Is doing things right important or doing the right things that matter?

I take the distinction to be that doing things right is competence where doing the right things is ethics. It seems to me that both matter. After all, doing something well is wrong if it isn't right, and trying to do the right thing is futile if you don't do it well.

In many ways everyone is entitled to have their own moral code as long as it's within the bounds of the law. At the end of the day each of us has to be able look in the mirror and sleep at night based upon our actions and decisions. Sometimes doing things right and doing the right thing are the same.

Other times it comes down to your own moral code. For example you witness a homeless child stealing a food item. Your options are to ignore it and let him walk out of the place, report him to a manager, or stop him and offer to buy it for him.

Some people might feel all 3 options are viable right things. Others may feel the only "right thing" to do is report him. Sometimes only you can decide what the right thing to do is.

A few people go with the old "What would Jesus do? " approach to make their decisions. Another example is breaking up or ending a relationship.Is breaking up in person (always) the "right thing" to do?

Over the phone? Via email, or simply disappear?(Woud it make a difference if it were an abusive relationship?) There is no "law" against doing either approach. The majority of people do what is "comfortable" to them.

None the less we all have to live with ourselves.

I don't think your distinction is very helpful--you aren't really "doing things right" if you neglect to pick "the right things" to do.

Both are based on what we consider to be "right". It's not a mutually exclusive comparison at all.Do the right thing, the right way - redundancies, but there's your answer.

I say both. Everyone should do their very best in everything they do. What a world this would be if they did.

Doing the right thing is totally subjective, but we should opt for our own subjective opinions of what's right over what's wrong, always.

Both are equally important for me. When I set out to do something, I make sure that it is done right. No point of doing something and yet not doing it right.It is also a sense of pride and achievement when I get things done right.

It is like setting a goal in life and achieving it will be like winning a lottery.

I think both matters because if you aint doing things right then you aint doing the right thing so both work together.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.