Why be Moral?

[lehighguy]

The pledge post got me thinking about something. If there is no higher being/something beyond man/put anything you want here, why should someone act in a "moral" way. Do morals even exist in such a framework. Or are we simply all acting the way we do out of fear of retribution should we break the rules. What is to stop someone that can get rid of that fear from acting however they want.

Are we all just little Stalins and Napoleans without the power they had. Would we all act "as we pleased" with absolute power.