Right or Wrong!

Do you know there is a doctrine that argues that pleasure and happiness are the primary aims of human life? And that only pleasure has worth or value and pain or displeasure has dis-value or worthlessness? This belief system is called "Hedonism". Plato and Aristotle had argued for this belief. However, interestingly enough, it is very challenging to achieve happiness when we have defined feelings of pain with more than 50 varieties whereas that of pleasure in just 15-20! After all, what are the chances? 1/3rd? My concern here is, however, what should be the way of achieving happiness. Next question comes to mind is, who is to decide that the chosen way is right or not? And even if we all agree for something being right, or wrong, we know that knowledge changes, time change, perspective change, needs change, abilities change and what is right today may become wrong tomorrow or vice versa and again the opposite the day after! So how to decide?

Let me tell you what happens in the industries. Management Guru Peter Drucker, in his book "The Effective Executive", has said - " The first rule for the concentration of executive efforts is to slough off the past that has ceased to be productive. If leaders are unable to slough off yesterday, to abandon yesterday, they simply will not be able to create tomorrow."

He is absolutely right with this philosophy. But he must have meant this for technologies, systems, methods and mindsets. But, American industries took him so religiously that they applied this philosophy on employees as well. Sloughing off "low-performing" employees became a style when 'neutron' Jack Welsh argued for laying off "bottom" 10% every year. Funny that Forbes website is showing him quote - "When you became a leader, you were not given a crown but were given responsibility to get the best out of others". I had to reread the quote because in the first time I read, "You were given responsibility to get others out." Anyway, in contradiction to American style, Japanese companies believe in retaining their employees for lifelong and yet Japanese economy is growing at a good enough pace. So who is right?

My opinion is, "What is" differs totally from what both the Right and Left believe "ought to be". It is only a collision between the delusions of the decision maker if he thinks that only his way is right and that only pleasure has worth and value and pain or displeasure has not. You have to make something completely different out of yourself to understand the concept of Right and Wrong.

Let us take a simpler example.

Suppose one day you did something and felt good about it. And next day someone told you that what you did was wrong. You did it because you believed in it. And now it is wrong! Even if it is by someone else's perspective. What would be your response(s)? Normally, I think, there are two easy ways to face this situation:

1. Continue believing that you were right and try to convince the other person that he is wrong. (Terrorist     train and get trained with this thinking)

2. Get convinced that the other person is right and repent.

And then there is a third, mature, way to respond:

Listen and understand to other person's opinion while staying assured that you did right. Because you do something when you believe that it is a right thing to do. Isn't it? And as today you have more knowledge and information than yesterday, and since you are brave enough to embrace your shortcomings and improve yourself, you are going to work upon it. I call it a mature way because this keeps our conscience clear and I think our conscience decides whether something is right or not.

We can experience this in our routine life - finding mistakes and blaming others. You see, it is easy to blame parents for their children's mistakes. But one thing is necessary to understand that most of the time, people give their best based on the knowledge, skill, information, awareness and maturity they have. If they would have had these qualities better, they would have done better. So, understand that, parents are right, even if they are wrong. Same goes for every individual. Either you are a boss or a subordinate, husband or wife, same philosophy applies.

So, if you notice someone's wrongness, pause and tell yourself that he is giving his best. And then, with the right manner, you can share your opinion, if necessary. After all the truest challenge is being a decent human being and not being right.