Whatever is Right
By Nii Addy
“Oh, that’s just not right!” Maybe you’ve just witnessed a poster-worthy dunk on tv, with the commentator exclaiming this phrase. Or maybe a friend is being teased mercilessly, and you say it in their defense. Or perhaps you’ve heard the phrase in a far more serious context. Maybe a good friend or family member continues to face significant health challenges, despite diligently seeking out treatment options, or a long-standing relationship is deteriorating, amidst everyone’s efforts to intervene. In so many cases, in so many places, it’s just not right.
For those of us on college and university campuses, “that’s just not right” is a phrase (or a sentiment) we know quite well. Personally, I’ve heard this phrase in many different contexts over the last two years in my roles as a professor, research mentor, advisor, mental health advocate, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leader on campus. I’ve heard it from undergraduate, graduate, and professional students navigating pandemic-related stressors and sometimes feeling that they’re not receiving all the support they need. I’ve heard it from faculty members, staff, and administrators feeling stretched thin, simultaneously being asked to serve on more committees, provide additional support to students, and make leadership decisions to guide their institutions. I’ve heard it from our communities of color, where individuals are often asked to guide diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism efforts, sometimes feeling like they’re being tasked to solve their institution’s longstanding, intractable challenges.
But how do we react when something is “just not right?”
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
As I recently reflected on Philippians 4:8, the phrase “whatever is right” caught my attention in a way it hadn’t before. With this very familiar Scripture, it’s easy for my eyes to gloss over the verse and conclude that I should simply think about good, pleasant, positive or “feel good” things. But what does it really mean to think on “whatever is right,” especially in our current moment? What does it mean to think about what is right in our relationships, our vocations, our classrooms, our leadership, our commitments, and our communities? Over the past two years, thinking about what is right has taken on a different and broader meaning for me, and I suspect, for others as well. As I interact with so many on campus and elsewhere, it has also been right and fitting to acknowledge what is wrong.
And so much is wrong. I’ve seen students and faculty setting pre-pandemic goals for themselves, only to fall short. This is often followed by disappointment and anxiety, which makes it harder to reach the goals they hoped to achieve, and the cycle of unrealistic objectives and disappointment ensues. I’ve seen many individuals in our campus community who have struggled to navigate the educational system while experiencing personal and ongoing microaggressions and racism. I’ve seen members of our faith communities falling out of community with one another, and struggling to maintain their faith. The wrong is not hard to spot.
But in rightfully acknowledging what is wrong, many are simultaneously thinking on what is right, and—just as importantly—thinking about ways to make things right. I’ve heard stories of faculty members who have brought their full selves into the classroom in ways that they hadn’t before. Indeed, these faculty walked a fine line of vulnerability, where they’ve authentically acknowledged their own challenges and opened themselves to students. As poignantly described in a prior Carver Connections piece by Heidi Kolk, this bold vulnerability can be transformative and can create a new level of trust, encouragement, and community within the classroom. I’ve seen instances, in our campus ministries, in our churches, and in our academic settings where more and more people are asking hard life questions, sharing honestly about their own journeys, and investigating Christianity and faith in ways they never had before.
So as I think on what is right, I seek to do so in the context, and not at the expense of, what is not yet right. We know that things are not the way they are supposed to be. When we think on what is right, we identify what is wrong; and when we identify what is wrong, we can then do as Paul subsequently exhorts us to do in Philippians 4:9—we can think on ways to make things right. We can put into practice what we’ve learned from his example.
That broader frame and wider understanding makes it possible to pray that in the midst of everything wrong, we may continue to think on, cling to, and move towards whatever is right.
Nii Addy is the Alfred E. Kent Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale School of Medicine and a board member of The Carver Project.