“Doing the right thing” can be based on a number of different factors. First, there is usually an idea of ​​what absolute goodness is. These are the absolute moral standards by which we should live our lives, given to us either 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 a 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. This feeling of absolute goodness is opposed to relative goodness. Relative goodness is always moral righteousness but depends on a situation always accepted by society. Killing another person is a good example. In most situations, killing others is immoral and illegal. However, in acts of war, self-defense and capital punishment, it is defended. Finally, there is subjective goodness. In this scenario, correctness is determined by the logic of the proponent. Killers of doctors who perform abortions may believe they are saving future children. Law-abiding society considers them extremists. We are born as individuals, but we are part of a larger context, whether it is a family, a group, a tribe, a culture, an organization , of a nation, of a world system or whatever. Although we are generally driven to achieve personal fulfillment, to reach the highest potential for ourselves, success usually occurs in context. Our motivation is balanced by the rules by which we must live. We usually can't do what we want, otherwise we would be labeled renegades or, even worse, criminals. Our rules for living correctly are generally taught to us by our family, religious and school influences. ...... middle of paper ......e Boys and Girls Center, an after-school program where children receive help. Help can compensate for a dysfunctional family or environment. This obviously helps society. Cynics might say that dysfunctional people should help themselves, that all we are doing here is creating dependency, but we are also building our future. Disadvantaged children will one day, when they are older, be able to reflect and remember what others have done for them and they themselves will become a person who helps someone in need. The Youth Center both encourages individual potential and, in the long term, contributes to social unity by giving children and people in need the opportunity to succeed. There is no single answer to the question of what the “right thing” is. It is as complex as any social or moral issue. Yet in this quest we educate ourselves about the diversity of good and the need for common understanding..