Saturday, February 20, 2010

WRONGS

What is a wrong? I know not.

I only know that there are certain moments in our life, when we chose to learn things the hard way. Sometimes, we know that what we are doing or what we want to do is 'not right'. Yet in spite of that knowledge, in spite of the pulls of our brain, we choose to go ahead and do it anyway. We conveniently ignore the small whisper inside. Those are the moments in which our heart wins over our brain. In the perpetual battle between reason and emotion, we side with the latter.

Why do we do this? Again, I know not.

If I knew, I could tell you. May be tell you even how not to do those things. How not to fall prey for the instincts that are the gateways of misery. By 'not right' I don't essentially mean the 'conventional mistakes'. No. Sometimes, we know, or at least we have a premonition that if we chose what we want to do, no matter how much pleasure it may give us in the present, it will end up only in hurt.Yet, fully aware of its implications and end results, we simply do it.

Is this bravery? sacrifice? or plain foolhardy?

As they say, some questions don't have answers.If we had the answers for all the questions in the world, we may as well become gods. For Gods don't dwell in uncertainty, only humans do.

Morality???

What is morality but a consensus among the lesser mortals. Who decides what is right and what is wrong? When I point my finger at you, judge you and stamp a 'WRONG' on your forehead, am I not Wrong? What is my authority to make such a statement? Besides, when all of us, at least at some point fall a prey to our instincts and impulses do we really have the right to decide the rights and wrongs of others.


For all those who are wondering what's got on to my head today, lemme tell you. May be this article is an aftermath of an hour of browsing about philosophies on morality. Or may be I am just listing some doubts that has been haunting my head for a while.

I don't want to picturize god a jobless man sitting with a huge stick,waiting to punish us. No. God has better things to do than that. I believe, there are no rights and wrongs. But only actions. Actions that chart out a destiny. There is no sin and punishment, but only the aftermath of an action, a decision to chose the hard way or not. May be this might sound absolutely stupid to you. But it makes sense to me. And before you judge this article, or the mind that's behind it: pause, are you right?...or wrong?

7 comments:

  1. this is really a topic that's extremely subjective. but i share your view of the non-existence of right and wrong ... even amartya sen does so (i recommend his "the idea of justice" to u). i think u'll get more views on this one ...

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  2. there is no absolute right and wrong.

    But there IS right and wrong depending on the situation(relative). For example, a person experienced in tennis is perfectly justified in saying that a certain way of play is not right, provided, your aim is to win matches. If your aim is to just enjoy some time with a tennis racket in hand, then you needn't give a damn.

    This is true in all cases in life, where certain things are right or wrong depending on your aim.

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  3. @ anon : there is a right way of doing something and a wrong way of doing it. Yes, I agree. But I was not talking about right and wrong in that sense. I was talking about the moral and ethical aspects. Like when you judge the act of playing tennis, than the way it is played. Here 'right' and 'wrong' is about 'what we do' and not 'the way we do it'.

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  4. right and wrong depends on our perspective....it is only actions and reactions that matter...
    "Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana"
    and...it is the heart that says it is wrong....the conscience...ignore ur heart and accept ur brain....

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  5. @ desert rose & anonymous: our judgement of whether what we do, or how we do it, is right or wrong is shaped by the circumstances and realm of knowledge that we are in. most of the times, we judge circumstances through the framework of groundrules that we, or our society, have framed in the first place, which is downright subjectivity.

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  6. dear desert rose and Parijat Naha: the point i made as the first 'anonymous' was that once we agree to the 'ground rules' set by the society, it is wrong to deviate from it. The tennis player in the example has declared that he wants to win. Then, if he says that he wont follow a winning strategy he is wrong.

    Similarly, once we agree to live as a member of a society, accepting its rules, in order to reap the benefits from it, we cannot escape from the norms of right and wrong imposed by the society. However, you can choose not to agree.

    @desert rose: i didn't speak about the way things are done, but the that things are RIGHT and WRONG according to the rules and conditions, once a person has given some kind of commitment himself(needn't be an explicit contract). You always have a choice of not giving that commitment.

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