Doing What Is Right?

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it BECAUSE it is right.-- Dr. Martin Luther King

Desiderata welcomes again New Zealand-based YoungSabrina, doing dental studies at a university there, as she responds to my Post yesterday. I heartily welcome her questioning, for different perspectives to an issue shed different lights and shades to the heart of the matter. If I may add to my post yesterday, certain issues have clear definitions of Right and Wrong, where universal religious values (presuming we accept them) teach us to differentiate Black ("Wrong") from White ("Right").

(Please note the use of the colours B&W in this context casts no aspersion towards any being, object or quality except for the common "figurative" association of ceratin qualities with those colours. -- Desiderata)

One example of common religious instruct: Thou shall not kill.
Under normal times, humanity dictates that all human life is sacred and non-negotiable. This is an "absolute" teaching of all religions.

But under abnormal times, like in times of war or rebellion, soldiers are trianed to "kill or be killed". This variation is only applicable under special and usually "not normal" circumstances.

But on many other "values" like kindness, charity, civil-mindedness,and patriotism, there are different levels or degress of practice. Thery enter into "subjective" territory, and this is where the test of human civilization lies. And civilsociety aspires towards achieving the higher scales of such desirablle human values like kindness, charity, civility and patriotism.

There is a word Chiaroscuro which is the name picked by my buddy MGG PILLAI (mggpillai.com) for his cloumns in malaysiakini.com. According to the Chambers English Dictionary,chiaroscuro means management of light and shade in a picture: a onochrome painting: the effect of light and shade (also fig.):-- pl. chiaroscuros Figuratively speaking,desiderata's take, it means there are various shades or hues in between the darkness (negatives or "wrongs") and brightness (positives or "rights") surrounding certain issues which are under debatIn all tests, Martin Luther King's challenge to "Do the Right Thing!" is apt as a guide to our decision-making.

So A Big Welcome Again to:

GUEST BLOGGER: Sabrina Tan

Doing the right thing? (as mentioned in your blog yesterday)

I'd like to think that most of the actions that I carry out, I felt that
because it was right I wanted to do it. However, most of the time it failed.

My parents would say that it's due to my lack of experience. People would say that you learn from your mistakes. I would say that I don't know why I have to make the
same mistake over and over again.

Sometimes when I have decided on something that was right at THAT moment, it turned out years later that it had a profound effect
on me and also the people around me, to say the least. If it's good, I am glad. If it isn't, I can not forgive myself for that.

Once again, people are saying that I'm being too harsh on myself. But I wouldn't like to hurt someone that cared about me and was close to me without me knowing it.
I am not sure being young has its advantages or not.

Being young compels us to make stupid decisions. Being young makes us vulnerable at times. Sure, we have idealisms and we have goals that are so pure
and good.

But for me, I find that I would regret certain things in life because of 'being young'. However, I also have to accept the fact that it's an inevitable process, and I am not the only one that is going through all these things.

So right now, I am not sure what is right sometimes anymore. Just do what
your heart says, eh?I probably should think about that.

Best regards,
Sabrina Tan