Two perspectives on the ‘right’ thing

I have no words to describe how packed my schedule has been in the past few weeks. I am beginning to ask why I am making myself work this hard when there’s always a choice to give up. I do not give up, though. Not as long as I find something in it that’s worth fighting for. I’m all vague thus far, but you get it, right?

The thing is every time I pause and put everything down, one recurring thought comes to my mind: how do you determine right from wrong?

Not that I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’ve just realized that what’s right for the world seems different from what’s right for heaven. The concerns of both differ. The former prioritizes comfort, and the latter operates on love. In matters of philosophy, neither is wrong. Everything is neutral. But when two people within the same context are differently inclined in terms of morals, there could be conflicts.

On power:

The world says you shouldn’t lose; you always have to win. Just strive for power if the world can’t give you fame.

The heaven says it’s okay to lose for the sake of peace, for the sake of love. When you’re humble, your heart grows bigger and its door opens wider.

On sacrifice:

The world says you shouldn’t sacrifice without gaining anything lest your efforts would be worthless.

The heaven says choose to sacrifice with or without gain. Efforts poured into any sacrifice is never worthless: in fact, it effectively builds your character.

On comfort:

The world says when you’re uncomfortable, you’re losing. You’re okay to stay where you are as long as you’re comfortable. Don’t bother engaging yourself in uncomfortable social situations, or helping out in solving problems if it disturbs your peace.

The heaven says when you’re uncomfortable, you’re in the process of defeating discomfort. You find ways to serve people better even when it means trudging a difficult uphill path. You don’t mind discomforts as long as you’re effectively building relationships and contributing to others’ peace.

On enemies:

The world says hate those who hate you. They’re not worthy of second or third chances. Make life easy for you: don’t welcome into your life anyone you don’t like.

The heaven says always choose love, whether they hate you or they love you. Be patient with people when they make mistakes—remember, you’re imperfect too. When you believe that a person is good, you bring out the best in them.

At a glance, it seems like what heaven wants from us is unreasonable, too selfless, and even inhumane. Well, it’s an option we can always not choose—since it’s a very difficult one. But didn’t you notice that what heaven ‘prescribes’ is what the wisest people we know like Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama, and Mahatma Gandhi also say? What heaven wants for us is what would truly make us comfortable on earth. It’s what would make us free.

I realized that the world will always be difficult, unfair, and empty at its core. Only heaven knows what’ll make our heart lighter, our horizons wider, and our ‘true’ life longer.