Follow Righteous Path But Without Fear as the Motivating Force
Only then can you be really happy
If a person is married and follows the righteous path of being loyal to his spouse then it should not be a result of fear. The possible fears here refer to experiencing the wrath of the spouse or expensive divorce etc. A person should be loyal because he loves his spouse and children.
When the righteous path is followed with fear as the motivating force then we are doing more harm to ourselves in the long run. The person, in such a situation, should self-introspect and remove the fears and replace them by the belief that following the righteous path is for his own benefit and the overall benefit of the society. If upon analysis, one finds that there is no benefit to him or the society by following the righteous path then one may as well leave that path.
What is a righteous path?
The theory of evolution is not an opinion but a fact. We all evolved from single-celled beings to apes and then finally to human beings. Most of the so-called righteous paths have been our creation along this evolutionary path so that the society we live in can maintain its stability.
Example: Marriage was considered sacred in earlier societies and pre-marital and post-marital affairs were not considered righteous. It was so because individuals were responsible for their family and the authority would turn a blind eye towards broken families. But in the current society enough support is provided to broken families and hence the sacred status given to marriage is not present anymore and hence pre-marital affairs are no more considered a non-righteous path.
Thus what is the righteous path, in crude terms, may keep changing with time and also what may be righteous in one society may not be so in another society.
“Righteous paths in a particular society at a particular time are those paths that people who are responsible, happy, and at peace with themselves, follow so as to maintain the stability of the society”
Why follow the righteous path?
- Following the righteous path gives us the passport to live life with our head held high.
- We can be an integral part of society and also be respected by the people in society.
- We will not have a subconscious fear of getting exposed thus enabling us to express ourselves freely and without applying any filter to our thoughts.
The righteous path but without fear
As explained in the previous section, following the righteous path has many benefits but we should also see that we are following the righteous path without fear as the motivating force.
Some examples are as follows:
- In sports like soccer, a player doesn’t hurt the member of the opposite team, not because he fears a red card but he feels that hurting someone is not in the right spirit of the game.
- For a person in power, he doesn’t take a bribe, not because of the fear of getting caught but because he feels by not taking bribe he is doing justice to his work.
- A student does not cheat in an exam not because he fears getting caught but because he wants to maintain a just system where merit is given first importance.
Thus if we are following the righteous path in the right spirit then there is no stopping us. We will be the person who will be righteous even when no one is watching us.
What if fear is the motivating force?
When fear is the motivating force behind following the righteous path then we risk having a double standard. One face of us will show that we are followers of the righteous path while we will have another face that might take the opposite path if others are not watching. This is not good for the overall well being of the person.
As righteous paths are generally those which happy and responsible people follow so we should see if the reason for not following righteous path is that we in stress and frustration. In case we are frustrated then we should work towards it and come to a state where we are happy with ourselves. The process of catharsis may be helpful in this process of transformation and details of it are explained in the following articles:
The process of catharsis explained in terms of software development analogy
Does an empty mind make you feel restless?
We are happy and responsible
In case we are not frustrated and still feel that the righteous path is not providing us the benefit that we should get and we are following it because of the other fears then it is better to let go of the so-called righteous path.
An example: If a married person does not love his spouse or is not loved by the spouse then he is maintaining his marriage just to avoid the fear of getting the wrath of the spouse in case he leaves, etc. In that case, even if one breaks apart, it will not be a bad deal. It will be helpful for his overall wellbeing. That being said such steps should not be taken in haste and all possible pros and cons should be analyzed before taking the step (especially if children are involved).
Conclusion
When encountered with a situation where we feel we are not following the righteous path then we should ask the question — Are we happy? Because in frustration it is unlikely that we follow the righteous path. In case we are not frustrated and are following the righteous path just because of some other fears then it is better (after careful examination) to let go of the so-called righteous path. It may just not be suitable for us.
