Right and Wrong: A Reflection on Moral Uncertainty
Summary: Morality can be relative, and good intentions may produce harm. The author reflects on rescuing earthworms from hot sidewalks, then wonders whether the act interferes with karma and rebirth or deprives birds of food. The dilemma suggests that certainty is elusive, and action is best performed with detachment.
Our morals are relative. What is right from one perspective may be wrong from another. Sometimes we jump to conclusions about people and situations without having full information, and regret it when we come to know all the facts.
Leaders in positions of responsibility face this dilemma when they must make tough decisions, because they often know more than the people they serve. Since morals and values are relative, it can be difficult to know whether you are doing the right thing, especially when those morals are tied to religious beliefs.
For example, during the summer months, many earthworms die in the heat when they leave the grass and crawl onto concrete walkways, usually after rain. As they move across the cement with their frail bodies, the morning sun quickly desiccates them. Sometimes several lie curled up and dead on the path, as if they had a death wish and committed mass suicide. No doubt they are a good source of protein for birds, and Nature may have programmed it this way to maintain balance and recycle resources.
Whenever I see earthworms crawling on the footpaths, I pick them up and put them back in the grass. I do it instinctively, assuming they need to be rescued from the heat. Yet, in retrospect, I am not sure whether I am doing the right thing. First, my actions may be delaying the rebirth of the souls present in the earthworms.
By rescuing them, I may be interfering with their karma, rebirth, and destiny. Second, by rescuing the earthworms and disrupting the food chain, I may be depriving birds of their regular nourishment, with further consequences. It is mating season, and the birds need protein to lay eggs and raise chicks.
Thus, you can see that in our world, it is not always easy to know which actions are right and which are not. Your positive actions may have unintended negative consequences, and vice versa. Ascetics and yogis let go of everything and do not interfere with worldly phenomena or the natural order of things. They withdraw from the world and let events unfold on their own, remaining indifferent and equal to all situations. I am not sure whether even that is always justified. Perhaps that is why we are advised to perform actions with detachment, without desires or expectations.