“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity are easy. Stay away from easy.”
Scott Alexander, film writer and director
I disagree. When we speak of low standards being easier to maintain, we belittle our own morality and sense of standards. One of the greatest injustices we do to children and teenagers is tell them how EASY taking the lower road of standards is and how COURAGEOUS taking the tougher road in life is. When you instill (or possess) a sense of strong standards, you are disappointed in letting yourself down. You tend to beat yourself up for making the poor choice and/or for not holding yourself to a higher standard. You feel AWFUL! The result is not easy to deal with at all. You can’t reverse your decision or what you did.
When you make the choice which holds you to a higher standard, you feel GREAT about yourself. While at first you may have concerns about what OTHERS think, you soon realize you did the right thing! You feel pride. You are energized.
What is easy about giving up on your dreams? What is hard about waking up every day knowing you are doing good and right for the world? What is easy about hurting others by doing evil? What is hard about seeing the joy in another person because of the time you spent working to help him/her?
Focus on the long-term results and you will see how EASY life’s decisions are for everyone! Share what you think by leaving a comment on this post.
P.S. Yes, I quoted myself in this article. Have you ever said something to yourself and thought afterward, “Hey, that statement makes a good point”? Then SHARE it with the world. Help others see the point your statement makes.