Philosophical Musings
Our Journey to Oneness
A new view of right and wrong
As human beings, we have been birthed into an existence that appears to be ruled by binary laws. Every single quality, chemical, and outcome is balanced out by its total opposite, giving host to a plethora of valuations along the spectrum between the two. To live we must die; to embrace the new, we must let go of the old; to learn and grow, we must also make mistakes and fail. Among the most pressing of these binary divisions are the opposites that make up the moral dimension: right and wrong.
The ability to conceptually grasp and be influenced by the concepts of right and wrong is considered a uniquely human trait. While other animals are capable of being trained to develop certain behaviors, it would be a stretch to suggest that lower animals have the ability to reflect on their actions using ethical, evaluative thinking. However, as humans, we are uniquely able to reflect on, analyze, and even agonize over our behavior.
We are evolutionarily wired to recognize right and wrong. There is a strong societal pressure to follow the rules and a survival value to doing so. Think traffic lights while driving and hand washing during Covid. Concepts of right and wrong have a powerful effect on us and have long been used to both protect and control the populace. If you’re interested in learning more about this, the work of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche deeply explores the historical use of right and wrong as a tool of subjugation, and how these influential concepts are embedded in language.
However, I’d like to suggest a broader stage on which to see the concepts of right and wrong. Imagine for a moment, that you and me, this chair you are sitting on, the room you are in, the planet you’re located on, and the universe it’s within is all one, big, swirling dance of energy. That’s not far from the meaning of the word “universe,” after all (“uni” =one; “verse”=transform). So, on one level, though we are not currently experiencing it because we are stuck in our heads and the illusion of individual consciousness, we are one with absolutely everything.
Now, imagine the purpose of your life and the seemingly random events in it, including each encounter with a person, place, or thing, was a fragment of the universe, trying to help you remember who you really are and to get back to your oneness with all things. In this case, helping your elderly neighbor across the street wouldn’t just be the right thing to do because it’s nice and you’ve decided you value “niceness” as good. It would be the right thing to do because your neighbor is you! She is a part of you. You are helping yourself across that street.
When it comes to large-scale problems that we will be facing as a species such as global warming, adverse weather events, and pandemics, we must start to remember our oneness. If we are to survive as a species, we will need to re-learn what “right and wrong” means. “Right” is going to mean doing things that help each other. The only way we can truly help ourselves is by also helping others. This is another ironic, binary truth that leads us back to our oneness and applies to many different situations.
On this very platform, the advice I am constantly seeing from seasoned writers is that the best way to succeed here is by reading other people’s work, commenting, and getting involved. It is by giving that we receive. The multiplicity of you and me is a spectacular show. There is no better way for us to learn and grow as one than to experience ourselves as separate and diverse. Diversity breeds ingenuity and it does that when we mingle, share, and uplift one another.
That is my take on right and wrong, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it!
Happy trails and happy writing!
This article is a response to
prompt…
“At the level of humanness, we see right and wrong as guide markers. At what point or level do we no longer see right and wrong?”