A great deal of the acrimony in our public conversation arises from our understanding…….our definition of right and wrong. Today I want to explore this idea.
Right/wrong is a concept that is an inescapable part of the human condition. It is part of our “operating system”……our “Read Only Memory”. In a word, it is written on our hearts. It is so essential, that the few people among us who operate without it are considered mentally ill…….sociopaths. And yet, for such an integral part of our being, we give right/wrong very little thought.
So what are the facts about right/wrong?
Right/wrong has an existence completely apart from us…….from our wants and needs, from our situation, from our desires and appetites. We serve right/wrong…..not the other way around.
Right/wrong does not change……..ever. It is not “a living document”.
Right/wrong is a concept that is universal because it is essential. It was put into us by our creator.
Right/wrong is just as critical to our function as our pancreas.
Right/wrong is not something that we created…….it is not something that we get to redefine…….it is not something that we get to fine tune to satisfy our current appetites.
Right/wrong is truth. It is the truth because it was put there by a higher authority…….our creator.
Right/wrong makes living in a society much smoother…….but that is not its primary function. Summary execution for traffic violations would make travel much more efficient…..but that would be wrong.
Right/wrong has a primary function that is much closer to home. Right/wrong is required for me to thrive. Right/wrong is required for you to thrive. That is why our creator gave it to us. Living your life outside of the confines of right/wrong causes untold suffering for you and for those around you. This suffering is not and never was a part of God’s plan for us.
There is a test that I try to use when I am getting ready to say or do something. This test, when I use it successfully, helps to bring my life more in line with right/wrong. This test is a key ingredient in living a full and satisfying life.
Three questions:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it helpful?
Three yesses and it’s probably right.
One no and it’s probably wrong.
And that gets down to the meat of the problem. We are hard wired with the concept of right/wrong…….but we have free will……..we are not forced to adhere to right/wrong. We live in the most technologically advanced society that we have ever encountered. The list of things that are possible is exploding.
But…….right/wrong……. doesn’t change. For a growing segment of the world population, more consideration goes into the question, “what can we do?” than into the question, “is it right or wrong?” More and more our choices are driven by our appetites rather than our innate understanding of right/wrong.
I think we would come closer to thriving as human beings if we used the three questions as part of our daily decision making process.
I am convinced that the three questions will help bring us into harmony with the universal truth of right/wrong.
I am convinced that living my life in harmony with the concept of right/wrong is the key to thriving in a world that gets crazier by the day.
If only I can just pull it off.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Solomon, Proverbs, 14:12, ESV
For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Paul, Romans 7:19, ESV
“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,
Moses, Deuteronomy, 12:8, ESV