Character 8: Do You Have a Responsibility to Become More Moral Over Time?

7. John Stuart Mill said that people had a responsibility to become more moral over time. Do you believe this? Does this apply to societies as well as individuals?

I believe an individual’s life is less circular than a society’s-that while we definitely have setbacks, an individual’s life is generally more straightforward. Even if you experience periods of mental illness or homelessness, you still build on your personal experiences. Not that those examples speak to a lack of maturity or morality, but they do speak to setbacks. And even experiences such as those can set you up for better things in the future.

Life is not a straight line. “Life is a long time” and as we are thrown into new situations-jobs, marriages, countries to live in or just visit, military service, and ups and downs in our financial lives, we are challenged to be our best selves. We all have moments-or years-where we fall down on the job. We all have periods where we weren’t as mature (and perhaps as moral) as earlier years, but overall I think we do grow up, do better, and have a responsibility to lead more moral lives. As individuals come of age, they become parents, providers, and caretakers. That’s just a part of our place in our families. And that contributes to a chance to learn and be more moral.

We complain sometimes about how people are maturing more slowly. My grandmother married at 19, my mother at 23, and I married at 30. Most of my cousins married older as well. But we’re also living longer so I’m not as concerned about growing up a little more slowly.

So, in short, I think we do have a responsibility to become more moral over time. Regardless of our challenges. In spite of our humanity and the way we sometimes fall down on the job.