Living My Life to Please My Conscience
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For several days I have asked questions about what is right and what is wrong, and I have yet to get the right answers. Context really matters because it is what justifies the motive behind one’s actions. A situation where someone is about to rob another person and you are about to step in and save the day.
The armed robber should be tagged as a thief and thus guilty or tagged as ‘doing what is wrong’ at the moment. But what if there is a background story behind his theft?
Perhaps he has a daughter suffering from a severe illness, and he just lost his wife. He has tried to get help from everyone who later turned him down or treated him badly. So, he decided to steal from those he had begged.
There is no justification for wrongdoing; I have heard this severally, and personally, I believe this and live my life according to that line of thought.
But let’s say in the process of me trying to stop the thief, he got severely injured and was admitted to the hospital, unable to take care of his ill daughter and probably facing charges too. Will I still say that my action, ‘to do good,’ is justified?
As much as possible, I try not to take laws into my own hands and try to consult my inner self before making decisions. Many people have been misjudged and mistreated not because they are wicked or bad, but because they are not understood.
I remember when I was serving my fatherland, and there was this guy close to my bunk; he intentionally closed the space between our bunks so he could roll on my bed and have a wider space for convenience.
This guy drinks a lot! Name any alcohol! He drinks as early as 7 am, and he’s always drunk every night; how he doesn’t totally lose consciousness is a mystery I can’t unfold.
I guess many might be saying that such a habit cannot be judged or is not like a scenario of theft and all. But here is the interesting part: I have a drunk friend to deal with every night.
Although he doesn’t lose consciousness, I believe I’ll prefer him in his undrunk state. He can roll on my bed the way he likes, disturbing my sleep. Sometimes he shouts for no reason, and other times, he starts conversations and keeps talking and mentioning my name to get a reply, sometimes at bedtime.
Trust me, it was an awkward situation for me as I had never experienced anything like it. Sometimes I return to the room very late, so he would have slept before I am back, and the painful part is I have to wake up as early as 5 am, whether I like it or not.
I could have reported him to the camp officials, and he’ll probably be expelled from the camp or get a severe sanction, but my mind wouldn’t let me.
One day, after we left the parade ground early in the morning, for some reason I couldn’t decipher, he wasn’t drinking. I called him and had a conversation with him. I got to know he was raised by two drunkards, who never knew he was watching them while growing up.
His father and mother drink, but they always keep that away from him. Later they got separated, and life happened; this guy ended up on the street!
How he was able to go to school and ended up in service was another touching story. After hearing his life tale, I was happy I never took the step of reporting him. He probably would have gone back worse.
I chose to listen to my mind and conscience in making decisions not just on a days like that but forever.