The Right Way to Live

Is there such thing?

The concept both appeals to me and makes me squirm. If there is a right way to live--if the question has been asked and answered; if there exist documentation of tests and surveys and proofs that make it plain for all to know; if a guide or manual has been produced as a reference for the diligent aspirant--then, it would seem, that peace on earth is possible.

But

if all of the above is true

why aren't we all committed to living the right way? Is the guide book only available to a select few? Is it hard to find? Hard to understand? Full of typos?

Do the particulars of "right living" vary from person to person, situation to situation, historical period to historical period?



I watched (and shared) this video on FaceBook the other day. It demonstrates, in my opinion, one possible illustration of what it looks like to "live right." Since watching it the first time, I have asked myself over and over, what stands between me and choosing to do what Mr. Krishnan did? With a clear sense of right living, what gets in my way and prevents me from acting on what I know?

This is a deep and lengthy contemplation.

In this moment, I can see that worry about what happens after making the decision is a complicating factor: two weeks and 7 hours after stepping into a radical departure from my usual life....what then? After the making decision, if I should find myself with a broken bone or facing an armed bandit or standing in freezing rain in a town where no one knows my name....what then? Might I regret my decision and long to return to the relative comfort of my "wrong living"?