When Right is Wrong

By

Douglas Ross 

You have heard the saying “wrong is right and right is wrong.”

We know that something wrong can be right. Right can emerge from wrong. Mistakes can be corrected!

But what happens when right is wrong? Can expediency, entitlement and exploitation ever be right?

Even though Abraham Lincoln said “No one has the right to choose to do what is wrong.” some still do...

I worked in a large multinational with incredible people and resources. Yet there was something radically amiss. They were choosing to do wrong.

They reminded me of a lesson from the Christian Bible. The disciples asked Jesus what the kingdom of Heaven was like. He answered that the kingdom of heaven was like a fisherman who cast his net into the seas and pulled in a rich harvest. As he went through his catch, he found the one that was kingdom of heaven and immediately threw all the rest back into the ocean.

It was the same but different at the company. Early in their history, whenever they had a problem, they turned to their people and it worked. Collectively they worked through their problems to find the answer.

As they prospered, the diversity and competence of the people increased. However, turning to the people now became like opening Pandora’s Box. With the advent of every new problem, each person became like the fisherman proclaiming their way as the right way. Indeed, even if one did have the right answer it was lost in the ensuing racket.

Some one decided and successfully argued that any answer- even if it was the wrong answer was better than the chaos they now had. This decision was based on the conclusion that the people were no longer capable of discerning right.

Leadership was then entitled and held accountable.  Expediency and exploitation became the new right. Those who supported the company position were rewarded while those who opposed were reprimanded. 

Power trumped truth. Expediency, entitlement and exploitation became the cultural norm. Politics spawned fear and disempowerment.  Moral problems spread throughout the company. Eventually, as one of the employees said, “Only the people who can not go elsewhere remain.”

A friend of mine, Jyoti Shukla wrote “It is true that right is good and wrong is bad but not all that appears good is right and vice versa. That which leads us to right is a journey; the rest is escape.  When wrong appears right, a traveler will search for a way ahead; an escapist will take it as a convenient short-cut.” 

When right is wrong, a silent cry forms within people in the organization. This silent cry of suffering, isolation and alienation is evoked by fear.

When right is wrong, pain appears. People react to this internal pain with confusion, denial, repression, or indignation that is manifested in their physical, emotional, mental and social life at work and at home

Perhaps that is why Martin Luther King Junior said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Right is a timeless proven concept that has been true in the past while providing direction for today and tomorrow. It is an objective standard of human action for all in a subjective world.

The word “right” refers to that which is universal, consistent and objective. All people, regardless of race or nationality understand the concept.

Next time you are in a situation where wrong appears to be right and right appears to be wrong, apply this simple test “When wrong is right, a way will appear; when right is wrong, the way will disappear”.

It may help you! 

Want to learn more? Contact me at principledynamics@gmail.com or visit my web site at www.principledynamics.com. I want to speak to you about integrity and how it can help you and all of us.