morality

have you ever wondered where we get our moral and ethical standards? It is obvious to conclude that every living being lives by some code of ethics, but how and why do we see differentiation between individuals? For instance, some philosophers argue that all of our morality and ethics are simply social constructs, which would explain why we see different sets of values varying from culture to culture. But notice if you go along that train of thought, than are we merely products of our environment? Furthermore, if they are social constructs who decides what is "right" or "wrong"? the government? the people, because they vote for the government? my point being is that things that this culture has deemed as right or wrong are not necessarily as such, merely they are what we have been taught as right or wrong. This to me is scary because if what i've said above holds to be true, than we are no better then lemmings following a leader. Is it because we are afraid to think on our own? that we would rather be told what to think and how to feel rather than trust our own instincts and rationality?...just some questions i had rolling through my mind this afternoon.