I learned something interesting about myself tonight while watching TV. So interesting, in fact, I'm not talking about it.

Tease!

Do your morals/ethics/beliefs change to fit your mood?

You're right, this kind of thing does happen a lot.  To me, it represents a rather shallow character.  It indicates one of two things: someone does not understand the reasoning behind why they hold the values they do, thusly they don't see much of a reason to hold to those values; or their personal desire to ignore their moral code is stronger than their desire to adhere to it.  Everyone has some sort of moral code, no matter how weak or strong, partial or complete, sensible or twisted.

How about more moral: someone opposes the death penalty, and then a loved one is murdered.

What a splendid example, this really points to the heart of the matter.  There are two rather distinct perspectives on the death penalty.  First is that of revenge, second is justice.  Some have a hard time distinguishing between the two and cannot understand the difference.  In the instance you describe, a person can think that revenge is bad (which it is) and be tempted to abandon that belief in the overwhelming emotion of losing a loved one and desire revenge.

So, does that kind of situation (apply to your favorite belief/theory/etc) warrant a re-examination of those ideas you have? Do you change to suit your mood, or do you stick to your original conviction? What are the costs of following either option? And, are ANY ideas you have set in concrete?

Specific beliefs and values will always change and evolve as we grow and learn.  However, holding and releasing your own moral code to suit selfishness and convenience is the way of a morally weak person.  Living by a code can be a bitter pill.  If we were perfect people we would never have to taste that self-imposed correction.  Some find the idea of being in the wrong so distasteful that they abandon most all conventionaly morality and do only that which serves themselves, they twist their own code around what is best for themselves.  You can see this constantly by the ridiculous logic that is thrown around to try and justify the lack of consideration for anyone else.  I believe our society is a reflection of that selfishness.

As for the costs, I think they are are almost entirely internal.  One could say that people would be repelled by someone with such shifty principles, but that just isn't true.  There are others with shifty principles who would be happy to hang out with their kind, and there are always the gullible.  It is true that the quality of these relationships would be lacking so I suppose that would be a price one would pay.  Doing the right thing can have it's costs, no doubt, but I really like the benefits.

My visit to Japan was a welcome look at a society that lives by a code not focused on the individual.

The death penalty is a good example.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to kill your loved one's murderer.  That feeling is less a function of ethical makeup than rage and sorrow over losing a loved one.  There is also nothing wrong with wanting to show mercy to the same person at the same time. 

One individual harboring conflicting views of what should happen in this situation is not at all abnormal and does not reflect a 'bending' of their moral and ethical constitution.  The interesting part comes when they decide which view they will act on.

I question the wisdom of not acknowledging and embracing these inner crisis.  To ignore or repress them is to turn a blind eye to fundamental human nature. 

Personally, I've found the less I shy away from the parts of myself that I don't like, the more clarity I have when those aspects that would twist my morals if left unbridled come to the surface.

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"...are ANY ideas you have set in concrete?"

I hope the answer to your question is no…  How does one grow if the answer is yes?  How can one be open to new ways of thinking and new experiences? 

Once exposed to new thoughts and experiences, I may choose to keep my ideas the same, but the exposure has broadened my mind.   How can I learn to blend, if I'm not open?

As far as the other aspect of your query, emotions can direct action.  For those of us who have not attained mastery over self, this can be a daily occurrence (and struggle).  How I feel after the action determines whether my MBEs are ---to quote movie—“more guidelines rather than rules”.  I hope my core belief is a rule and I endeavor not to break it or bend it too often.

mary

I could be a bit more concise and say that it's ok to FEEL like one wants to cross a line they have drawn in the sand, but there must be a compelling reason to actually do it.

Direct answer whether my beliefs change on a whim to fit my frame of mind?  No, they don't.  However they are not concrete and over time I've grown to welcome challenges to their foundations.

Where it gets interesting is I may not always act with expressed accordance with my beliefs.  That usually makes me feel a bit worthless afterwards.

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In my younger, teenage years I held very strict morals/values/rules about the world. I was at that time "straight-edge". No drugs, drinking, smoking, etc. I viewed the world in a black and white setting. Right and wrong were very clear. Then life happened and I realized that things are not black and white. Gray is everywhere. Sometimes right is NOT right. I have broken many of the rules I once told myself could never be broken, that they were the supreme RIGHT and that my honor would be tainted if I did. It isn't that simple. I used to believe that drinking was a supreme evil and vowed that I would never do it. That I have now done so does not mean I am weak of character or that I have dishonored myself, it just means that my perspective has changed and that I have grown to see the world in a wider view. I think that we have to break and challenge and even go against what we believe in to truly see if it is worth believing in.

Are we to be inflexible of mind? I grow everyday and so do my convictions. And yes, I have violated my own beliefs on a whim, to make things easier. I am human. I try to hold on to what I believe when I can, but sometimes we have to be lenient on our own beliefs every once in a while. They work so hard. Give them some time off sometimes.

I don't know if I make any sense. I think I got off subject. Oh well. I certainly won't brood on it. I think I took to much philosophy in college. I believe the possibility that its ALL "right".

Faeth

"Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

If I'm following this correctly, an analogy might be that normally you would give back extra money that a clerk might accidentally hand you.  But one day you are really hurting for cash and it happens, so you figure that just this once you can put your normal virtue aside and keep the money.  You come up with justifications to ease you conscience about it, and tell yourself that tomorrow you'll go back to doing the right thing again.  A much more toned down version of the death penalty instance, but it really depends on whether the occurrence changes your morality or values permanently or just temporarily.

Is that closer to the topic you had in mind?

I've found that those justifications throw up red flags to me, both when they pop into my mind and when I see them spoken by others.