Our culture has taught us that we should categorize behavior and things as right or wrong. Parents, schools, and society as a whole engrain this concept into our heads as children. Trying to be right can even become an obsession for some, often times without considering the cost. Who decides what is right and what is wrong? Why do we categorize things as right or wrong? The answer to the first question is the basis of this article. Our next article (part two) will address the latter.

You may have answered “society”, “my employer”, or “I decide what is right for me” all of which would be correct. The simple answer is that people decide what is right and what is wrong. They apply labels to behavior and things. How many times have we heard someone say, “What she did was wrong”, “This is the right tool for the job” or even “He is the wrong person for the job”? Can a person actually be wrong? Can a tool be right? People things and even behaviors are what and who they are.

People create the concept of right and wrong in their minds and categorize the things they see, hear and experience. A concept by definition only exists in the mind. A tool is a tool. Spanking a child is an action. Even after things or behaviors are deemed to be right or wrong they do not change. A tool is still a tool and spanking a child is still spanking a child. The categorization of right and wrong exists only in a person’s mind just as a child’s imaginary friend only exists in their mind.

Part two of this article will examine why people feel the need to categorize things and behaviors as right and wrong.