Response: “How different is your modern culture from the sawi tenants?”

Response to the question, “How different is your modern culture from the sawi tenants?”

Italicized texts are those I wished to say but may not be directly relevant to to responding to the question.

It is notably different in a way. Treachery and a treacherous murder was idealized in the Sawi culture, and that's not (at least not publicly) idealized in my culture. However, even that is not completely alien to the culture that I live in; even if it doesn't result in cannibalism and treacherous murder, betrayal, deception, and selfishness still exist in my society. I think that's demonstrative of the fact that there is no inherent superiority of morality in the people's nature of my society over that in the Sawi people. Before I go on, I would like to state that I am probably coming from the perspective of my Christian theology and doctrines (claim of original sin definitely is).

In a sentence I don't think we (those in the modernized society) have more moral nature than the Sawi people, but both are born with original sin and are born sinners capable of committing any morally depraved act (sin). Think of any of us, for instance, being born in the Sawi, raised just like a Sawi, and completely disconnected from anything we've encountered in our real life that is not part of a Sawi's life – would we have been any different from a typical Sawi?

Unless there was some sort of intervention that spoke differently from the Sawi tenants, likely not. Such may demonstrate that it is not because the Sawi are not born with anymore depravity than us nor are we born with greater nobility – we're born with the same inherent nature in terms of morality, which I say is an innate sinfulness. And, from my Christian view, the grace of God is needed for humanity to gain true morality, as well as order on the surface.

I say that because anything good that has been given, including both the common order, such as the prevention of everybody running around and killing the next person they meet in the street, as well as a genuine transformation of a person that allows immorality to be severed, can be traced back to God, for He is the source of every good and perfect gift; since sinners are undeserving of any favor, the favor(like those I just mentioned) must be an undeserved favor – that is, grace.

So, yes, some of the Sawi tenants may seem different from modern culture's publicized idea of nobility. But that does not indicate an innate superiority from our part, but a difference wrought through the influence the people of the respective societies received and then passed on.

Nonetheless, an actual examination of the modern culture may also find that it has its share of corruption – and maybe not very different from the Sawi's, even if the manifested actions or the degree of public acceptance/criticism agaisnt such aren't exactly the same. For example, in modernized societies, though it is not necessarily publicly idealized as the highest possible ideal, treachery may still exist; and though it may not show up often in a murder followed by cannibalism, but it may in other forms.

I do think, without saying that the immoral practices that were been in the Sawi culture were morally alright or lowering ethical standards, a scrutiny of our own society might let us discover that our society too have its immorality, and that our society is not perfect (but I don't intend to say, speaking personally, we shouldn't make efforts to do what's right).