Everybody talks about right vs wrong, but not everybody agrees on which is which. Find out how some people decide the difference between wrong and right and decide for yourself how to do the right thing.
The difference between right and wrong can be confusing. People will give you advice on how to tell the difference between the two, but people disagree on what defines right versus wrong. When you're deciding what you believe and what kind of decisions to include in your life, you can only listen to other people so much before you make a decision yourself. Join SpiritualBlossom to find out the difference between right and wrong. Learn about how some people define them, and how people decide what's right. Then find out how to decide what's right for yourself. Most importantly, read all the way to the end to find out what to do if you realize that you're wrong about something. We can't always be right, but we can try, and only you can decide what's right and wrong! read on to find out how.
What is Right vs Wrong?
Right and wrong are exact opposites. In general, right describes things that you should do, and wrong describes things that you should not do, but what makes these things right and wrong? Read on to find out.
What is Right?
Things that are right are defined as good, justified, morally correct, and acceptable. The things that are right are considered to be beneficial for both the individual making the right decision and other people that the decision affects. Right things are thought of as having good outcomes for everyone. The right thing creates happiness, can promote healing, and creates an environment of mutual respect between the people who do the right thing and the people who that decision affects. The right thing is often the selfless thing to do, and it can be the most difficult thing to do, but it's always considered the best thing to do. Read more about how to make tough decisions here: Making Hard Decisions
What is Wrong?
Wrong is defined as exactly the opposite of right. It is something untrue, incorrect, immoral, unjust, or something that can violate the rights of other people. It can cause terrible misunderstandings, hurt feelings, hardship, and can end relationships. Making the wrong decision can compromise your relationship with other people and it can show that you have no self-respect. Sometimes the wrong thing is a mistake, but other times we know we're doing the wrong thing, and we do it anyway for selfish reasons. We might not care if we hurt other people because we want something for ourselves and the wrong thing will satisfy some type of selfish desire over the need to do the right thing. Some people say that lying is always wrong- but liars can be caught in the act. Find out how to catch a liar here: You Liar! How Do You Catch a Liar?
How Do People Decide What’s Right?
Different people have different methods that they use to tell them what the right thing to do is. Some people's religious traditions have ascribed rules that they follow, and other people do what they have been taught is the right thing. Other people listen to something called the conscience to make their own decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Religion
Religious traditions teach that right action will bring us closer to the gods or goddesses we serve and will improve our relationships with both ourselves and one another. They teach that the right actions will take us to the place where we want to go for the afterlife. Wrong action is called sin by some religious adherents and sin is believed to separate us from our higher power. Sin can be things like cruelty, impurity, lack of a charitable heart, or failing to recognize the sanctity of the deity that you worship. A lot of religions agree that stealing, and fidelity, and murder are sins because they create a great deal of pain and show that we're thinking only of ourselves.
Tradition
Growing up, the people who raised us, and the teachers who we have instill upon us certain beliefs. Within a lot of what they teach uh is the difference between right and wrong. Most parents will teach you that it is right to always tell them the truth. Most people will teach you that being courteous of other people's feelings instead of thinking of only your own as crucial to do the right thing. Many will teach you to think of what kind of things you will do as an adult to contribute to society in a positive way. More than what we're told, we tend to copy what we see our elders do. In that way, we follow their example and their traditions of doing what is right that they establish. We learn good and bad habits from family and you can read about families here: Are Relationships with Your Relatives Worth It?
The Conscience
Besides what other people tell us, we have something called a conscience. That is defined as an inner sense of what's morally good and how our intentions, conduct, and attitude form to decide how likely we are to do the right thing. Some people believe that we are born with a strong conscience and some people believe that we develop that by being taught what's right and wrong. No matter how it is actually formed, the conscience is an inner voice that tells us what we should do if we want to do the right thing. It also tells us what we should not do if we don't want to do the wrong thing. Some people don't listen to what other people tell them is the right thing to do, they consult only their own conscience.
How to Do What’s Right
There are multiple different ways to do the right thing, but it all starts with a decision. You have to decide what is most beneficial for everybody involved and if there's a conflict between what's right for everyone, whose needs are going to be most important. Think about what avoids harm, what the long-term effects of the decision will be, and what will be remembered. These things will help you to decide what the best decision is.
Who is Most Important?
When you are making a decision, especially if it creates a dilemma about pleasing someone as opposed to someone else, decide whose feelings, needs, or whose views are most important. Is it more important to please your boss by doing overtime, or spend more time with your family? Is it more important to impress your prudish neighbors, or be courteous to your long-term friend who occasionally annoys them with their more relaxed sense of humor? Is it more important to cater to your friends who want you to party all night with them or your boss at your new job by getting plenty of sleep so that you can be your best for work in the morning? Deciding who is most important can help you to make the right decision. Love is most important to a lot of people and you can read about love here: What is the Spiritual Meaning of Love?
