Is there really a right and wrong?

Right and wrong... to this I would counter with is there really only opinion. The opinion argument is one that has confused me for a while. Its like starting a sentence with "No offence but...", clearly you are going to say something offensive. The most pervasive place I see this is with the uncouth behavior of women. A term many of you should be familiar with, its called "bitching". Over generations, and particularly since the whole women's liberation movement, it has become more and more acceptable for women to spout off every and any senseless tantrum at any given time and claim some useless drivel such as "I'm just telling the truth" or something of that nonsense. In reality your being mean, rude, and generally (as the term implies) a bitch. But I digress, that is just an example of opinion being used to excuse poor behavior that would never be acceptable if portrayed as anything other than cheerful conversation.

Really though, is there a right and wrong to things or are all things opinion. I would counter with this line from a very good movie if you can stand the slow parts. In K-Pax Jeff Bridges plays a psychiatrist who is trying to help Kevin Spacey who believes he is from another planet. In one of their counseling sessions Bridges asks Spacey about his home world and when it is discovered that they have no laws this conversation takes place (paraphrased as I don't remember the exact words). "You have no laws? Then how do you know the difference between right and wrong?" After a very perplexed look from Spacey he replies "Every creature in the Galaxy knows the difference between right and wrong Doctor." For me that was a very powerful statement, and one I completely agree with. Why is it that my dog has his head down when I come home and he has been in the trash, why do children close doors when they are doing something they are not supposed to? Its because, quite literally, every creature in the Galaxy knows the difference between right and wrong. The difference is that humans have chosen to attempt to redefine that standard. If you want an example try this, run a red light. In the middle of the night on a dirt road with no one for miles. If you are a moral person you will get that feeling in your stomach that could possibly prevent you from doing it at all, but even if you are able to push through that, the tightness in your stomach will actually cause you pain. Why is that. You can see that there are no cars around, your clearly not in danger of being hit. The only explanation is that you are about to do something very wrong and you know it, even though, and this is the really important part, even though there are no worldly consequences.

Lets look at right and wrong in a different light, what are they. They are a system of morality, without religion they do not exist, as religion is what gives us this moral code. Now I believe that this code is ingrained in each and every person regardless, however religion spells it out for us as well if you somehow get confused. If you want an example of this look at nature, we don't find it offensive or punishable if a lion kills another who is attempting to force him out of the pride.... however god forbid I come home and find another man in my house with my wife and slice him into thin strips. I would be tried and convicted of murder. Why, you have to ask yourself why. If we truly are just animals, then why does it matter, why do we not as a population follow the law of the animals? Whats funny is the people who are traditionally the most agenst religion and what it brings, are also the most agenst people possessing weapons. You would think that would be the other way around.

So right and wrong are a matter of religion, however without religion humans and animals (of course animals have no religion) know the difference, so clearly everything exists within this fabric. At the same time there are real indications of when you are doing something wrong, the stop light example. So we have established that there is indeed a right and wrong regardless of if you decide to believe it or not.

The next step is what actions are right and what are wrong, now this is where it gets fuzzy. Personally I choose to go with the logic approach. I remove emotion, and what is left I sort out in the most logical way possible. Basically this is the way the US legal system is supposed to work, a system I completely support in theory (in practice it is a political circle jerk but that's not the systems fault that's the people in it not doing their job). You have to remember, all sins are based off emotion, I very much believe that emotion is the practical application of free will. It is that fudge factor that takes a right decision and turns it into a wrong one. Often times I hear people say "I know what I should do, but I feel like I should do something else"... read that again if you didn't catch the irony.

Of course how deep does this rabbit hole go, is the world black and white or shades of grey. Well remember right and wrong is an aspect of religion right (this is where I'm about to get a little biblical for those unsuspecting readers who would rather hug a tree at this point). Its stated clearly, much to many peoples dismay, that all sins are equal in the eyes of God, thus if an action is a sin, it is bad. Not a little bad, but completely and equally as bad any ANY other sin. To answer that question you are having right now, yes, jay walking is the same as mass homicide. The only reason people choose not to believe that is because they... wait for it... don't want to FEEL bad about themselves. They want to say, well sure I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not....yea... all equal in the eyes of God. Its this perspective that many don't want to face. So if all sins are just as bad as any other sins, then the converse, are all rights as good as any other right. Well by simple algebra yes, it has to be so to balance the equation. OK so good actions and bad actions are all black and white.

What about things that don't exactly have a good and a bad, well there again your fooling yourself. There is not an action that you can take that does not have one of those connotations. You may think otherwise but that's because you are looking for that fudge factor. Think about it, upon reading that last sentence whats the first thing that came to your mind... "oh there must be some thing that docent have either good or evil to it." I heard a very good sermon the other day about perversion, how it starts small, looking for excuses, just minor ones, and later branches out into massive inconsistencies. Again getting metaphysical, the bible is assumed to be infallible, because it is a representation of God, thus if Satan were to be able to create a situation where the bible contradicted itself... it would all fall apart. Now consider that situation. Satan isn't trying to tell you that God doesn't exist, even he isn't that arrogant (unlike many many humans) all he is trying to tell you is that hes not perfect, and thus not worthy of being followed.

Lets connect the logic chain on this one, all actions have good or bad (right or wrong) connotations. Choosing good puts you on the side of God, choosing bad puts you on the side of Satan. Satan is attempting to show humans that there is exceptions to the laws of God. By doing this God is no longer perfect, and thus no longer need be worshiped or followed. Looping back to the beginning, if your not following God your following Satan. Satan wins.

The problem people have is they think they are important in ways that are irreverent (worldly) and insignificant in ways that are paramount (Godly). It is this confusion over our purpose in the world that causes people to kill for shoes, seek earthly pleasures at the expense of their soul, and numerous other examples. You have to ask, if people know the difference between right and wrong, why would they do such a thing. I answer you, emotion... free will... because it feels good and because they can.