Last updated on 23 Nov 2008

We are all familiar with the concept of right and wrong. Over the last few months, after spending a lot time breaking down the concept, I have come to view right and wrong in a very different light.

For something to be right or wrong, there must exist a set of rules, such as the case in law, science, and mathematics. That is the reason why one can say, 1 + 1 = 2 is right and 1 + 1 = 11 is wrong.

I’ve since come to realise that there is no right or wrong when it comes to life because there are no rules for living your life. At least not that I’m aware of.

Actually, I lied. There are at least two main category of rules that governs how most people live their life—legal and moral. Legality is defined by a set of well-defined rules known commonly as the law. Morality, on the other hand, is more subjective. These are generally enforced through religious and social rules. Most of these rules exist to provide order and peace in society.

One important point to bear in mind is that all these rules are defined by people. While some are established through democracy where you and I have a say, others are created by an authoritative body. A fact of life is that people change. As a consequence, these rules also change. What is considered wrong today may become right tomorrow, and vice versa.

I admit that I have issues with authorities. While I generally try to live by the rules, I don’t have much problems bending them either if they are against my principles. Once you see the rules for what they really are, you start seeing things differently. This way of thinking does scare me sometimes.

The next time you’re faced with a tough decision, rather than trying to make the right choice, ask yourself this instead. “Can I live with the consequences of my choice?” Some decisions are evidently better or worse than others, but they are neither right nor wrong.