The concept of correct moral behaviour is very much based upon necessities and practicalities, whereas the concept of ideal moral behaviour is a more deep subject, which goes beyond the basic needs and challenges of our world into the theoretical. The term ‘ethics’ refers to the former, whereas the term ‘morals’ refers usually to the latter. Many may use the two terms interchangeably, but for the purpose of this article they shall be defined as such.

Ethical behaviour, such as ‘thou shalt not steal’, largely is a result of necessity, and while it may also have moral and ideal qualities, it is almost always the result of a conflict of requirements for a resource between multiple individuals or parties. The sharing of resources equally and their proper use and prevention of their abuse is the basis for all wars of both a moral and political nature, as well as all conflicts of a social nature, which can be viewed as the lesser side of the spectrum of conflict.

Whenever a situation arises where a resource is being abused, whether this means a nation is illegally stealing oil from another nation, or a older boy is stealing a candy from a younger boy, morals come into existence to determine who justly deserves that resource, and how it should be used. Social morals involve codes of behaviour which may or may not be strictly utilitarian in nature, but usually, unlike purely ethical codes of conduct, are in some way ideal and based in ideal concepts.

For instance, as an example of a social moral, as opposed to a resource- based moral (and the two do naturally combine), one is expected in polite society to not spread disease by covering ones mouth when coughing, and by taking appropriate steps to cure ones contagious illness. While certainly the question of resources arises here as it does in all places, the obvious issue is the social issue of harming others, or hindering them. In any social situation moral codes exist alongside ethical codes, but as not all moral codes are enforced, and as there are varying opinions on them, especially regarding the rules of ‘politeness’, which vary considerably across the globe, morally upstanding behaviour is usually lacking.

In some cases this may be the result of mere ignorance and lack of education. In some cases children have been brought up in an immoral environment and either know no better or are disadvantaged when it comes to being morally upright. In yet others it may come from a belief in a different set of morals, or a anarchic lack of moral belief. Factors such as employment/relationship etc stress, mental illness, oppression and disadvantagement etc., all affect the ability for people to behave in a morally correct manner.

There are some morals that are generally agreed upon, and certainly are the more likely to exist in an ideal utopia if ever such a place should exist. Such values as the importance of being earnest, of earning ones wealth, of appreciating the value of things and not being decadent or wasteful, etc., are generally agreed upon as being immoral, whether in a resource-based world such as ours, or in an ideal Heaven-like utopia.

It would take a very thick volume indeed to even cover the surface of this subject, as there are so many considerations and opinions regarding it, but the one thing which stands out in present day society to note is that moral behaviour, whether it be of one extraction or another, is lacking severely, and where it does exist it is often grudgingly undertaken or enforced. Truly morally upright individuals not only believe in how they are acting toward others but practice what they preach, and in this world of resource-based conflict and ignorance, such individuals are rare. Rarer still are those who act in the absolutely correct manner, for, whatever this manner may be, the vast variety of people who exist in our society, shows that whatever the correct moral code of behaviour is, it must be very much a minority.