"Mother whispered, 'See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.' "
-Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
There were several times in my life when I had to stop and ask myself, "Am I doing this right?" or "Am I doing the right thing?" And once in a while I would think to myself, "Who decide what is right and what is wrong?" And "Why do I even feel right and wrong?"
Trust me, there are no right (or wrong) answers to these questions.
After reading Maya Angelou's autobiography, I think I know why the caged bird sings. It is singing for freedom!
As I look back into my childhood, many people were trying to "correct" me, calling me wrong (or right?), and they haven't stopped. Not that I'm against them, I know that I need them (sometimes) because bad decisions are my bestfriend and I often take the hard ways to learn. On my good days, though, I would take the highways, but that's another story. Now, I wonder--how do we know for certain that what we're doing is right? (or wrong?)
Yes, there are consensus on what's considered as right and wrong--Anything that's harming another person is wrong--this I would have to agree with, and that's why we have the LAW.
But sometimes our rights and wrongs (based on our subjective worldview) are not applicable to others because their worldview are different. And correcting someone's worldview is claiming that our worldview is the absolute true worldview, but how do we know that for certain?
I think it's through learning, discussing, understanding, experiencing and most importantly having FAITH in what we believe in as truths, could make certain of our worldview as true. But I think many people are caged from exploring what's beyond their horizons. They are blinded and have conformed according to their cages, as though captive pet birds controlled by their masters, doing tricks for food, acceptance and survival. It's not wrong, though, but of course it's not right at the same time.
Some birds fight to get out of their cages--some succeed, some don't, some are happy to remain silent, some sing their heart out!
At the end of Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, her mother whispered to her "See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking."
So, are we doing this thing right?
"...............................
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom."
-Maya Angelou, "Caged Bird"