Knowing What is Right

Monday Morning Mumbling

One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Here’s the quote:

Doing the right thing is not the problem. Knowing what the right thing is, that’s the challenge.

_{– Lyndon B. Johnson}

This one resonates with me. Not in every situation obviously – but it seems to get more and more relevant as I “grow up.” When I was a kid it seemed simple enough to say “do the right thing.” Even to my children now I say they “should have known better.” One got in trouble for making farting noises in school the other day. That wasn’t exactly a situation where he could plead ignorance.

But what about the more complicated stuff? The questions we face in our daily lives now aren’t always so cut and dried as they used to be in grade school. Many of the actions we take have far-reaching consequences that impact different people in different ways. It isn’t always a question of just “should I punch this kid in front of me or not?” Sometimes there is a legitimate question about what the right thing to do is.

Attorneys learn this as they take ethics classes and then the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. I remember thinking: “What a simple test this must be. Just pick the right thing to do from the four options.” But somehow it isn’t that simple. Kind of like life.

So what good does this quote do us then? Should we just throw our hands up and do whatever we feel like? Should my kid make farting noises all day at school?

Obviously not. But being aware of this conundrum – that sometimes determining the “right thing” can take some scrutiny – might be beneficial. Take one extra look at the angles, at the consequences of a decision. Seek out people who have been there before or who might be able to help you. Remain open to being convinced of things, but not so open as to be tricked into the wrong decision. And most of all, be willing to admit a mistake, and to forgive a mistake of others. Life is complicated. People are trying, and people are human. Sometimes “doing the right thing” may just mean “trying to figure out what the right thing is.”

Have a great week everybody.