fbpx

Doing the Right Thing Now


by Ryan Biddulph

All products and services featured on this site are independently selected by our authors and editors. If you buy something through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

A few moments ago, during one of our late night walks, my wife and I saw a deer get demolished by a car. The lady had no chance to stop; the deer sprinted at full speed in front of the vehicle.

The disgusting-sounding thud of meat on bumper and deer struggling with 4 broken legs, flopping around on the side of the road, sickened me. The lady who hit the deer felt bad and me and my wife felt horrible. But since the woman – aka kid, basically – called her mom and not the police, I told my wife that we needed to jog back home fast to call the cops.

Why?

Doing the right, moral, ethical, humane thing now gives you clarity and greater peace of mind, even if it's a tough decision to make.

Doing the Right Thing

I knew the cops would put it out of its misery ultimately, euthanizing an animal with 4 broken legs and likely massive internal injuries. The operator noted the police would “do what they had to do”. Big time relief for me.

But making the decision to walk away felt heart-wrenching because one part of me and my wife wanted to comfort the deer or do anything we could to lessen his suffering in the moment. Since I did not have a rifle or shovel handy, I knew we had to rush home, call the authorities and allow them to shoot the deer.

One glimmer of hope suggested he could walk off with a limp but seeing him completely crippled instantly alerted me; the right thing to do right then was to call the police to end the deer's suffering.

Instantly, even though I still felt bad to see a sentient being in agony, I did feel some peace of mind in helping out an animal the best way that I could, given the circumstances.

Think and Act Ethically

You and I find ample opportunities daily to think and act ethically. We can always do the right thing now but sometimes feel tempted to stray toward less ethical, moral paths, comfortable paths. Doing the wrong thing brings temporary benefits perhaps along with no peace of mind, no calming influence and blanket anxiety over the long term.

Imagine if I stood there for 10 minutes, staring at a deer suffering in utter excruciating pain? Or picture me not calling the police because I assumed somebody else would make the call? I would have allowed my fear, pain, grief and selfishness to cloud my judgment, ultimately, influencing me to not so much do the wrong thing, but to neglect doing the right thing.

I also found myself for a split second saying, “I really wish I had not seen that,” although in the next second, I felt grateful to be presented with the opportunity to see the accident and do the right thing quickly. Now he does not need to suffer horribly for hours on end by the side of the road. Few people drive by during late hours with the current lockdown.

Trust Your Gut

Intuitive hunches always lead you in the right direction. Listen to your intuition. Nobody ever goes wrong or makes immoral decisions listening to the small, still voice.

Note; trusting your gut sometimes feels scary or outright terrifying. In other situations, trusting your intuition influences you to make difficult, sometimes excruciating decisions.

Nobody said doing the right this is always easy but the long term peace of mind you experience by trusting your gut is worth making tough choices.

About the Author 

Ryan Biddulph

Ryan Biddulph helps you learn how to blog at Blogging From Paradise.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

You tell people to “let it go”. You have been told to “let it go”. But what does “let it go” really

Read More
Why Does Letting It Go Have Immense Power in its Meaning?

I am open-minded. Life taught me to open up, dissolve bias, be humble and face my fears. Fear makes you see what

Read More
Fear Follows You Until You Face It and Feel It

The other day, a friend of mine who was a new stepparent asked me, “What is the best advice you have for

Read More
Advice for New Stepparents: 3 Tips for Stepmom and Stepdad

How many times have you learned a concept and mastered the idea after one exposure to the idea? Like zero times, right?

Read More
1 Coaching Concept to Sear onto Your Mind

Whether you believe it to be a complete hoax or you know it exists, Bigfoot seems to be a fascinating topic. The

Read More
Thinking: Use Your Precious Gift

Our book of the month is Balance: Creating a Well-Balanced Vision for Your Life. Have you ever found yourself working so hard

Read More
Book of the Month – Balance: Creating a Well Balanced Vision for Your Life

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step… I had grown up with the dream of becoming a pilot, but

Read More
My Worst Experience As An Ambitious Student

“An ant has no quarrel with a boot.” ~ Loki, Avengers Observe the news. But not for too long. Observe politics. But

Read More
Do You See Yourself as an Unlimited Creator or Mindless Insect?

My wife and I woke up around 8:30 today. We decided to take a hike in the Hike Peaks Wilderness Area of

Read More
Do You Choose Short Term Comfort over Long Term Freedom?

Human beings are an odd lot. Humans pass memes to one another. Most humans trust these memes solely because: some people experiencing

Read More
1 Meme Guaranteeing Your Failure

Zig Ziglar has inspired millions over the years with his motivational programs, and our book of the month is from one of

Read More
Book of the Month: See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar

Have you ever gotten so comfortable with something that you stopped practicing the basics?  What happened?  My guess is that you ran

Read More
With comfort comes complacency, and with complacency comes problems

SUBSCRIBE

Get new articles and course discounts from leading providers every Friday in your inbox with your free subscription!

>