“Doing the right thing” can be based on a number of different factors. First, there is generally a sense of what absolute goodness is. These are the absolute moral standards by which we should live our lives, given to us by a higher power or by our cultural environment. In Christianity, for example, this is expressed in the Ten Commandments, absolute ethical laws divined by God, also shared by other great religions. In secular society, it is the rule of law, the consensus of the majority of society on the rules by which that society should be governed. In balance with this sense of absolute goodness is relative goodness. Relative goodness is still moral correctness but depends on a situation still agreed upon by society. The act of killing another person is a good example. In most cases, killing another is immoral and illegal. However, in acts of war, self-defense and capital punishment is defended. Finally, there is subjective goodness. In this scenario, correctness is determined by the logic of the initiator. The killers of abortion doctors may believe they are saving future children. Law-abiding society sees them as extremists. We are born as individuals, but we are part of a larger context be it family, group, tribe, culture, organization, nation, world system or whatever it may be. While we are usually driven by our own individual self-actualization, the attainment of the highest potential for ourselves, achievement usually occurs within a context. Our drive is balanced by the rules we must live by. Usually we can't just do our own thing, otherwise we would be labeled renegades or, even worse, criminals. Our rules for a good life are generally taught to us by our family, religious and school influences. ...... middle of paper ......and Boys and Girls Center, an after-school program where children receive help. Help can compensate for a dysfunctional family or environment. Obviously it helps society. The cynic might say that dysfunctional people should help themselves, that all we are doing here is generating dependency, but we are also building our own future. Disadvantaged children will one day, when they are older, be able to think back and remember what others have done for them and will themselves become a person who helps someone in need. The Youth Center encourages individual potential and, in the long term, helps social unity by offering children and people in need the opportunity to succeed. There is no single answer to what the “right thing” is. It is as complex as any social or moral issue. However, in pursuing it, we are educating ourselves about the diversity of goodness and the need for common understanding.