“Man should have only one court of appeals as to his actions, not “what will be the result?” ‘how will it be received?’ but ‘is it right?’ Then he should live his life in harmony with this standard alone, serenely, bravely, loyally and unfalteringly, making ‘right for right’s sake’ both his ideal and his inspiration.” ~ William George Jordan
If you’ve ever had to eat crow for any reason, you likely live by the profound truth of Jordan’s statement. If you’ve ever had to go in a direction that revealed itself to be diametrically opposed to the movement of the crowd, you likely decided at some point to live your life to the highest standard, in accordance with the truth.
Contrary to popular opinion, living a highly principled life needn’t signify the end of fun, freedom or flexibility. To square all that you do to what is right requires neither martyrdom nor sacrifice in the traditional sense, for both imply that choosing the right thing to do is nothing more than selecting the lesser of two evils.It is far from that; it is always the recognition and devotion to the best choice and action within the current set of limitations. You needn’t wait for a perfect state to consistently choose right.
Many perfectly capable people have thrown their lives away by electing a standard beneath “right action for right action’s sake.” Whether they did this in an effort to preserve their comfort or some element of outer station or to secure a perceived gain at a bargain price, compromise on this point eventually leads to a loss of freedom.
Your life takes shape around your inner orientation. If you are centered in all that is right, concerned to magnify what is right in your thoughts, words and deeds, there will be integrity at every level of you. Your body, mind and heart will be in alignment, centered in the singular purpose of right action for right action’s sake. And that, my friends, is the only way to overcome the formidable foe known as “ingratitude.”
Gregory Hake 
I think that the statement “Your life takes shape around your inner orientation” is one of the biggest keys that you need to have a life that is devoid of hypocrisy. If you understand that, no matter what words you say with your mouth, your life will take shape around your inner orientation, then to shape your life the way you desire is to have the integrity to shape your inner orientation in the way you desire.
I think if you are reading this blog, you probably wish to shape your inner orientation to be aligned with right action for right action’s sake, and to do that is easy. It isn’t some esoteric idea, but merely a series of choices. Your life is made up of a series of choices, and if you take each of them separately and make the choice based on right action for right action’s sake, your life will then be oriented to that ideal. It really is that simple, but it takes courage to make that choice time after time, especially when it is not a popular one!
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Simple and Brilliant!
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I loved Mr.Jordan’s quote ” Man should have only one court of appeals as to his actions, not ” what will be the result?”…
This should free anyone who reads it. Raising the standard of daily living to “right action for right action’s sake!
Thanks for yet another wonderful post!
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I love this series on William Jordan’s work. His thoughts were profound and your elucidation is a perfect complement. I appreciate these relevant gems, thank you.
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Working with things as they are is the only way to accomadate the best possible result. Whether it is the most prefered outcome is’t the point. It will be as perfect an outcome for that moment as possible. I think that’s forward movement. The right seeds will be planted and the upward inclination maintained. Great series. Ingratatude is a plague on your life if you let your heart get infected by it.
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I suppose then that by centering yourself in what is true, concerning yourself to give life only to what is right in your thoughts and feelings – if you really are dedicated to this because it means the world to you – then this creates such a wellspring of positive radiance flowing out of you that incoming ingratitudes find no home in your heart. There is no bullseye for the arrows of human indecency to hit.
That is really a life-changing idea. The way the world is today, we tend to trample over each other’s hearts mercilessly and feelings get hurt every single day because of insensitivity, not to mention outright violence. The solution to both sides of the equation is the same, whether you wish to not be one who contributes to any kind of violence in the world and if you wish to be one who can rise above the cruel insensitivities thrown at you. Give yourself fully to living a life in truth and do whatever it takes to grow and keep your integrity as the days move on. Your blog alone provides ample instruction in the many nuances of how this is accomlished, and I must commend your dedication to this most noble of all ideals. For a job most well being done, thanks Gregg.
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Oh, and sometimes a main course of crow and then humble pie for dessert can be the most nutritious meal! 🙂
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Choosing that which is right over that which is comfortable or merely familiar brings its own reward. This is the sense of peace and confidence in outlook that comes no other way. Love this series of posts. There is much to meditate upon here. Thank you.
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Great credo “right action for right action’s sake”. This is missing at so many levels in the world. An individual can make a difference on this count.
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I have been enjoying this series. I was curious about the title “The Courage to Face Ingratitude” as opposed to a title focusing on “gratitude” but I realize it does take courage and there IS something to face – the “formidable foe known as ‘ingratitude’ ” as you put it. That foe is at every turn trying to plant ingratitude in the hearts of human beings. It is the quickest way to ensure a slave mentality. Don’t fall for it! Thank you so much for these keys to freedom.
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