Operating in the space between 'Right' and 'Wrong'

There is a comfort in definitiveness. The notion of ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ allows us to create structure, alignment and order. We assume our understanding is so perfect that we never even ask ourselves - is what’s assumed as Right actually Right?

What if we chose to suspend our belief (read as set of assumptions reinforced through experiences) for a few minutes and entertained the idea that most of our lives are lived in the space between Right and Wrong; that all decisions are taken in that space and that the notion of ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ is not absolute but relative? That what we seek comfort in is in fact not what we have come to believe it is?

Rumi, the 13th century poet talked about this space - Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field - a space transcending judgements beyond the binary concepts.

Nietzsche, one of the most influential of all modern thinkers says that it is immoral to say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and that nothing in nature has value in itself, thereby asserting that the notion of Right and Wrong is flawed.

At this point, some of us may choose to dismiss both Rumi and Nietzsche since they were philosophers who live in a make-belief world, far from reality, and never had to go to work, or lead companies wherein we have real issues to manage and problems to solve. Our choices are ours to make.

But for those who choose not to, let’s look at this notion through that very lens of a modern day life.

Stephen Covey - a man whose life was as real as life gets - an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker - talks about Right and Wrong anchored in personal morality. Yes, morality! A space far from definitive, a space that has as many versions as there are humans on this planet.

At this point, some of us may choose to dismiss Stephen too since he was an American who was born to rich parents. Just as a nugget of fact - he grew up on an egg farm out side Utah.

Let us ladder further down into our lives, parking aside celebrated lives of Rumis, Nietzsches and Coveys. None of them had to grow up in such a ‘VUCA” world filled with so much competition.

I have worked with a few of the best leaders in the country and my conclusion is that they live their lives in that exact space between Right and Wrong - a space called Maybe/ Perhaps/ Let’s see.

They take calls on a split-second basis; they take punts that are called plans; and navigate the unknown empowered by most things not full known. Imagine leadership being practiced not in this in-between space but on either sides of the polarity.

Just as an example - a company offers ride-hailing services and as a part of their growth plan, they choose to offer food delivery services also. Do their leaders have all the information to be certain that their plans are going to succeed? Do they have definitive answers? Can anyone say with certainty that they are Right or Wrong about this decision? In this case, like in most, the leaders choose to operate in the space of Perhaps/ Maybe.

Then, by derivative logic, could it be that it is we who choose to conclude for ourselves, based on our notion, morality and conditioning that certain decisions are either Right or Wrong?

Perhaps the reason we choose to do so is to seek that very comfort in definitiveness that reduces variables in our lives. And in doing so, we choose to pick a side that we don’t even fully understand.

I close this thought with a question to my self - how self-aware is my state of being in which I am choosing to pass through the journey of life?

The information provided by me in this article is for general informational purposes only. All information quoted in this is provided in good faith, however I make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information. This article does not represent the views of any entity or organisation.