With all the crazy news that has been circulating on different media platforms lately, it is hard to keep one’s head on straight. With so many different views, ideas and beliefs, it can be challenging to wade through the quagmire to find one’s way to what is the truth. How can we be sure of anything, anymore? It would be easier to just throw up our hands and go with the flow, where ever that might take us, but we know that is not really an option. There is only one sure place where we can be sure of the truth, and that is within our own minds. As the weeks unfold before us, it is going to become more important than ever to seek direction from our own moral compass.
According to Merriam-Webster, a moral compass is “a set of beliefs or values that help guide ethical decisions, judgments and behavior: an internal sense of right and wrong.” We have all been gifted with one at birth. We use it from an early age to guide us towards the decisions we must make. Sometimes, we falter in our journey and veer off the path towards our own whims or outside influences, but that compass is always there, nudging us in the right direction.
A moral compass is not something tangible that we can touch. It resides somewhere in our inner being, though we do not know where. It is as illusive and untouchable to the outside world as it is to our own fingertips, unlike the compass that we hold in our hand. What we do know about a real compass is that its misuse can lead to a faulty reading. If we leave it outside to succumb to the elements, its tiny metal needle will rust causing the mechanism to jam up. If the user misuses it, then it can give a false reading. Even a few degrees can really throw someone off track. If you have ever used a compass to find your way in the woods and ended up in a place you did not expect, you will know what I mean.
Can our moral compass get thrown off course? Can outside influences cause us to become misguided and confused? It seems that, like the real compass, the answer is yes. Our sense of morality needs to be taken care of to function properly. It can’t be left to absorb any element that gets thrown its way. We are the ones that can control our own minds. No form of media or government agency has that power. It is up to us to sift through the distractions and carefully choose what is valuable and what should be discarded.
The cardinal directions for North, South, East, West will always remain as long as the earth keeps generating its magnetic field. A compass is like magic because no matter which way it is turned, it always seeks its true north. So, we too must find what is true. We must repel the lies and myths that are damaging our society. We must try to fill our spirits with hope and with love for our fellow humans and the world about us. When so many seem to have lost their way, we need to be unwavering in our beliefs even as those about us try to discount reality.
We know the power of the human spirit to rise in times of crisis. It is what leads the common man to jump from a bridge to save a drowning person or enter a burning vehicle to rescue a stranger. That spirit is what drives us to help our fellow man. Even in times when it is hard to see or feel the truth, our True North is always present and ready to guide us through the chaos. The road is dark ahead and the times seem uncertain. Hold on to your compass, and don’t let anyone take it away from you.
