Right and Wrong are Real

 

Chapter 5

RIGHT and wrong are REAL 

If "Truth with a capital "T" really exists in both a physical and metaphysical sense, then we are left with a similarly corresponding reality about right and wrong. In other words, they are just as real, and we must spell "Right" with a capital "R."

This brings us to Law #2 of the SAL Theory, which states that: According to Universal Law, there are categorical divisions and universal distinctions separating RIGHT from wrong.

LAW #2

According to Universal Law, there are categorical divisions 

and universal distinctions separating RIGHT from wrong in the moral domain.

According to Law #2, the definitions of "RIGHT" and "wrong"—and the metaphysical substance that naturally separates them are not—and indeed cannot, be selectively determined by the arbitrary decree, much less the capricious and whimsical inclinations or preferences, of mercurial human beings.

Such separations are predetermined by Universal Law itself.   

Years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote a bestselling book entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things.

According to Fulghum:

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned: Share ... Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. ... [Live] the Golden Rule." (1)

While Fulghum may be oversimplifying things a bit, his point remains lucid and cogent in a world where so many people—including many in the upper echelons of business, education, and politics—struggle with a variety of basic, behavioral mores that have historically been embraced by civilized man. While not everyone receives the same quality of moral training, I don't think it would be exaggerating to say that most people gain at least some semblance of right and wrong by the time they're five years old.

All too often, the problem is not that we don't know right from wrong; the problem is we fail to choose right over wrong. A similar problem manifests itself through intellectual and social efforts aimed at rationalizing away and otherwise justifying wrong thoughts, speech, and behavior. 

Imagine how much freer, stronger, and more virtuous our nation and world would be if collective humanity spent as much time, effort, and money trying harder to do what is right than in attempting to conceal, justify, and rationalize what is wrong!

You don't have to belong to a certain culture, ideology, philosophy, political persuasion, or religion to comprehend the fundamental difference between right and wrong choices in life. You merely have to understand the variables that lead to long-term health, happiness, Existential Growth, and inner peace. 

On the flip side, you must likewise understand the variables that lead to long-term sickness, misery, and existential atrophy. 

What then is the difference between right and wrong? 

The answers to this question are found in Corollary 2.1 and 2.2., as follows:

COROLLARY 2.1

Right choices consist of thoughts, speech, and actions that lead to the long-term health,

happiness, Existential Growth, and inner peace of oneself and all people

(and other living things) impacted or influenced thereby.

COROLLARY 2.2

Wrong choices consist of thoughts, speech, and actions that lead to the

long-term sickness, misery, existential atrophy, and turmoil of oneself

and all people (and other living things) impacted or influenced thereby.

Like deteriorating fruit, our moral sense can likewise
atrophy and rot over time if not carefully preserved.

Existential atrophy is the opposite of Existential Growth. It is defined as: the weakening or deterioration of Existential Growth. 

EXISTENTIAL  ATROPHY

The weakening or deterioration 

of Existential Growth.  

If right and wrong are real, how are we to differentiate between these two opposing forces? 

One answer to this question is to listen, and then hearken to, the edicts of your conscience. This leads us to law number three, as follows:

LAW 3

All human beings enter the world with a conscience, which prompts them to think,

say, and do what is right, and to avoid thinking about, saying, or doing what is wrong.

At Freedom Focused, we believe that ALL human beings are born with a conscience that naturally prompts them toward good and away from evil. We further hold that for most human beings, one's conscience is at least marginally operative from a very young age. 

Whether or not your conscience continues to operate soundly over the course of one's life depends entirely on the degree to which YOU choose to listen to and heed its metaphysical guidance.

Regardless of the imagery you employ in conceptualizing this key truth (e.g. Jiminy Cricket, an angel and devil on your shoulder, a light within, True North [2], etc.), the existence of the human conscience is an incontrovertible truth that we believe all honest and reasonable persons would not only acknowledge, but have in fact experienced to varying degrees throughout their lives.

In the lustrous language of the famous 18th Century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant: two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe ... the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. 

"Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe:

The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me."

—Immanuel Kant

Just because YOU entered this world with a conscience does not guarantee you will always be directed by its guiding light. Just as a muscle will atrophy with disuse, so the light of conscience dims with disregard. Thus, we arrive at Corollary 3.1, as follows:

COROLLARY 3.1

Your conscience is sharpened or dulled over time in direct

proportion to the adherence, or lack thereof, that you grant it.

Our nation and world have too many dulled consciences. The time has come to dust off the sharpening wheel and let the sparks begin to fly. Just as importantly, the day has arrived to begin a widespread pedagogy of conscience cultivation in our nations, states, communities, organizations, schools, and families—beginning in the individual lives of me and YOU.  

In Your Journal

• In your experience, how does your conscience communicate with you?

• During what time of your life was your conscience most sensitive? Why do you suppose this was?

