Title: Moral Absence in Everyday Life | Psychology Today
Headings: Moral Absence in Everyday Life
Darcia F. Narvaez Ph.D.
Moral Absence in Everyday Life
Moral presence is an ongoing challenge

Content: We may lead ourselves away from capacities to concentrate with constant attention shifting between one screen or another and forget to be present in the moment (see book, Distracted ). Focus on an alternative goal. Famous experiments have shown that focused attention (counting ball passes) can make us miss the otherwise obvious (a gorilla walking through the scene). We can also have a "moral" goal that makes us insensitive to immediate needs of others around us, as in the experiment showing that time constraints led to seminarians stepping over moaning victims (actors) on their way to giving a sermon on the Good Samaritan. Distance. We can also be distant in decision making, always a danger for immoral action. Deciding on the fate of people you don't know from a desk or computer is a way to diffuse responsibility ('I was just following orders'). article continues after advertisement
Of course, sometimes following a script is the thing to do to show respect, such as protocol during weddings or funerals. Sometimes emotionally detaching protects life, as a doctor does in an emergency room. But generally, it is important to keep tuned into one’s emotions as one takes actions.