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Following Orders Against Our Morals Essay, Research Paper

PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO FOLLOW ORDERS THAT GO AGAINST THEIR MORALS

?Tearful day when, from ashes, man shall rise to be judged guilty.? These are the last words written by the great composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in his “Requiem “, or “funeral mass”. These words also describe the day that the Nazi soldiers were declared guilty and sentenced to death at Nuremberg. In the Nuremberg war crime trials, the Nazis pleaded “not guilty” to charges brought against them regarding the treatment of Jews in concentration camps, by reason that they were simply following orders given to them by superiors. When most people look at this from emotional human viewpoints, it seems like a perfectly just punishment, and their reasons were simply excuses; but as we look at history, and especially at human psychology a little closer, it turns out that maybe they weren?t given a fair punishment after all…

Humankind has suffered from this type of misjudgment since the beginning of time. The Bible shows us the first time man had to choose between right and wrong was when the serpent tempted Eve with the

forbidden fruit. She knew that it was wrong, but she hadn’t been around for long, and the serpent seemed to know what he was talking about; and so was the beginning of manipulators and those who submit to manipulation. People are, indeed, willing to follow orders that go against their morals.

The underlying problem in this issue is not that the nature of man is to be brutal and without morals, but rather, that not enough people trust themselves with major decisions, and those who do, often use their self-confidence in evil ways, such as manipulating those who seek advice, or give bad advice. This is apparent in the smallest ways even today. One common, yet fairly insignificant situation may involve two women who are shopping together. The first may try on two dresses, and being insecure, ask her friend which dress to buy. The second woman happens to be envious of the first because she has a nicer car (or has another luxury the second does not), and recommends the less flattering or more expensive

of the two dresses, as a means of boosting herself up when she?s feeling down.

Another modern situation demonstrating this under-lying problem traces to children. It is a well-

known fact that almost all children feel extremely insecure and vulnerable because they are in such an awkward stage in their transition to adulthood. Therefore they find it necessary to seek large groups of other children to protect them from some undefined, yet powerful fear. They no-longer feel vulnerable, but instead want to demonstrate their new-found ?authority? to other children. To do this, they will choose an insecure child who isn?t included in a large group, and persistently torment her by calling her names while they are young, and, as they get older, single her out from social gatherings. Sometimes the child is accepted back into the group after she has received her share of emotional beating. But sometimes, if the child is insecure enough, and the group is fierce enough, she may never find her niche, and may suffer this haunting experience all the way through high school, or the rest of her life. This is a definite emergency because the agony lasts long after the tormenting has ceased. She will feel like she is an outcast from society for years, and will never be able

to fully recover. Yet children persist their cruelty even though they can imagine what it may be like to be on the other side; just because one influential child refuses to let up, the others must follow.

The examples are endless. One popular example that never fails to enrage people is the infamous My Lai Massacre. In the Vietnam War in the village of My Lai, Lt. William Calley received orders to raid My Lai. His forces then murdered 128 civilians; mostly women and children. All he had to do was refuse to carry this out, allowing 128 more people live, but war is often a stressful time, and people lose their senses, opening their minds so much that they will do anything someone tells them to.

All the examples in this paper follow the same equation:

V + M = E

or

Vulnerable person/people + Manipulator(s) = Evil deeds

If someone allows himself to be so freely manipulated in such ways, other people will find him an easy target for brainwashing. The best example of this is the recent actions of the Heaven?s Gate suicide cult. All the ingredients were there. The ?V? were the actual cult members, who were searching for a new direction for their lives, and were confused about which religions, beliefs, and values to hold as truth. The ?M? was Mr. Applewhite, who led thirty-eight confused, naive people to their death. He apparently had told them he was dying, and that the other members should also die for him, to join him on his ?spaceship?. The ?E? were the brainwashing of the cult members, and the actual suicides committed.

The lack of self-trust demonstrated in these examples can take its toll on one?s personality and inhibits his manner of thinking. The feeling that his life is out of control causes a man to lose self-respect, since he can no longer make decisions for himself. A man or woman without self-respect feels worthless, leading one?s self into a personal depression, and possibly suicide. The impact this could have on society and the work force could be devastating.

Employee morale could lower, reducing productivity; and our standard of living.

Going back to the World War II question, practically everyone on earth would say that what the Nazis did to the Jews was horrifyingly wrong. However, the wrong party may be to blame in this case. Most of the Nazi soldiers were young men between the ages of eighteen and forty. These men had been

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