• During what time of your life was your conscience most dulled? Why do you suppose this was?

• What single action or habit of yours currently sharpens your conscience more than any other?

• What single action, inaction, or habit of yours currently dulls your conscience more than any other?

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 394th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 204th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

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Chapter 4 Notes

1.  Fulghum, R. (1986). All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things. New York, NY: Ivy Books. Pages 4-5.

2.  Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 53.

Taking Pride in Doing the Right Thing

In the short run, a team, organization, or other entity can lie, cheat, and manipulate its way to a competitive advantage. 

But in the LONG run, the marketplace inevitably discovers liars, cheaters, and manipulators over time, and punishes them commensurately to their crimes—not necessarily in a court of law, but certainly in the court of public opinion and the buyer's guild. 

As such, it makes sense to develop an organizational culture up front that values doing the right thing early and always. And it is in the interest of everyone in the organization to take positive pride in consistently following that pathway.

What does it mean to do the right thing? 

The answer to this question will almost certainly depend on who you ask. And in truth, the right thing or action will sometimes legitimately differ from person-to-person and from situation-to-situation based on reasonably differing preferences and priorities. Thus, "situational ethics" does have a place in the overall calculus of moral reasoning. As such, there are often "exceptions to the rule" (see SAL Theory Corollary 1.3). 

However, without the aid of conscience and the guide of certain moral absolutes serving as immovable loadstars in moral matters, "situational ethics" can quickly become a slippery slope wending a person or organization down into the throes of moral entropy, organizational atrophy, and even financial failure.

So how does a person or organization balance the paradoxical (seemingly conflicting) reality and importance of both moral absolutes and situational ethics in one's life and career. That is a tricky question and is not always easy to answer. Nevertheless, Freedom Focused offers some core insights aimed at assisting any honest seeker of truth in the matter. 

"Do what is right, let the consequence follow" (-Anon)

Truth seekers quest after TRUE PRINCIPLES rooted in natural (or Universal) laws because they serve as general guides to right thinking, speaking, and doing. 

At Freedom Focused, we define true principles as: 

"Principles of personal conduct rooted in Universal Laws that lead to long-term happiness, fulfillment, inner peace, and Existential Growth."

Universal Laws, in-turn, are defined as:

"Natural laws that define reality and govern all naturally occurring forces throughout the universe (physical laws), as well as all long-term consequences of individual and organizational decisions (metaphysical laws)."

True principles help us determine what right actions are. They lead us to think, say, and do things that are RIGHT, while false principle lead us to say and do things that are WRONG. But what is the definition of "Right" and "wrong"?

Freedom Focused can help us in this regard as well, as follows:

RIGHT: Thoughts, speech, and actions that result in positive and constructive long-term consequences for self and others.  

WRONG: Thoughts, speech, and actions that result in negative and destructive long-term consequences for self and others.

The KEY phrase in both of these definitions is, of course, "Long-Term."

At Freedom Focused, our agents take PRIDE in consistently doing the RIGHT things. And when we do something that is wrong (either individually or collectively) which we all do from time-to-time, we take action to remedy and rectify any negative consequences of our speech or actions and then immediately change course. Those are our social mores and corporate culture.  

PRIDE is an interesting word.

Positive Pride in Achievement

It can connote both positive and negative states of being or feeling. For example, a positive element of pride would involve feelings of joy and personal satisfaction at having given one's best effort or achieved something of significance, like graduating from college or landing one's first big job. Another example might involve PRIDE IN DOING THE RIGHT THING as mentioned above.  

Pride can also have a negative connotation, as when a person pridefully rejects sound reason, good advice, or warning signs by proceeding to speak or act in ways that harm oneself or others.

Why do we as human beings exhibit negative pride when the results of doing so inevitably prove injurious? Probably the biggest reason is because we don't want to admit that we are misguided, naïve, or wrong. But what is so bad about admitting that we were misguided, naïve, or wrong... if we actually are?

Why does our pride sometimes get so caught up in being (seeming) right instead of figuring out what actually is right? Especially when pride can lead us down into disaster, destruction, and despair while humility can lead us to the promised land of whatever we are endeavoring to achieve? 

I have learned from personal experience that if I am, in fact, wrong about something, it is infinitely easier to just admit to myself (and where necessary, others) this fact and then change course than it is to continue to pridefully pursue a flawed course and thereby have to endure the retinue of rueful regrets and consequences concomitant thereto.

It's worth noting here that my personal self-action leadership journey has been FULL of occasions when I was misguided, naïve, or wrong. In fact, there have been so many such times throughout my life and career that I can't even remember—much less count—them all! And I still have moments like that—and will until the day I die—a fact which helps keep me humble and reliant on the wise counsel, good advice, and sound direction of others' whose perspectives transcend my own in a given area or on a certain matter.     

