Doing the right thing. Those words popped into my consciousness so I turned to the internet to see how that simple phrase is defined and read, “ making the ethical choices that are honest, fair, and kind, prioritizing the common good over personal benefit, acting with integrity, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching. It involves being aware of how your actions impact others, setting a positive example, and aligning your behavior with a sense of personal or collective values to achieve beneficial outcomes. Being truthful even when it is difficult, performing acts of kindness and honesty not for recognition, understanding and valuing others and treating people with compassion, taking ownership of your actions and their consequences and aiming to leave a positive impact on the world and others.”
Whose role is it to assure an individual does the right thing? Fundamentally, it has been left to the parents to show their children how to do the right thing, but frenzied lives are leaving less time with one’s family. Time was that the Church was an important factor and Sunday School molded young lives into following a higher path. More and more it got passed onto the underfunded school system. Society and peer groups once set good standards of what was acceptable. Somehow, all the guide ropes have frayed so we see people flaunting the rules and gaining power, prestige, and wealth.
How can we teach our children that doing the right thing is important in the face of the good guys being on the losing team? It’s a tough job to have a moral compass that points to doing the right thing. It should not be rare to see such conduct as it seems to be at this time. The answer lies in one’s own character and in being accountable. Omar Khayyam said, “The moving finger writes…” It does matter to be honest with oneself and to do the right thing.
The ideal is probably to do the right thing, the right way, and for the right reason. The ultimate test is what will one do when no one is watching!!