What Avoids Harm?
A lot of people will look at what causes harm and what doesn't when they're making a decision. If sharing a harsh opinion is going to hurt someone's feelings, you might decide that it's best to keep it to yourself. If eating that extra plate of fattening food could flare up your high blood pressure, you might decide that it's best not to eat it. If sleeping in means you don't take your dog out in time and they might have an accident on the rug, you might decide that getting out of bed in time is the right thing to do. Big decisions and small decisions can create or avoid harm or negative consequences, and a lot of people choose to avoid the negative consequences when they decide what the right thing to do is.
What Are Long Term Affects?
Some things are so small that the decision really doesn't matter, but there are some things that will have lasting effects. Do you really need to tell your roommate that their favorite art they keep in their rooms that you never have to see is ugly? That can hurt their feelings and create an uncomfortable living situation. Is it really a good idea to tell your neighbor off because you find them mildly annoying? This can cause discomfort between you and your neighbor. Is it really worth it to make that impulse buy? If it keeps you from paying your bills you might decide it's not. Manifesting love is a long term thing and you can read how here: How to Manifest Love
What Will be Remembered?
A very important thing to keep in mind is whether your decision will even be remembered at all. If it's such a small decision that nobody will notice it and you won't even remember it, relax. Overthinking the outfit that you wear for a quick errand, declining to attend a very large gathering someone you barely know invited you to, or going out of your way to return borrowed books to the library early probably won't be noticed by anyone. However, being polite enough to let other drivers in while you're running errands, politely letting the host know you will not attend, and making sure to turn the books in on time will be remembered. Whether people notice or remember things will help you to know whether it's the right decision or not.
What if I Was Wrong?
If you have the best of intentions, sometimes you're going to make the wrong decision. There will be times that you can just apologize, and everything will be OK. There will be other times that more than just a simple apology has to be made. Anytime you make the wrong decision, the first thing you need to do is acknowledge that it was wrong. Do what you can to make up for things and try to make things right. Accept the consequences if there are any and learn from your mistake so you never do that again.
Acknowledge It
The first thing to do when you realize that you've made the wrong decision is acknowledge it. If the decision you made affected someone else, go and tell them that you know that what you did was wrong. Even If you acknowledge that you know you're wrong, sometimes people are so upset they're not willing to move past it. Sometimes you make a wrong decision that only affects you and you have to admit to yourself that you should have decided to do something else instead. Whether there are other people involved, or the wrong decision only affected you, acknowledging it is the first step.
Apologize
It's very important to say you're sorry because every bad decision you make affects other people. It's hard to apologize because it's embarrassing to accept that you were wrong and it's also hard to accept that our wrong decision hurt someone especially if you didn't mean to hurt them. It's still important. When you tell someone you're sorry, it can be the first step to healing when something wrong has happened. We all make mistakes and we're all wrong sometimes. Never allow your pride to keep you from apologizing to someone who you love. Frenemies can be very hurtful and you can find out how to spot a frenemy here: How a Frenemy is Your Worst Friend
Make Up for It
The best part about realizing that you're wrong is that sometimes you can fix things. Sometimes you don't know exactly what to do to make things right, but if other people are involved, they can help you. You can simply ask them “What can I do to make things right?” Sometimes just telling people that you want to make things right is all it takes to fix things. Other times it's going to take longer, and it might be difficult. Do what you can to make up for whatever problems the wrong decision has caused. You will be glad you did.
Accept the Consequences
Sometimes you just can't fix things. Even if you didn't mean to make the wrong decision, there are times when the consequences of the wrong decision are forever. You're going to just have to accept the consequences. This can be very difficult to do, especially if your heart is in the right place. One conversation or action can have lasting consequences that you never expected. Sometimes you can't change the consequences so you're just going to have to live with them. Hurt feelings have consequences and you can find out what to do if your feelings are hurt here: Controlling Emotions When You’re Hurt
Learn From It
It is impossible to never make the wrong decision, but it is possible to come back stronger when you do. Learn from every decision you make. The wrong decisions teach you more than the right decisions do. They will teach you what you should do better and what you shouldn't do at all. So, when you make the wrong decision, move forward from it by letting it teach you how to make better decisions in the future.
It’s not always easy to do the right thing, especially when it means doing so is difficult. You might decide it’s worth it, though. Almost everybody has their own way of deciding the difference between wrong and right, but truthfully, you have to decide for yourself, no matter what anybody else says. Search your mind and heart and follow your own conscience and you will find out your own standards. Nobody can make your decisions for you, even if they try. Do what you know in your heart to be right, and you can’t go wrong!
If you’re looking for support while you’re deciding the right course of action, reach out to one of our psychics. We are available any time any day to help!
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg Magazine and PaganPages.Org emag.
