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Is It Ever Right To Do The Wrong Thing?

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Is it ever right to do the wrong thing? Or, for that matter, is it ever wrong to do the right thing? I hate grey! Grey mist, grey hair, grey areas. I hate them all. Life is so much simpler in black and white. The crisp naivety of black and white is fresh, it’s clear, it’s simple. Grey is complex, tortured and foggy. You can’t see through it, as you can with black and white
Yet, in life, so much is grey. I ask again, is it ever right to do the wrong thing? Right and wrong used to be like black and white. But now they’re grey. Can anyone discern? Is it ever right to lie or should we always tell the truth? If we were always compelled to be absolutely honest, all the time, would the truth we tell cause too much harm? Would it be too much to bear? Is it right to watch the suffering suffer, when modern medicine could ease them from pain and distress into oblivion? Or is that wrong?
Is it right or wrong to take a life? “Do not kill…” murder is wrong. Murder is illegal and yet we spin it using terms such as, active duty; patriotism; security; freedom-fighting; the greater good; abortion; and mercy killing. So is it ever right to do the wrong thing? I hate grey! The grey of a young girl discovering an unwanted pregnancy. The fear of grey. The horror of grey. Grey is uncertain. Grey wants to run away. Black and white would take control; would know what to do; who to see; the next step would be clear. But grey is angry and frightened. Grey doesn’t know where to turn. Grey makes hasty decisions. Grey leaves a trail of devastation in its wake. I hate grey! Grey is my enemy.
Today I came face to face with my enemy – powerlessness personified. The grey that threatens to take away that which I do not know. Take away before it has a chance to be known. To remove potential as yet unrealised. To take it from me, though I fight with all my black and white to keep it. Grey will take it away. My black and white tears flow down the grey river as powerless resignation overwhelms the deep yearning within. The secrets of the soul are wrapped in grey. Grey coats them with searing pain and crushing helplessness.
Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?
There are consequences to every action. Thoughts determine every action…”As a man thinks, so he is” There are consequences for every thought. Black and white and grey. Each has a consequence. Some are right and others are wrong and some are grey.
I hate grey and grey is all around me.

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4 responses to “Is It Ever Right To Do The Wrong Thing?”

  1. Ruth Rogers Avatar
    Ruth Rogers

    This really intrigued me Phyllis. As I considered the greyness, I thought about how grey is a mixture of black and white but if we look closely we can see the clear lines of black and White that make it up as God reveals more of his truth. So we can go deeper with God in the greyness. I don’t know if this makes any sense but gives something to ponder on. Keep writing Phyllis. You have a real gift. Love Ruth.xo

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    1. phyllissloan Avatar
      phyllissloan

      Thanks Ruth for your comments and yes they did make sense. I wrote this piece a couple of years ago from a place of despair. It was a situation beyond my control which I was passionately opposed to.
      It reminds me now of the Psalmist in those psalms where he pours out his deep despair to God, questioning the wrongs he saw all around him.
      And yes God does respond to our cries and yes we do not always see the bigger picture but He does and He always draws near to us bringing comfort.

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  2. Liz Hamill Avatar
    Liz Hamill

    Hi Phillis, I liked your ponderings on `Grey v Black and White`… Reality to me is Black & White and Reality can be painful… the Greyness is like a hiding place, somewhere to go when Reality hits us in the face… a place where hurt cant penetrate, a grey mist that takes away the pain. I feel God allows the greyness into our lives at certain times,.. many people retreat into the mist when they cant cope with situations, situations such as depression, the death of a loved one and divorce to name a few… the Greyness covers, protects and shields for a period of time. God understands reality better than any of us… in his own time he slowly lets the mist fade until we are able to stand up and take control. I share this with you as once a long time ago I was thankful for the comfort of watching from behind a veil of grey…

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    1. phyllissloan Avatar
      phyllissloan

      Hi Liz,
      That is a very interesting perspective and it amazes me how different people read this piece. I was in a very dark and painful place when I was prompted to write this. It was a way of processing a situation that was beyond my control and which I was passionately opposed to…from a black and white/right or wrong perspective… Hence why I hated the grey in that context.
      However you have given me something to think about and put a positive spin on the greyness of life! I can also identify with what you are saying and have had occasion of hiding below the same veil.

      Thanks for your comments and I hope you enjoyed reading my posts. I’m working on a couple of new ones so watch this space 🙂

      Phyllis

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