Right and Wrong

I've been contemplating such things as good and evil, right and wrong a good bit tonight. It is something I have frequently revisited, and which while easy to comprehend, can be difficult to find the razor edge between the two.

I have always strived to do what is right. Not what is popular, not what others think I should do, but what I feel is the right thing to do, deep down. It is not easy to decide, sometimes. It is often not easy to do when you do decide. I have often failed, and sometimes refused to even try, or simply acted on impulse. But, I would like to think, I have more often done what is right than failed to do so. But there is an entire other side of this. This is where most people slide down the wrong path, succumb to the easy evil. Inaction.

Any time you make a decision, there are three choices at the least. You can go one way or you can go the other. Or you can refuse to decide. But a lack of a decision is still a decision. Say you know that there is someone being hurt. To decide not to summon help is to not do what is right. However, by remaining indecisive, you have effectively done the same thing.

Kids do this all the time with bullying. Most kids do not think it's right, or ok, or support it. But they do nothing to stop it. Simply by saying something or stepping between the bully and the victim, they could stop it cold. But, by not doing anything, they support it.

There are many times that I, and most people, have simply done nothing. I am becoming more and more aware of how wrong it is. To make matters more frustrating, you cannot simply think about the present situation either. Many things require thinking things through, on into the future. Take the bullying for instance. Not only are you allowing that particular action to take place, but future actions will occur based on the success of the first. What I'm saying is that the old adage about the way to hell being paved with the best of intentions is true. Annoying, isn't it?

One final note, a bit different than the others, but still related. Cheating. Everyone knows its wrong, although some choose to ignore that aspect of it. There are exceptions to be made for mutual understanding of the constraints of a relationship and what not, but let us not get into that for now. And before anyone wonders, there has been no cheating involved in my relationship. Sparky and I have both been faithful and happily so. My point is this. It is wrong to cheat. It is even more wrong to have an ongoing affair. But it is also wrong to not tell your partner about it. First and foremost, to my mind, is the damage to the relationship. If they don't know the relationship has problems enough that such an action was taken, they cannot help repair it. There are also the potential health problems involved, both from possible STD contraction and an angry third party showing up. Doing what is wrong is easy. But doing what is right, especially after doing something as wrong as cheating, is incredibly difficult. But if a relationship is to be salvaged, it is best to be open about the feelings and the root causes. To discover some other way about the affair would be even more hurtful than to be told by the one who did it.

Long story short, doing the right thing is rarely easy. Sometimes, it downright hurts to do. Sometimes it hurts everyone involved, but is still for the best. But it is the best we can do, and if more people would simply step up and do the right thing, rather than the wrong thing or nothing at all, this world could be a much nicer place.

I sound like something out of a Disney movie. Sorry about that, I'll probably be back to sarcasm and vague points soon enough.