It serves as a great smokescreen. It makes us look righteous while it makes the other very defensive. It’s one of the best strategies to hide from really dealing with the issue. This is why it’s used so often. What I’m talking about is the person who always defends themselves by being right.
In the world of right and wrong, they may just be right. However, more often than we realize, being right is beside the point. It doesn’t justify our anger, it doesn’t justify our put down and nothing constructive comes out of it. It usually results in being destructive, creating a greater divide and even less influence with the very one we’re supposedly trying to influence.
There are times when being right is wrong. Stop hiding behind the paradigm of right and wrong. Start living in the paradigm of constructive or destructive. My mother often told me, “Don’t be religious at someone else’s expense.” Essentially, she was teaching me that if I want to preach righteousness, preach it to a mirror and be an example of it to others.
As a religious man who believes in rights and wrongs, it may surprise you to hear this from me. There’s no question that the paradigm of right and wrong is what we need to use for ourselves to ensure that we live responsible lives. However, the paradigm we use for others needs to be constructive. If at the end of the day our demand for righteousness has created a greater divide, we have brought more wrong into this world. Worse yet, it was done in the name of righteousness.
So, do you think I’m right or wrong?
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