The Moral High Ground
Thought of the Day:
” ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”
Thomas Paine
Thinking Outside of the Box:
It is never easy to take the moral high ground. It can come across as arrogant, holier-than-thou, and it can feel very, very alone. But contrary to popular belief, doing the right thing, even when it is not the popular thing, is easier.
I have a theory that if you don’t do the right thing, whenever you can, whenever the opportunity presents itself, complications develop down the line. It is a bit like ignoring a bad chest cold and ending up with pneumonia. If only you had seen the doctor earlier…
Anyway, my theory works like this: If you take the easy way out and go with the popular opinion, bend to peer pressure or fold to the majority, you have compromised your priniciples. That compromise is the just the first. Later on, you will have to make another one; you will have to do something that rationalizes out the original compromise so you can live with it. And after some time passes, you have nothing to look back on but a series of lies, for that is all rationalization ends up being. Lies by omission, lies by outright deceit, and worst of all, the lie we whisper within to make it possible to look in the mirror.
That isn’t easy. Avoiding the right thing to do is a lie within a lie. It promises an easier life, or an easier period of time, but it turns and betrays you and stabs you in the back with another lie. Take the moral high ground. It’s only difficult for a short time and then everything is much easier.
Just think about it.
Some Last Thoughts:
“We must not always judge of the generality of the opinion by the noise of the acclamation.”
Edmund Burke
“Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”
Mark Twain
“It is good to follow one’s own bent, so long as it leads upward.”
Andre Gide
“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.”
Albert Einstein
“A man can do what he ought to do; and when he says he cannot, it is because he will not.”
Feoude
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