Does doing good pay? Does the moral pleasure that one derives from doing the right thing, is it real? Or is it another manifestation of a complicated human feeling, self-pity?
There has always been this raging doubt inside my head on this issue. There was a time I remember, when I believed in doing the right thing. I believed in Karma, I believed that if I do good, then good will definitely happen to me. I believed it for so long time. Now the obvious question that comes to the mind which has been a derivative of an older mind which lived by the principles of 'survival of the fittest' is - Did it pay off? Did good happen to me? Or did I lose out on all that I could have had. Only if I did what was best for me, and not something that was the right thing to do, would things turn out to be different?
Well, we could do a cost-benefit analysis on this issue. That would seem right? As data, I have my entire existence till now to validate. There have been times when I followed my morals and then there have been times I have been...well?..let's say a bit (or a lot) opportunistic. The latter has not been difficult for me, thank to my genes and also - molding of the mind by experiences - has been instrument in improving my survival skills. Let us analyze some of the key phases in my life when I have followed one of the two schools of thought and the outcomes of my actions.
1. White!: Freedom, PMW and friends. Educational, informative and an imact. A new culture, a new perspective and the horizon widens. Confidence surges and so does the hedonism. Good things happen. Actions speak louder than words, is what one realizes. The battle is on and it is fierce, both sides are determined. Well, it is a war, and there has to be and there is, a winner.
2. The ball hits the box and bounces back: Thinking, contemplating and thinking. Free up your mind, party hard. What happens next? good things start to happen. A choice has to be made and I walk into the light. The light is soothing and it gives hope. Hope and belief rule the lands. And then, as we drive alongside the yellow sands of Khurais, an agent of change awaits. The agent confronts and is met with less resistance. He walks away, happy to have made its effect felt, he walks with a halo.
3. We hit turbulence: Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. I regret to inform you that we might encounter some turbulence. So when it happens, put your hands up high. Like you're in a roller-coaster.
The ball hits the box , but this time it's wise.
4. Little Red Riding Hood: The LRRH is scared and lonely in the dark woods. She is walking towards a far away flame of the purple oil lantern. The lantern flickers in the wind, the glass crackles. Wind fumes and leaves hustle. Just as she reaches the lantern, she realizes there is no one in the cottage, only oil and wick.
And now, I am beckoned with a similar situation. The score is Bad-1: Good-0. This results is disheartening and I wish this wasn't the case. So? What happens now?
A choice has to be made right away although there is a possibility that there might not be any need to, it might have been made already. Status-quo bias would be appropriate word to describe it. Is there an agent -with a halo -coming? Or is he too happy to just enjoy the show? Isishiyagalombili naps are all that's left and still I don't see the equalizer coming. Nonetheless, a lesson will be learnt after all this is over. Will the lesson help me decide one final time what to do? I highly doubt. Such an event would mean that your learning is over and so you should hang your boots and sip some lemonade. And that's not what humans are supposed to do! Right?
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