Right Action

The fourth step of the Noble Eightfold Path is “Right Action”.  There is a popular saying that when a butterfly unfurls its wings in China, it eventually causes a windstorm in New England.  One of the laws of physics tells us that for every action there is a reaction.  These thoughts encourage us to ponder the impact of our actions and the effects, good or bad, they generate.  I have often told people in the work place that the reason we have so many rules and guidelines is that there have been so many actions that created unrest or difficulty that we’ve had to establish rules and guidelines to keep some sense of order.  If one person calls in sick, it is generally not a problem.  If ten people call in sick it can be a huge problem.  Many of us believe that our individual actions make little difference.  This might be true.  However, the combined actions of many people can make quite a difference.  If you don’t believe this ask any wildlife expert if individuals releasing pet boa constrictors into the Everglades has made a difference.  One snake may have quietly lived its life and died an unnoticed death.  The reality, however, is that the Everglades National Park is currently overrun with giant pythons that are killing and eating all the indigenous animal life including the alligators.  The thoughtless release of pet snakes, not indigenous to the Everglades, over time has wreaked havoc on the entire area.  What impact do your personal choices have on the landscape of your life?  Do your actions create goodness and harmony or do they create chaos, unhappiness, and problems?  Are an even deeper level, are your actions based on a deeply formed moral consciousness?  Do you do what you do because you have to do so or because it is the right thing to do?  Do you stop at a red light to avoid a ticket or because it protects your fellow man from harm?  Right Action is doing the right thing for the right reasons.  Right Action builds life.  It doesn’t tear it down.