The Comfort of Moral Absolutism
In a complex world marked by moral ambiguity, the declaration of righteousness offers an attractive relief:
- Fixed Coordinates: It provides a clear, unmoving ethical map. This certainty allows a group to operate with decisiveness, unburdened by the paralysis of endless debate or the anxiety of compromise.
- A Shield Against Shame: By claiming inherent goodness, the group creates an ethical buffer. Mistakes become mere deviations, and failures are often reframed as external attacks on their virtuous mission, rather than internal flaws requiring self-correction.
- The Power of Clarity: For followers, the righteous mandate is empowering. It transforms ordinary actions into morally significant acts, making compliance with group norms feel like an elevated, heroic duty.
The Accountability Deficit
The primary failing of the "We are righteous" mindset is the massive accountability deficit it creates. When virtue is claimed as a fixed trait, rather than an active pursuit, the necessity of being held to account vanishes.
- Judging the Judge: A self-declared righteous group often assumes the role of moral judge over others, but refuses to sit in the defendant’s chair itself. This leads to one-sided justice where rules and moral standards are rigorously applied outward but not inward.
- Moral Hazard: The conviction of being fundamentally good creates a moral hazard. Believing their ultimate goals are pure, the group feels entitled to use ethically questionable means—deception, coercion, or exclusion—to achieve them. The righteousness of the end is seen to justify any means.
- The Stagnation of the Soul: True ethical development requires humility and the willingness to admit fault. When righteousness becomes a declaration of perfection, the group loses its capacity for this moral introspection, ensuring that its ethical code becomes rigid, outdated, and ultimately, hypocritical.
A Call for Dynamic Righteousness
For a group's ethical foundation to be truly robust, it must replace the rigid boast of "We are righteous" with the dynamic commitment to "We choose to act justly."
- Righteousness as a Verb: The moral focus must shift from being (a claim of status) to doing (a continuous act of service). Ethical maturity is measured by the commitment to fairness, empathy, and integrity in every moment, not by a historical or ideological claim.
- The Virtue of Scrutiny: A truly confident moral identity embraces rigorous self-examination. It views internal critics and external skepticism not as threats, but as essential tools for sharpening its ethical edges.
- Service Over Superiority: The righteous impulse should drive a group toward service and upliftment of others, particularly the marginalized, rather than toward the assertion of moral superiority or the condemnation of those who differ.
The ultimate reckoning for any group claiming "We are righteous" is to understand that the declaration is not an ending; it is a profound and difficult beginning of a lifelong commitment to ethical humility and service.