thinking about a lot. Can one force a person to have moral values?? Can we legalize a person's morals? I looked up the definition of morals and the dictionary stated that morals as relating to the principles of right and wrong behavior. Can what a person think is right and wrong be relative. I actually heard the statement of a porn star on television and she stated "that she has very high morals and there are certain things she would not do...." I think this prompted me to think about this topic even more. I am a believer in not forcing my faith and my beliefs on anyone and my faith and beliefs are what I consider my way of determining what is right and wrong. So in a sense if I don't force my faith on anyone I should not force my view of morals on someone? But I am not saying that we should just allow people to run around and do whatever. I am just posing some questions that I have in my head, not to say that I have formulated a complete answer. When I write I just attempt to get some things off my chest that I have been thinking about lately.

Being a social worker working with people from all backgrounds and causes me to look at situations differently by attempting to be nonjudgmental with people and meeting them where their need us. In saying this in our society who defines morality and why has it in my opinion become so "out there?" Has the fact the people have skewed morals so much caused society to take a turn for the worse? If we force morality by law is that going to help or make things worse? These are just some of the the questions and things I have been thinking about lately and just wanted to get other people's opinions.

Growth and Change

In the past few months a lot has been going on in my life. I am beginning to question so many things that I have been taught and believe. I am becoming a person who is understanding more and more about how she feels and what she wants to become. I am realizing through out my whole life I have been a person who has lived my life for other people and not myself....that is so not good. I am currently in a process of rediscovering the true me and living my life for what makes me happy and what makes me have joy. What is sad a lot of the things I have been questioning goes against the norm and what I have been taught. If my friends knew what I was thinking or contemplating doing they would be shocked. Not that it is good or bad, but it is not the norm for what they see in me.

When I realized I was not happy with who I was becoming I had to make a change, but for me change is hard and change hurts. Change means to me that you are embarking on something new, changing what you are use to and it might be uncomfortable. I have an issue with being complacent in so many areas and that makes it hard to grow. But I can say now that I am ready to go and I understand that it will be a process and I am ready for it...the good and the bad.

One issue that I have been dealing with the most is that can you help who you fall in love with? Can you control the emotional feelings you have for a person even though you know you can't be together? Love is funny and is a strong word and should not be used lightly, but when it is used it has deep meaning. I know love should not hurt, but when the feeling is not reciprocated it can hurt.

I am changing and growing...it hurts, but it is for the better.

Adoptions

I work with adoptions and I love my job, but today I got kind of a revelation. I was eating out for breakfast and I saw a Caucasian family with two Vietnamese children eating also. It was cute, don't get me wrong, but it made me think about something I encounter in my line of work. When working with families who want to adopt you do have to think about the cultural and racial implications of adopting a child of another race. You have to think about can you meet that child's needs? Will your family be accepting? How will you address the child when they ask why do they look different? And there are so many other things you have to consider. But why is it easier for a family to go accept a child from another country versus a child of African American heritage? Rather a child be African American, Hispanic, Asian American, or African the child will look different and some of the same issues (not all) you will have to deal with. I am just making an observation...