The right thing and the wrong thing

10/05/2025 Nilson Lattari

Since childhood, we have been taught about right and wrong. Elders, relatives and friends often point to people on the streets or even those close to us as examples of good or bad, doing the right or the wrong thing.
– Do the right thing!
– What have you done? This is wrong!
Some people call themselves “good” and claim they always do the right thing, of course, they say that their opponents are the ones doing wrong. Many of those so-called “good” people excuse their actions by saying, “The ends justify the means”. In other words, they believe it is okay to use wrong methods if the goals seem right.
In real life, we often have to choose between what’s right and what’s wrong. When making these decisions, we often add our wishes or what we believe in, what makes us happier. Over time, life changes our concepts. Sometimes, we have to choose between being accepted by so-called “good” people or facing our fears and being associated with so-called “wrong” people. So, what is truly the right thing to do: follow the supposed majority (who may do wrong things to reach their goals) or the supposed minority (who are also said to do “wrong” things to achieve their goals according to the majority)?
If we think carefully, that supposed majority often include people who act in ways that go against common sense. Should we try to do what’s right” just to be accepted by powerful people who keep the world aligned with their own beliefs, or should we stand with those who are trying to free the world from false ideas which have been labelled as “wrong”? Choosing between right and wrong is not always difficult. The real challenge is deciding whether to follow the system that runs the world or abandon the concepts imposed by powerful people.
In the end, it is often not about right or wrong, it is about choosing a safe and comfortable life. If the so-called minority could truly speak freely, maybe they would choose to smile and walk through life as owners of their destiny.
In this world, we not always choosing between right and wrong. Most of the time, we have one goal: to survive the best we can, because our behaviour is often determined by those in power.
How often have we done the “right” thing and ended up in tears, or done the “wrong” thing and felt happy? Did we cry because we were heroic, or smile because we were bad? In truth, we cry when our convictions are defeated by a side we don’t want to agree with.
So, do the right and the wrong thing too. We should love those we care for and do the things we enjoy because we are human. And inside us, it is a mental battle, the majority that controls us and the minority that questions it.