"Everything is perspective"- says the subjectivist. The subjectivist is right; any given action can be made right (and what I mean by "right" is what this post is meant to explain) under the correct circumstances. Without such circumstances no one is right, no one is wrong, and nothing can be judged. Arguments can't be had, law has no place, progress- made through arguments and settlements, concluding in how to proceed- would exist in no singular direction, and collaboration would cease to exist except between the few who happen to agree- that is until they find differences in why they agree.
So everything requires a foundation; a preface of ideals, goals, theories, and some innate recognition of what seems right to us. That is my goal in writing this post: to give the foundation of my thinking. I realized it is essential for anyone reading my thoughts- who also wants to understand them as thoroughly as one can without having the same exact thought themselves- to know this: my sort of backdrop that provides setting for and guides my thoughts. Anything that has been read or will be read in the future of mine could be misunderstood or easily (or perhaps not so easily, as I use logic to guide my thoughts. But then, logic to serve what end goal?) debated on the basis of relevance and maybe even meaning. Even more importantly, to know the motivation behind a person's thoughts makes you able to extend the thoughts to application, or maybe carry it out to make more sense of it than what is simply given, and this is vital to understanding.
I'll also give something of a disclaimer, because my foundation is different than many (I won't say it's completely unique; there's too many people in this world for me to assume anything is completely unique). My will is strong, and my confidence in it is unbreakable. This isn't to say I can't be convinced otherwise, but I am saying I have thought it through thoroughly, and will need an equally thorough argument to convince me otherwise; such an argument would also first have to fully understand the mindset I present before debating. My basis is based on a vision of a better world than the one in which we currently live; one where people are stronger in will and in beliefs (and I do mean beliefs- with justification and reasoning-, not ignorance), and are more aware of a larger picture than themselves, the moment, or even the current situations.
In one word, all of my thoughts stem from a world that is selfless. But it's more than that. When I decide if something is right or wrong, I don't ignore myself and then act. Quite the opposite: I consider not one thing, but everything I can. I step away from the situation mentally; I broaden the scope, and I think about what will be the best for the greater good. Even this explanation begs for more though. By greater good, I mean the defense of the greatest amount of good people living the way they see fit while bad or evil people are gotten rid of. I mean a state of things in which the most passions can be pursed, and the least amount of people are harmed. Still we have "good" in the explanation. A good person, then, is one who aims to be a virtuous person, and who also aims to defend this greater good. So I consider "right" that action that will help us- as a race, as human beings, as a collective group of people- push on towards our potential in the best way. I choose the word selfless, because often there is more at stake than one's own involvement. More often than not, even in everyday tasks, one's own sacrifice (whatever it may be- an hour, some amount of money, or something more extreme) is inconsiderable compared to the good that could be done, and so I don't consider my sacrifice, because there are better outcomes that will be brought about.
The foundation of my thoughts is based on an ideal society. One in which any given person is willing to sacrifice themselves to help another person who is a good person against anything bad. One in which people are strong enough to take responsibility for situations they did not mean to be in, but are in never the less. One in which people realize and understand their part, role, and potential impact in terms of both time and as part of a massive race of beings. And that is meant for both large and small roles and impacts; to know that you are one- and yes, your life is invaluable; you have family, you have friends; you have goals; you love; yet to also understand that this is true of everyone. In understanding this, understanding that sacrificing one for many is valuable to the greater good. But to also know that daring to stand by the greater good can create an impact that would seem unbelievable to come from just one. What is "right" is defined as what the people in this society would do; more often than not, they would sacrifice their resources or selves for the greatest good.
And so all of my thoughts sprout from this idea; from wanting to create such a society where everyone defends the good from the bad at any cost; where right is doing what is best for the greater good in the larger scope of things; where we are willing to take action, think logically, set aside biases and try to actively help innocent, good people. This is my foundation because perhaps if this were the case, if everyone did this, then perhaps the greater good may be stronger than it is in the world now.
