Morality has a dark side. When used to judge yourself, it's a powerful way to cut through the rationalizations for bad behavior, and hopefully lead to better be

Morality has a dark side. When used to judge yourself, it's a powerful way to cut through the rationalizations for bad behavior, and hopefully lead to better behavior. When used to judge others, morality almost always leads to self-righteousness, and contempt for people that don't live up to your standards. Usually the "standards" also change rapidly in a cycle to feed one's own self-worth by judging others more and more harshly. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and the Red Scare are all examples of morality going awry. And we are in one of these cycles now... there is no doubt in my mind.