The "Minimal Standard"

I oftentimes wonder - doesn't everyone at some point - how much better this world would be if everyone out there could just maintain a minimal standard of virtue. I mean, when you think about it, how hard is it - really - for most people to refrain from extreme acts of violence, destruction and mayhem, or desist from needless hostility, rancor, animosity directed toward others or eschew scenarios of random cruelty, exploitation and oppression? The most pressing "thou shalt nots"  are pretty obvious aren't they? Don't murder, don't torture, don't enslave others- simple formula, right? So plan your day accordingly. Keep your clothes on; don't scare the horses. And oh, if you can, be kind to old people, children and stray animals. "Keep a clean nose, wash your clean clothes." It is just so amazingly straightforward. And while we're on the subject, is it so very difficult to go the extra mile and avoid getting one's hands wet with:  theft, larceny, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, kidnapping, extortion, harassment, stalking, vandalism, arson, perjury (in court, no less) - all felonies that come at a high price? Just imagine a world where everyone woke up and ran through their respective schedules and forgot to commit that single felonious act on their calendars. How transformative that would be! But let us concede before going any further - human nature being what it is - certain other habits of snobbery and pride, prejudice, envy, resentment, vanity and greed  (with even a modicum of lust and wrath thrown in for good measure) - will no doubt creep into the equation unawares, but that's a whole lot more acceptable than the more egregious and seemingly more popular crimes listed above that still (!) continue to blight our globe on a daily basis. On the bright side, I suppose, (so hard to invoke sometimes) we should be thankful for the "good people" out there  - whatever percentage of the population they happen to comprise  (5%, 17%, 24%?) - who are busy helping to keep the planet intact through their quotidian efforts, labors of love, acts of random kindness, duties of due care. Melville was haunted by the "mystery of iniquity" that led some people to become predators and destroyers of civility, but it seems equally puzzling how so many people (not enough, but still a goodly portion) are willing to persevere in that more difficult road of humility and sacrifice.