Fuzzy Lines?

So someone told me today that they thought the line between right and wrong was getting fuzzy. It got me thinking: have moral standards really changed? Do people really not know when they are doing something wrong, or are they just trying a little harder to justify their behavior?

It seems that it's human nature to make excuses for one's own bad choices- it's a psychological form of self-preservation. If we can validate our choices, then we can feel good about ourselves. No one wants to think of themselves as a "bad person," right? So we rationalize our bad behavior, often placing blame on the very person that we injured by our actions.

Look, we all screw up. There isn't a person in the world that hasn't hurt another, or done the wrong thing. It's what we do and how we learn. I'm a great example- I think every lesson that I've ever learned has been the hard way- just ask my parents. I've screwed up a lot, and sure, I've tried to rationalize my choices, but when it comes right down to it, I have to admit to myself that I did the wrong thing. The upside is that I have the opportunity to learn from it.

The line between right and wrong hasn't changed, but our collective behavior as a society has, because we've made excuses for ourselves and not called out the bad behavior of others. Maybe it's time to rethink this trend, because it's not doing any of us any good. I'm not saying that we should all walk around in judgement of each other, but calling someone out on their crap may be just the thing that they need to hear in order to grow. I know it sounds like the quickest way to alienate yourself from others, but when it's done in the right spirit, it can actually bring you closer. True friends look out for each other, and sometimes that means speaking up when you see them headed down the wrong path.

More importantly though, is to own up to your own mistakes, and take what you needed to learn so that you do better next time. Don't try to defend your bad choices, learn from them and move on. Sometimes we just need to redraw those lines when they get fuzzy and do our best not to go over them again.