Morality

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So.

Could get home sooner if driving at double speed limit.
Can't afford DVD - could place in pocket without notice.
Attracted to someone who isn't partner.
Want to punch someone in back of head as punishment for undesireable character trait.

What stops you? Feeling wrong? Knowing wrong? Nature? Nurture?

When in a state of good mental health, I stick to a fairly strict moral code, simply because it seems logical to me.

However, when in a state of extreme depression or poor mental health, my adherence to my moral code tends to decline. This has happened to me recently, and I am ashamed of myself.

What stops me is knowing that in the long run, doing these things won't help me, and in fact will hurt me. I have no morals, I just have sense, and I have goals. And I know that everything in life is connected, and that all people ultimately depend upon one another.

However, I did steal about $600 worth of food from my first job, and I never felt too guilty about it, because they have plenty of food and they throw most of it away if not used. I would feel morally bad if they couldn't afford to lose it, or if they were a smaller business. But I was treated like crap, so I treated myself to some extra benefits. It's not something I'm proud of, or ashamed of, its just a good example of moral ambiguity. Some people have said to me "Well what if everyone felt that way?" Well then I'd be a fool to feel any other way, now wouldn't I? And besides, if everyone felt the way I did, then the world would probably be a different (and less diverse) place. I'd like to think a better place, but clearly I'm biased.

I don't do non-moral things, because it goes against what I think of how world should work (and I know there will be consequences).

I just know that I might get in trouble and think about the consequences.

If I was walking down the street and found a wallet with $100 and an ID in it, I'd return it. If there was no ID, it's mine. Does that make me a bad person?

No. If there is no ID or clues as to the owner inside the wallet, you wouldn't have any guaruntee that the police officer you hand it to wouldn't take it for themselves, therefore, handing it in would be pointless when you could use the money yourself.

There is a huge difference between illegal and wrong. I don't do things that are morally "wrong". As for illegal, I could care less. They are arbitrary and generally serve no purpose other than to make someone look good when they pass a law. For instance, I don't steal, because that is wrong and there are consequences for someone even if I don't get caught. Speed limits though are arbitrary and stupid. If my vehicle is in good repair, and I am fully awake and able and not coming off a 48 hour shift or sick or something, There is simply no reason not to drive 70 to get home. As long as I am aware of traffic, stay in my own lane, and am in control of my vehicle, there are no consequences directly caused by my actions. Of course, if someone is in my lane going the other direction, it doesn't matter how fast I'm going and it is on them.

I wear my seatbelt because I believe that having it on saved my life when I was younger. If I did not, I would not wear it. I text and drive because I believe that someone who doesn't have enough sense to do so without taking their eyes off the road, they don't need to be driving anyway and the rest of us shouldn't have to deal with their consequences. Of course, I don't really see any of our traffic laws as anything but a joke anyway because they aren't enforced except for when they will help someone get re-elected. If it's not a holiday weekend when someone is gathering statisitcs to say how much they have done for the country/state/city/county then the only way you get arrested for driving drunk is if you voted against the sheriff. But right now, God help you if you were texting to tell your crew at work you're running late. Because it's a "trendy" crime and the people will cheer and tell the government what a great job they're doing because they stopped the person that will in a few hours have to clean up after the dumbass drunk driver the cops waved to on their way to pull you over.

I don't do them because they could cause harm either to myself or to others, and I wouldn't want that to happen.

I agree with EMTkid that laws are arbitrary and have little or no relevance to right or wrong.

In general, the main reason I won't break a law is to avoid getting in trouble. I don't wanna go to jail. the specofocs mentioned:
I'd never speed or even want to to ride with someone who did, because speed can kill or maim me or somemone I care about. Speeding scares the living daylights out of me. And the speeding mentioned by OP... OMG!
I couldn't be bothered to get in trouble over a DVD. It might beep in the door and I mightn't get away with it in time. It'd be pointless getting it on my permanent record over a movie.
Attraction isn't something you decide. I disagree that it's wrong to feel attracted to someone who isn't your partner, it's a natural response to someone you find sexy or good looking. I think it's very naive to think that most people in long term relationships haven't had crushes or attractions to other people while with a significant other. Some will use attractive people they're into to get hot and sweaty with their SO at times. That's just the way it is. Personally I wouldn't be tempted to fool around because I'm asexual - I don't wanna do it at all. And even if I wasn't I'd be too worried about STDs.
About punching someone annoying: They might turn me in for assault. they might beat the cr*p out of me. No thanks on both accounts.

In the majority of things I wouldn't do, it's for fear of legal or other consequences for me.

I have done civil disobedience though, and I'm glad I did because that law is wrong..

Morality is generally a bit of an illusion. A lot of times theists would ask: without God (or INSERT DEITY/IES HERE) how does one have a sense of absolute morality? To which one can easily respond that, surely without God it seems absolutely natural to rape and murder and steal.... which is what the Christians did under divine order right after the chapter containing the Decalogue.

BUT, it's easier to base morality on one simple question that you can ask yourself: is it fair? Is it fair to the other person if you take something to which they lay claim and value? Ownership? Is it fair to take someone's life just to have their cellphone? Their laptop? Their wallet? Is it fair to rape a woman/man just because you're too lazy and lonely to masturbate? Is it fair to traumatise them with your will?

There is no intrinsic good or bad. I hate when people talk about it like it's black and white. Some morally questionable actions can be done for the sake of practicality. A lie by omission is sometimes necessary, and I have done it before for the sake of sparing someone's feelings. My mother, when I found out my father was cheating on her. I did not want to tell her so I let her find out for himself so that he got properly into trouble and made a more concerted effort to fix things. Rather than me be the bearer of bad news and live in a family where one member pretends to love me, even though I outed the existence of his mistress. It was his mistake to make and his to face alone.

I believe in "an eye for an eye" in select cases. In others it's just not worth being spiteful or hateful. A lot of times it will just blow up and their is no reason to cut your nose to spite your face.

So, morality is really an opinion. And to me, it's fairness/unfairness.

my own moratily stops me from doing moraly wrong things.

i generally follow the 'live and let live' mantra, indicating that everything is fine as long as it doesn't negatively affect others. when i doubt, i do not do it.
following that, i also allow everyone to do whatever they please, as long as that one simple rule is honored.

if i have a problem with someones actions, i will speak out on it, and i expect the others to be respecting of that problem, just as i will respect problems other people have with me (if it is a simple fix; i wont change my personality, but i will supress stimming, for example)

It depends on the situation. Sometimes I do things that I think are wrong because they are wrong, sometimes I don't do them because I'd get caught, sometimes because I know it wouldn't do any good, etc. There are lots of reasons and lots of different ways that I'd act, depending on the situation.

I rarely ever think of acting 'immoral' in the first place, that's what.

Option for this in survey.

Breaks concentration, if not line of sight - people like me killed by people like you. Making excuses for actions - admission of sense of wrong. Act without excuses.