Philosophy Friday - Obligations (And Promises)

Hello and welcome to Philosophy Friday; that day of the week where I talk about the importance of Obligations and Promises, and the interesting facts behind why people break or keep them.

Diamond rings are pretty. So are promises. It's a shame to break either of them...

You ever told anyone you were going to do something but didn't follow through? More than likely; Humans are very flawed beings. Flaws are forgivable though, being undependable by choice; less so. If you think obligations and promises are something worth keeping to, then you might find this post to be of interest.

I'm going to preface this post before I get into the interesting philosophical discussions I like having on Friday's by saying that I am by no means preaching, nor am I judging other people. I make a point of being one of the least judgmental people you can meet, and am always happy to greet and talk to anyone and give them a chance. As such what I am about to discuss is more relevant to my own beliefs and ideals than anything else, (However naive they may possibly be), and should by no means be considered an attack on anyone who doesn't agree with those beliefs or ideals.

So, that said; Obligations and Promises. The necessities of civil and social life. Don't believe me? When you sign a contract, that is essentially a written promise and set of obligations. So what if every single person that's ever signed a contract decided to ignore their obligations? That's no more workers anywhere, people will go around talking about things they shouldn't, things like laws would be ignored as well (scary thought that), and things like basic provisions for your house like refuse removal and utilities would likely stop working very quickly. So yes, Obligations and Promises are rather important. (Unless of course you live by yourself in a cave somewhere... but then, how are you reading this?)

Having established the need for them in everyone's life, what about on a more personal level? Well, there have been a few low points in my life where my obligations where all that had me getting up in the morning. For me, obligations mean that somebody is depending on you, and bearing in mind that my personality is largely based on altruism, I don't like letting people down. So obligations not only helped those I promised to work for, but it gave me the motivation to be productive with my life. (Much like this blog does for me now.) Not to mention, if you get a kick out of making people happy, following through on obligations is like an addiction. There's also the benefit that people are far more willing to like/help you when you help them, so that's always a plus.

So here's the question: Why do people not follow through with obligations and promises? Perhaps as is usual, I'm of a select few that belief obligations and promises are as important as I have just stated them to be. This would be a good explanation... but then, how is civilization being maintained. Seven billion people would require a fair amount of cooperation to maintain in civilization; So that seems unlikely.
What is likely is that promises being broken are those which are perceived by the average person as "unimportant". Law can get you arrested. Contracts can see your wallet hurt significantly. But offering to help someone? Or perhaps a wedding vow to never be guilty of infidelity? What are the worst possible consequences of those issues? Divorce, someone yelling at you, or maybe even nothing. In the minds of people who do not consider promises to be important, the pro's certainly outweigh the cons.

An unfortunate reality is that if the promises or obligations do not benefit the person, and there are no perceivable consequences beyond those that other people may feel, than some people see that as reason enough to ignore them. A shame, but nobody is perfect. All humans are flawed in some manner; and are all the more interesting as people for it. While I do find it a shame personally that things of such importance as marriage vows and promises of similar prestige would be discarded so easily, it's not my place to tell anyone they shouldn't be doing that, as that would be highly hypocritical in terms of my liberal beliefs. That doesn't mean I won't strive to at least myself never be an example of what I don't like. My word is my honor, so when I say something, I do it. (Which is why I continue to blog every day by the way.)

In any case, it will be interesting to see how the world continues to change in the future, and how people develop in their ways of interacting with each other. Perhaps it will be completely different one day, and I will end up writing a blog post about how nice people are. I'll probably do that anyways though. There are fantastic people out there and there are not fantastic people out there; a description which will likely always remain correct.

Regardless, I hope that you have found something of interest to think about from this post. If you have something you wish to add, please consider doing so in the comments below and perhaps consider sharing this with other fellow thinker types that you may be friends with. Perhaps they will enjoy considering this same topic. If you enjoy the posts I write, or just think I'm funny, please consider liking my Facebook page or following me on Twitter with the associated button on the bar to the right. Either way, I hope you have/had an AWESOME day, and I will see you tomorrow.

Farewell friends.