MINOR MORALITIES

Lake County Mail, Issue 7, 9 July 1947, Page 7

MINOR MORALITIES

I amppose that at some time or other each one of us has desired to ioaoh a place " where there ain’t no Ten Commandments.” To be unfettered amd free as the wind seems to he aa ideal worth aftrivng for—but evea the wind is not unruled or unregulated by environment or laws of nature! So we presume there will mover be a time or place on earth whea there are not some laws to be obeyed, possibly only in the form of racial taboos and customs. We each of us know our faults too, •r cam easily find them out, either by taking note of other’s criticisms or examining our lives for ourselves. But there are things which are not so much immoral as un-moral —a difference of a couple of letters, but nevertheless of great importance.

We live in an era where we are ruled by the clock, we govern ourselves by those two hands which at times seem to move so fast and at other times so slowly. Unless we are to be rebels, we must fit in with those rules and customs. In fairness to others, we must be on time. This is where many of us fail. Taking the lowest and most materially minded point of view, time means money, not only to ourselves but to others.

Is it not therefore as dishonest to rob a person of time aa it is to rob him •f money? If this is so, then it is dishonest to keep a person waiting. It certainly is when one makes an appointment for 2.30 p.m. and does not arrive until 3 p.m. If the engagement is important enough, one will not be late, nor does one expect the train or tram with its passengers to wait while you leisurely stroll along to the stopping place after the scheduled time of departure. In our social engagements, too, should we not be on time?

White lies fall under this category, too—are all or any of our white lies necessary? Mrs A. B. is out, when one know* it is fairly certain that she is sitting by the fire, but unwilling to gd to the trouble of receiving guests, would better be answered by straightout honesty.

The ceremonies of politeness, lifting one’s hat to a lady, standing when a lady enters the rOom and so on, are good as means to an end. The end being to show oneself courteous or, in the words of the fifth of the Laws of God, Honour thy father and thy mother, and all with whom one has to deal.

Lack of respect of personality, too, is one of our nation’s faults. We ftiink, that because a person is an employee, we make demands that would not be tolerated by iis. Think of the number ef times you go into the grocer's shop, or the tobacconist’s, and demand things, almost insinuating that they are lying because they cannot supply the goods asked for. Eeburning borrowed books. How many books on your shelf belong to ethers? Are you going to return them, or just forget about them, until you move house, and carry them away with you? Surely that is theft —only in a small way perhaps, but theft nevertheless.

The Whole meaning of this article is lost if your reaction is that they are only small matters and therefore do wot amount to much. We have seen often enough the slogan, " Small loads make big stacks,” and we realise the truth of it. Should we not realise equally well that small habits build up into character, and one’s character depends on whether the small habits which we like to ignore are good or bad.

Procrastination is the thief of time, but the reverse can also bo true, if the other la unpunctual.

I keep atvonintments on the dot, And snond time waiting—hence this rhvme;

Procrastination? Tommyrot! Pr*mo*ncss is the thief of time. -rQ. T5. Peed, in the'Rotarinn. To such nn extent o c 'degradation have onr minor mnralitio* dr>scendod *NT we «all black white, and white

b.ack. It doea not matter, say some—it does, and doea so much more than we realise.