Who gets to decide what is “right?”
Forward motion is possible if we can extend the sentence to, “That’s not what I meant, but that must be what you heard, how do we fix this? Will you help me make things right again?”
[Seth Godin, “That’s not what I meant.” October 22, 2020]
The question is, “What does ‘right’ mean given the situation?”
Do you remember a specific part of a single day like it happened yesterday? I don’t remember much about the day my father drove me to TCU for the first time to move into the dorm. But, I do remember this: after putting the last of my stuff into the backseat I went back into the house to say goodbye to my mother. My dad was in the kitchen with her. Mom hugged me and then pushed me back to arms length and looked me in the eyes. “We’ve raised you to know the difference between right and wrong. We raised you to think before you act. We know you are going to make mistakes. We know you are not going to embarrass us. Go live your life and call us if you think we can help.” In the car my father said, “Ready to go.” “Yes sir.” I responded. That was all we said the first 30 minutes of the 90 minute trip to TCU.
The systems that we participate in every day often limit our choices to do what is right because it is right. Look at the labels in your clothing. Then do an Internet search about where those clothes are made. You are going to find out that much of what you are wearing is made in a country where people are paid poorly, by our standards and theirs, and it is possible that child labor was used to make your clothes. The same is true with the little computers we call smart phones. But, that is still our responsibility. I could choose to pay more for something else.
Most often we do what is right because we are afraid of the consequences that will come from breaking the communal rules set out to ensure we balance our individualism with the common good for community. I prefer guidelines to rules, because guidelines provide the necessary boundaries for community, and rules, well some rules need to be broken. But, that’s a topic for another day.
Every now and then, the communal rules get questioned. They are put through a wash and rinse cycle, and new rules emerge based on historical lessons, clearer facts, better data, and lived experience. The common good for all of us gets redefined to include more of us. Sometimes that means some of us give up privileges that are real, or simply imagined, because of where we were born or into what circumstance we were born. The Constitution of these United States begins, “In order to form a more perfect Union” and goes on to detail the actions taken by men seeking a freedom not experienced in another place and time. These deists, many of them, embodied the moral compass of their time based on their education and their culture. They were doing the best they could with the most current information they had while thinking about the future. Can the same be said of our citizens today and those that govern?
Followers of Jesus are supposed to be “Greatest Commandment” people. Aren’t we? A secular Nation might call us to be “Golden Rule” people beyond our places of worship, which should not be a heavy lift for Christians. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost the ability to be shamed to do the right thing (a great Spike Lee movie). Shame is not the greatest motivator, but Jesus used it at least once, “If you are without sin, cast the first stone.”
Who gets to define what is “right?” How does my definition exclude you or include you? This year, more than most, my mother’s voice echoes, “You’ve been taught to know the difference between right and wrong.” I’ve got so many lessons ahead of me.
