The noise

Few moral issues are black and white - but religions, societies, and families give morals and absolutisms about what are good ideas and bad ideas. It's comforting to have affirmation of rightness - something that allows one to say "I did the right thing" and move on. But many people go off the rails at some point - they do something outside the playbook, and are lost.

One answer is to be one's own moral compass - to decide right and wrong on one's own, with no playbook to fall back on. It creates a deeper, more flexible person - with more humility. One can't help but be humble when one's morals are based on on opinions and not a rigid dogma.

But choosing one's own path is full of grays. If one is deciding between two things with tradeoffs, how does one feel good about not going down the second path? I usually have been good at living without regrets, but I can't help but feel tugged in different directions right now.