Derivation of the Moral Framework

Moral behavior to a religious person is derived from interpretation of ancient texts.  Not only are these texts interpreted, and in interpretation from the original language necessarily modified, but are also so far removed from the current social contract that they strain to be relevant.  Add in the factor that there is no evidence for anything supernatural let alone an omniscient deity, and we are left with the only recourse of abandoning religion as a basis for moral behavior.  Where then, should we derive our moral framework that will guide us in making moral decisions?  We already know what moral behavior is and have been practicing it for millennia.  We found out long ago that entering into a society and cooperating with the members of that society facilitates our long-term survival.  We had mores and morals long before the invention of dogmatic religion and probably before written language.  Morality is simply the behavior that promotes the long-term survival of the collective while providing latitude for the individual to direct the course of their life.  No society can attain the status of a clearly independent society without the cooperation of the vast majority of its populous. The rules of behavior and law must be observed without significant deviation in order for the people to reap the benefits that a sustainable society can provide. The overwhelming majority of people in the United States do not commit serious crimes. They act in accordance with the norms of behavior set down by law and custom. While deviant behavior is certainly a problem, it does not bring our civilization to the point of disintegration.  Moral behavior derives from a conscious examination of our collective situation and determining the behavior that will bring the greatest benefit without destroying individual expression.  It is not complicated or dogmatic in this sense.  It only demands empirical introspection.