On right and wrong

"Everything is lawful", says Ivan in the classic The Brothers Karamazov. In response to which the novice saint Alyosha smiles and gives him a kiss on his lips. Hard to understand, but doing the right thing is the same thing as doing something wrong. Being good is the same thing as being evil. There is no difference. No moral repercussions follow whichever path we choose. People do that. They commit and justify the most grievous, heinous acts. They justify any misdeed. I mean anything. What makes great men? What makes wise men who are so far and few? They might be the ones that see both paths, really the grayness to be just the same and still pick the 'good' over the 'bad'. God, moral codes, ethics may help in making such choices. Conscience is one of the biggest burdens faced by a free man, devoid of God. Doestovsky describes this far better than I can, ever. For the wise men out there, I also got one Steinbeck's word " timshol".