Cultural Matrix Overview And Values Essay

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After studying Stan Rummel’s “Greco/Roman Cultural Matrix Overview and Values” sections, our class chose to use the virtue of pietas of the Roman Cultural Matrix to construct a personal reflection paper. I also use the primary source from course website: “Cicero on Duty” in the essay. Pietas is defined that it is “performance of responsibilities to one’s parents, ancestors, relatives, along with deities and the state.” (Stan Rummel hand out) I am not a citizen of American because I am an international student. However, I lived in this country studying for a long time; I seem to be “almost like a citizen.” As a citizen, I have to obey the rules of the country where I live. I should also fulfill all my responsibilities such as voting
As a worshipper of God, Jesus, everything I do must fit within the rules of the church. For example, I go to church every Sunday. I will only get married one time in my life and cannot be divorced from my husband. Following the rule, when I get married to a person in front of a priest, I have a contract for life with that person in front of God and cannot break that contract. However, the rules of church sometimes contrast with the society. There is a rule about killing people; I cannot kill another person. But if I have to kill my enemy in war, am I a guilty person in front of God? I used to ask this question to a priest and he said: “no” because I have to do that to protect myself and my country. If something like this happens, I can make a decision that sit well with my conscience. I will not do anything that goes against my conscience. The virtue of pietas is true for our society. When a person lives in a society, he or she has some responsibilities for one role of his or her life. He or she can be a doctor, a student, a mother, a priest, etc. Even if a person is a president, he or she at least has to perform the responsibilities of a president to his or her citizens. Pietas can help a person to override the acts of selfish