Ethics and Training

And we read in aphorisms of Imam Ali (A.S.):
The believer’s time has three periods: the period when he is in communion with Allah, the period when he manages for his livelihood, and the period when he is free to enjoy what is lawful and pleasant. 5
And this phrase is added to some traditions:
«وَ ذلِکَ عَوْنٌ عَلى سائِرِ السّاعاتِ».
“And the last part is tonic and refreshing for the other parts.”
Individual and Social Morality
Some believe that all moral principles return to the man’s special social relations with others so that if there was no society, and any man lived completely apart from the others, and any individual lived unaware of existence of others, “ethics” was basically meaningless because envy and jealousy, modesty and pride, good opinion, justice and injustice, chastity, generosity and stinginess, and such like are all strictly meaningful within the society and contact of man with others. Thus man minus society will be accompanied with man minus ethic.
But while confessing that most of moral virtues and vices are concerned with social life of man, we believe this could not be generalized. Because there are a great number of moral cases which have only an individual aspect, and are true for a single man too.
For instance, patience or impatience for afflictions, bravery or fear for events, endeavour or laziness in achievement to one’s objective, ignorance or attention to the Creator of the world, thanksgiving or ingratitude for His endless favours and such affairs, which ethics scholars have discussed in ethical books and have called them moral virtues or vices, that could have an individual aspect, and are truthful for one living completely isolated from the society.
Hereof division of morality into “individual morality” and “social morality” is clarified. However, it is obvious that social morality is more important in ethics, and man’s personality focuses on it, although individual morality too has a considerable part in respect to oneself.
Big Mistake
It should be mentioned herein that those who isolate themselves from the society for purification of morals and training their souls, secluding themselves and supposing that they can achieve this great aim better in this way, are completely wrong.
Because they actually destroy the subject of social morality, and although they avoid some vices in this way, it is not really considered a virtue. It looks like the one who cuts his sexual apparatus for avoiding adultery and lewdness, although he is not tainted with unchastity, but this will not be a virtue for him.
Moreover, experience has shown that isolation and seclusion from society will cause a series of moral vices such as peevishness, suspicion, vanity and conceit, and suspicion of divine predestination in man, which will be illustrated in a separate discussion in detail.
So, Islam has encouraged Muslims to have a social life and to live in large cities and has recommended observance of moral principles in the heart of society.
Way of treatment of Moral Deviations
Now, we shall study details of “moral virtues” and ways of treatment of “moral vices”. However, two points are noteworthy:
First point: We shall always treat those involved in moral deviations like a patient, because as it was already referred, moral deviations are in fact a sort of mental disease, which sometimes result in physical diseases too, and or vice versa sometimes they originate from physical diseases. Thus, we shall observe herein the same principles which we observe in the treatment of physical diseases.
Second point: we always consider three principles in the treatment of diseases:
1- Diagnosis of disease
2- Finding causes of disease
3- Way of treatment of disease
We usually use symptoms and consequences of disease for its diagnosis. Of course, this is a relatively simple task in respect to physical diseases, especially with existing facilities and equipment. But in view of moral cases, it is a very complicated matter, because moral deviations often have similar manifestations and symptoms, or there are some manifestations which are caused by a mixture of several moral diseases, and their diagnosis becomes difficult, and thus the ethics scholar and soul physician should study this science patiently and carefully for treating himself or the others.
For finding the causes of a disease, one should also carefully study biography of the deviated person, specially the backgrounds of his childhood period, which constitutes foundation of man’s personality, as well as his family and social environment, his occupation and job and geographical area for recognizing the causes of a moral disease. Even heritage should not be ignored, because ill-humour (like physical diseases) is sometimes inheritable.
And for treating moral vices, it should be noted that if they have become chronic, they should be treated patiently and carefully and vigilantly, and one shall never get tired by lapse of time. However, if they are superficial and extrinsic, they will be treated in a shorter period.
For this reason, correction of moral vices of youths and children is much easier than adults. Because the former are both tainted and treated soon.
Imam As-Sadiq (A.S.) said:
Pay attention to the youths, who are ready for quick acceptance of any goodness. 6
Hygiene of morality
It is also noteworthy that current medicine is actually divided into two parts: “therapeutic medicine” and “hygienic medicine”. What is meant by therapeutic medicine is clear. But hygienic medicine refers to preventing occurrence of diseases and destroying their causes, and since preventing a disease is much easier than curing it, hygiene has a precious importance in the life of individuals and destiny of the societies. On this account, heavy budgets are spent for it.
These two parts exactly exist in moral cases and mental diseases. So, we shall avoid occurrence of moral deviations as far as possible, and try for hygiene of morality of ourselves and others through adopting necessary counsels.