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Morals are principles concerned with right and wrong behaviour. They can change over time, and they can vary according to circumstances.

For example, most people would agree that it immoral to give a toddler an alcoholic beverage. On the other hand, offering a senior citizen a glass of red wine for the benefit of his heart would be considered an act of kindness and morally acceptable..

Giving money to a homeless beggar would be a moral act. Giving money to a criminal on the run, to help him make his getaway, would be viewed as immoral by the majority.

Calling a shut-in to inquire about their health, and engage in a friendly chat is an act of charity. However, doing so at 3:00 A.M. and delivering your message in a threatening tone would definitely be wrong or immoral.

It's evident that morals can change according to motivation and to the circumstances prevailing at the time the action in question is occurring.

When I was a child, my mother had a beautiful black seal fur coat that she wore every winter. When the coat came out of storage, you knew that summer was over, and cold weather was right around the corner.

The coat was soft and shiny and I loved to stroke it with my hand or rub my cheek along it when it was the hanger waiting to be worn.

It was beneficial to Mother because she had asthma, and when she caught a cold, she often ended up in the hospital breathing with the aid of oxygen. At that time, in the 1940s and 50s, it might well have been considered a moral act for my father to sacrifice other amenities for the family and buy her that coat.

Subsequently, in the latter half of the twentieth century, world-wide communications improved. Television became a fixture in most homes, first black-and-white, then in living colour. Films from around the world brought news right into the living room. For the first time, I realized where that beautiful, silky seal fur actually originated.

These lovely northern creatures were shown being cruelly clubbed to death by heartless hunters, anxious to enrich themselves through sale of the fur of the animals they so unfeelingly bludgeoned to death.

At the same time, sensitivity to animal suffering of many kinds increased among the populations of many countries.

In 1980, an organization dedicated to animal welfare, PETA, was founded. The slogan of this organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is "Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment". PETA has expanded until it now has branches in countries around the world.

About the same time, science gifted those of us dwelling in cold climates with a new material. It was dubbed "fake fur". It looked like fur, felt like fur, and it wrapped the wearer in warmth as effectively as the real thing.

Most importantly, no animals had to die when humans adorned themselves in synthetic fur.

Now, it could easily be considered immoral to wear real fur. I, for one, would feel uncomfortable doing so.

It was not always so, but in this matter, as in others, morals have changed. If mother were still alive, I think she would be among the first to agree that a seal coat looks much better on the seal than it ever did on her. Mother was a woman of eminent good sense.

Learn more about this author, Carolyn Tytler.
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