On Right and Good
“The greatest enemy of right is not wrong, but good” (Anonymous)
You can be so caught up in the euphoria of the good and completely miss what is right. Especially because there’s a very thin line between them.
Right speaks of accuracy or correctness. It is an alignment with what is factual, or truthful. Good on the other hand speaks of acceptability of a certain degree of quality, or standard that may not necessarily hit THE MARK.
They are not the same.
And may I add that good in most cases when done, whether in the direction of another or just to fulfill a personal obligation, is only good for the doer. It is done with the sole aim of satisfying a need to feel accepted, regarded, or accredited.
It has become increasingly difficult within the context of our current socio-economic existence, to determine between what is right, or just good. The lines are blurred on a per-minute basis.
For example, it is not such a big deal for a politician to loot just a little, for the sake of his future generations, provided he is able to put a few infrastructures in place before the end of his tenure.
It may not be right for him to steal, but we can make do with some of his good works. In fact, he may get voted into office next time on the account of those goods.
How about extramarital or relational affairs? Isn’t it amazing how society has invented excuses to justify these things? “It may not be right you know, but you deserve to be happy,” they say.
And just before you think I am majoring on the big things that you may think you’ll never bring yourself to do, let me remind you of a lie you told to escape a consequence. What did you think that was? It is simple: you exchanged a right for an acceptable good.
Do you see where this is going?
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12 painted a picture that in a great sense brought it home for me. (Notice that the context of that scripture may not directly capture the idea I am gunning for with this writing, but the message is profound).
He says; “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1 Corinthians 6:12 NKJV)
So, although a lot of things were permissible for him, yet Paul would rather do without them for the sake of a set MARK. A mark which by the way he did not set.
And that is the thing with doing right. It is never your set mark.
Doing right in its essence requires you to subscribe to a higher authority. It begs compliance and accountability. And guess what the average “local man” despises today; compliance and accountability.
Doing right is constraining. It denies you of certain pleasures that naturally would accrue to you if you were to live life on your own terms.
Now, this is where I have found the struggle to be: the reward of doing what seems good in this context is instantaneous, although fleeting. It gives you a momentary boost of excitement but leaves you with no depth.
But to insist on living and doing right is tantamount to building virtue. And you know that true virtue doesn’t come easily. It takes hard work. It takes self-denial. But the reward thereof is heavenly.
So, are you a RIGHT doer, or just a GOOD doer?
Shalom!
Biyama Joseph
#TheInfluencer
