Right or Wrong
We often get trapped in debates about what is right and what is wrong. I am not writing this to justify something considered wrong, or vice versa. I only want to highlight one fundamental fact that we often overlook: “uncertainty.” That is the only thing I want to emphasize in this writing.
Nowadays, people are easily tempted or distracted by things. That is true; because of the internet, apps, and all available information, people have become so quick to judge, criticize, and even mock things they deem worthy of mockery. I understand that feeling, and I feel it too. We cannot deny that this has already happened in our environment.
Did you know that this sheer amount of information can make many people make the exact same life choices, as if they are certain those choices are correct? Yet the reality is, we have long been given choices — from inside our homes, schools, workplaces, to our hangouts with friends. Take examples like when a topic goes viral due to a famous figure; the entire media follows suit. Quite a few people also critique or make jokes, as if those individuals were already conditioned to act that way. Yes, I understand that this falls under human freedom, and I do it too. However, what I want to say is that whether it is permissible or not, whether it is right or wrong — no one has the right to judge someone else’s freedom.
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I often see someone, when about to take an important action or make a decision, think twice, thrice, or even ten times about the action they are about to choose. They weigh the pros and cons of that action, some even tremble with fear, and in the end, they choose to take no action at all.
Let me take an example of a story that I find very fascinating: there was a man known for being cruel, fierce, daring to take lives, and feared by many. This man had a younger sister who married a man who was very timid, trembling, and not skilled at fighting. One day, the sister learned about a gathering or organization hated by many people at that time, including her cruel older brother. The sister then joined that gathering along with her timid husband. When the news reached the older brother, he was furious. He immediately rushed into the house to look for his sister. In his anger, he slapped his sister so hard that blood came out of her face and stained his hands.
In that tense moment, suddenly the timid husband stepped forward to block the older brother, who was consumed by anger. Filled with fear, he still stood tall and — this time without trembling — protected his wife from her brother. It turned out the husband’s courage came from the gathering he attended with his wife. Instantly, the older brother was shocked to see his sister’s husband bravely stand up to him. After that incident, the older brother’s heart softened; a feeling of fear and regret emerged for what he had done. Not long after, the older brother became interested and joined the very gathering that had transformed his sister and her husband. The decision of the sister and her husband to enter the hated gathering was a form of a gamble filled with risk and uncertainty. In the eyes of their society at the time, that action could be considered “wrong” or dangerous. Yet, their courage to choose — regardless of whether it was right or wrong in the eyes of society — ultimately changed the situation completely and melted the older brother’s heart.
In the end, whether you choose to act or not to act, it is a decision with all the consequences of its uncertainty. As Dr. Johnson said: “God Himself, sir, does not propose to judge man until the end of his days.” Then why do we?
