The Way That Seems Right

'There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.' A path can seem perfectly reasonable and still be destructive. You can have logical reasons, good intentions, and still be heading toward ruin.

I watched a friend take what seemed like a sensible path toward independence and security. She cut off relationships that felt limiting, made career changes that looked good on paper, pursued freedom from obligations. And somewhere along the way, she became isolated and deeply unhappy. The path seemed right. The logic made sense. But it wasn't actually right.

This proverb has made me more suspicious of my own judgment. When a path seems obviously right to me, I've learned to ask other people I trust: do you see anything I'm missing? Because my instinct about what's right is not infallible. It's probably not even usually reliable.