It takes courage to admit you were wrong,
and then reach out to someone else for help.

I admit it isn't always easy to admit I am wrong about something. But in my personal view, it's sooooooooooo much harder to endure the consequences of not doing so! If I am pursuing a flawed course—and I know it—what's the point in continuing on other than to feed the fire of my own ego? Where is the pride in avoiding all the disastrous consequences of being arrogantly prideful? 

Why not take more pride in doing the right (and smart) thing instead of holding on desperately to some negative form of selfish pride simply for ego's sake? Why not courageously confront a moment or two of agonizing difficulty involved in admitting you were wrong, get it over with quickly, and then move on with the baggage behind you?

Those who courageously follow this pathway will discover that such moments aren't as bad as they thought they would be—and once it's over, you can move forward to a better, happier, and more confident and successful existence. In the end, this course offers a far bigger reward than its up-front price—however difficult that price may seem to be (or feel like) in the moment.       

If I am smart, I will candidly and courageously confess whenever I am in error and then immediately begin to pursue the correct course. But in order to accomplish that sometimes difficult feat, I must exercise HUMILITY. And as we all know, it's not always easy to be humble.  

What exactly is HUMILITY?  

At Freedom Focused, we define it as: "The ability to accurately see and graciously acknowledge the way things really are based on physical and metaphysical realities rooted in Universal Laws."

That's a mouthful; but in essence, humility means doing the RIGHT thing whenever we see and recognize TRUTH, whether we feel like it or not. That is not an easy thing to do! As a result, nobody is perfectly humble. I certainly am not! But we can always keep trying to see things more clearly—as they really are (instead of the way we wish they were)—and for those who do, the rewards of humility are immense over time. Moreover, the seeming rewards of holding on to one's pride amount to a pathetic pittance by comparison.    

At Freedom Focused, we take pride in doing the right thing. We recognize that however justified a person may feel in one's prideful feelings, it is unwise to speak or act pridefully. Why? Because in the long run, it is YOU that is inevitably hurt the most by your own pride. Thus, self-action leaders recognize that reality and facts must often trump their feelings, no matter how powerful or important one's feelings may be. In other words, self-action leaders discern the great truth that feelings are often momentary, fleeting, and impulsive; but True Principles and Universal Laws are immovable, irrevocable, and incontrovertible. Thus, they allow principles and laws to become their guiding North Star, rather than their emotions alone.  

The most successful organizations
effectively balance sound laws
with intentional & helpful mores

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

— Proverbs 

If you absolutely insist on being prideful, try to be prideful about one thing and one thing alone... Take Pride in Doing the Right Thing! 

When a team or organization creates a culture that takes pride in doing the right thing, it actually becomes culturally shameful to do the wrong thing. And organizational or cultural mores that embrace consistently doing the right thing will prove more powerful and supportive than any formal rule, regulation, or punitive measure invoked by an authority figure. In the words of Èmile Durkheim, a French sociologist: "When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary; [but], when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable."

"When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary;

[but], when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable."

— Èmile Durkheim 

Wise leaders and managers spend most of their time and energy seeking to model and teach mores that value, reinforce, and reward TAKING PRIDE IN DOING THE RIGHT THING while discouraging and, when necessary, disciplining speech and behavior that embraces negative elements of pride. Creating such mores can prove time- and labor-intensive. But those who persist and succeed enjoy massive success and enormous satisfaction in their work in the long-run.

Be like Coach John Wooden...
Take Pride in Doing the Right Thing

Such leaders become like legendary basketball coach, John Wooden—a true champion and person of sterling character and unimpeachable integrity—who won an unprecedented and mind-blowing TEN (10) National Championships as the Head Coach of UCLA's men's basketball team in the 1960s and 70s. And if you'd like to tap more fully into the wisdom of Coach Wooden, he wrote several books in retirement; you can find them at bookstores everywhere.      

What are you doing TODAY to teach and model TAKING PRIDE IN DOING THE RIGHT THING in your own relationships, family, team, organization, community, or nation? 

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

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The Perils of Postmodernism

In today's post, Dr. Jensen discusses the period of postmodernism, and describes some of its perils as well as the negative consequences it has had on our society since World War II. This video is a prelude to the introduction of the AGE of AUTHENTICISM, which Jensen predicts will eventually eclipse postmodernism as the dominant cultural idea in the United States and throughout the world.

Right and Wrong Really Do Exist

“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” 

             – Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

The existence of right and wrong is an incontrovertible, but often inconvenient, truth. It is perennially out of style, and countless human beings from all walks of life seek endlessly, but fruitlessly, to escape its penetrating presence in our world and universe. You don’t have to align yourself with a specific philosophy, or belong to a certain religion, to recognize and accede the reality of right and wrong. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, everyone has a conscience, which serves as an existential guide to all who are willing to listen.