What is Right? What is wrong? This seem like a very easy question. But when you ask 10 people this question, you will get 10 diffenrent long lists. You may surprise to find that some of the items in one person's "right" list may be appear in another person's "wrong" list.
We always judge "rigth" or wrong" by action, but the problem is an action may be "right' in this time, at this place, to this particular being, but it may be "wrong" in another time, place and another person. This always make us confuse. Few weeks back, when i chit chat with my brother in law, he told me somebody told him, nothing wrong with robbing and stealing, cos the robbers and thieft need to survive. This make him confuse, at one hand he know that the "actions" (rob and steal) is wrong, but what the guy say also have a point.
Guys and gals, if you were me, what will you say? and may I know what is your "right" and "wrong"? care to share?
9 comments:
"Just do it RIGHT" was the nick that I happened to use on my MSN this week.
The nick was there to provide guidance to my kids both at home and at work to do the right things. In my context "doing right things" means doing something that will not cause sufferring to anyone.
So I have 2 questions for everyone.
1. What did I do wrong for using the nick?
2. What is "doing the right things" and "doing things right"?
any my third question..
Doing the right thing is RIGHT and doing things right is WRONG?
and... suffering can be to someone is a pleasure. agree?
alfred
Hahaha, Alfred, ya is you nick inspire me to write this post. Cos for few weeks before I saw your nick, just happen to discuss with few different person about this topic, and most of them hv different idea. Find is interesting to discuss. Hope that can get more idea from more people. Guys got more question to answer now :P
This is complicated. We all think we know it to the bone, and yet quietly everyone is confused too.
I think in the context of right and wrong, there is no absolute clear cut. Alfred said it right, things that we do that create no harm would be the right things to do, and vice versa. But when we have to discuss about the right thing to do and doing things right, the comparison leads me to another track of thoughts. That is, "doing the right thing" itself should have no problem, but problems started when we start to generalize what are the right things to do according to our believe system, culture and social expectation, the good thing about it is we have good guidelines to follow, on the other hand, are they always "right" in different situations and era?
Yoga talks about yama, and buddhism talks about non-violence, both emphasis on not only non-violence to others but also non-violence to ourselves. In most traditions, people tend to forget about the latter or do not think it is important, quietly resulting other forms of suffering and social issues.
So how are we to judge right and wrong? Whatever we do, if we can face the consequences, then we can go and do them, if we cannot, then we might want to think twice!
Haha, seem like getting complicated and interesting in this post. Actually my initial question is just to get different point of view on "right" and "wrong". shall I share mine here?
For me "right" is any action that benifit living beings and "wrong' is any action that harm living beings, of cos included ourself, because we are part of living being.
Alfred, ya I like your idea about "right" thing, but you seem a bit confuse with the idea of "suffering", cos at the end you say "suffering can be to someone is a pleasure". Are you mean, if we know this person is enjoy some kind of "suffering", then we should make him "suffer"? Why not lead him/her out from the suffering if we can?
In my opinion, "doing the right things" and "doing things right" is the same if we really know what is "right" and "wrong". But is impossible for us to know it 100%. So we need some guideline, and this guideline is the "right things". For example the 5 precepts in Buddhism or some other precepts in other religions. But are these "right" at all the time and place? This part I think our wisdom have to play the role, and guide us to "do things right".
Joan I like your conclusion. Remember the robber story? For me the robber do the "right" thing for himself, but he do the "wrong" thing to others. I tell my brother in law, "why not you ask the guy, how will he feel if somebody rob him?" If he feel happy and enjoy, ok then he can say the robber is right, if not, sorry he is not qualified to say that. :)
Anyone care to share more? or very disagree what I say here, your comments are most welcome.
it seems more n more complicated...
i have no such wisdom to give comment hoh... :P
"right is wrong, wrong is right", when right compare with wrong, then it is right, and when worng compare with right... then it is wrong... no comparison... there will be "no right and wrong"
such a stupid comment hoh...haha
Yes of coz... Angel the zen master!
angel is not zen master lar... angel is angel.. just want to be happy all the time... don't like to spend time in such complicated things.
Life can be simple, yet it can be complicated. Angel prefer to chose a simple life.... :)
Angel, what u say is even more "Zen" now. Hahaha... u really become zen master laio.
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