Every day I’m reminded in some way that doing the right thing can be hard.
Doing the right thing can be lonely.
Have you ever seen something happening over a period of time, where many around you know it’s not okay, yet no one is willing to say anything. You realize the only way it will change is if you are the one to say something, knowing it will not be good for you, and yet you don’t.
What about when you see a child at a store knocking things around, but their parent doesn’t stop them. You wonder if you should say something or not. Then, because what the child is doing is wrong, you want to say something only you know the parent will get upset with you, so you walk away.
What about when you, along with many other people, have been waiting in a long line only to have someone come in and try to cut in the line. You wait to see if anyone else is going to speak up, but everyone seems to just sigh and accept it, including you.
Doing the right thing in a tough situation is hard because so few people want confrontation, therefore do nothing out of fear. We all want to be liked, to not make waves, so we sit back and allow things to happen around us, knowing full well those things are wrong or inappropriate.
It is my belief we are in the societal situation we are in right now because so many are afraid to speak up. To speak up when a child is acting inappropriately. To speak up when an adult is acting inappropriately. To speak up when someone is doing harm to another.
Doing the right thing takes courage. It means being ready to accept someone being upset with you, or telling you to mind your own business, or being sarcastic when you’ve rightfully called someone out, or losing a friend because you’ve spoken out about injustice being done by the friend.
I want to ask, nay invite, you to do the right thing when you see someone doing the wrong thing, meaning hurting someone or harming the common good. Summon the courage to speak up, even when you know it will feel uncomfortable.
If more of us used our power to make things better, maybe we could change the direction of our society, or even the world, for the better.
Next time, when you see something where you wish someone would speak out, be that someone. Feel your power. Feel your passion. Help make the world a better place to be.
It takes just one person to start a movement, just one person to help make it right, and that one person could be you.
Be vocal, be the example, be the change we all really want see.
Be powerful.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 