[Skybird]

We do have morality existing already, Armistead, since long before modern religions were given birth to. It's just that you cannot have just one side of a coin only, there also exist the antithesis to morality. And the more you try to sharpen and reinforce morality, the more you boost immorality as well.

It's better to go back to some very essential and easy principals and basics, and trying to set an own example to others by living up to them. The Golden Rule for example is a good beginning. Natural Law is another simple set of very basic fundamental principles. And the denial of the "right" for slavery.

And also helpful is to understand the meaning of Karma: the inevitable causal link between cause and effect.

I cannot see that it needs a specific Judaic, Christian, Muslim or Buddhist mindset to see the reasonability of the above. Maybe instead of trying to be morally outstanding humans, it would be enough if we would allow ourselves to just be humans.

But as I said, that does not mean that the second side of the coin can be avoided. Everything comes at a cost. That's the nature of things. We are no creatures of light exclusively, but light and darkness both reside in our existence. Becoming human maybe means nothing else than understanding this - and resisting the temptation of wanting to deny the existence of the one while exclusively focussing on juts the other. The hedonist and the ascet - to me them both got some things wrong. You cannot find your frfeedom by denying things existing - if you do that, things claim even more power about you, making you even more unfree.

Moderation sounds like a good idea, doesn't it. Moderation regarding any kind of extremes.