DO THE RIGHT THING

This weekend is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Dr. King was a great man - he was a civil rights hero who initiated a movement and a new way of thinking. He encouraged people to see past their own prejudices and to embrace their differences. Unfortunately, his legacy has largely devolved into a bank holiday; it is a day off from school, and for some of us, from work. Few citizens take time to remember the precious price that Dr. King paid for his beliefs - and even fewer take the initiative to "do the right thing."

In 1989, Spike Lee made the film "DO THE RIGHT THING." The film tells the story of Buggin Out - a would be do gooder who is crusading for change in his own neighborhood. Tired of the local pizzeria neglecting to show anyone other than Italians on it's "Wall of Fame," Buggin Out takes his mission to the people. He is a voice for change - crusading for his cause.

I am disappointed to say that few of my friends volunteer. Very few people I know have a cause that they are passionate about. Ask them the problems in society, and they can easily rattle off a list a mile long. Ask them what they've done to combat those problems, however, and the conversation will quickly dry up. I do a lot of volunteer work, and my friends always act like I am Jesus himself. The reality is that my efforts are shameful - my involvement with a few causes leaves much to be desired. I am not consistent with my volunteerism; I give when it is convenient - when it fits my schedule or wallet. That is hardly dedication. True dedication comes at all costs - or as Malcolm X said, "by any means necessary."

As we head into the weekend - and you enjoy your day off in honor of Dr. King - think about the true cost of our freedoms. What do you do to make things better? What do you do to increase awareness? When push comes to shove, can you say that you will "do the right thing?"


It's an election year - and we are a nation in a time of turmoil. We are on the brink, but the brink of what we can't quite be sure. Dr. King said that "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." I encourage you to take that to heart. Find your cause - and fight for it. Become involved, leave a legacy, and ultimately, you will find that you will "do the right thing."

Let me leave you with two thoughts from Dr. King:

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

What is the life you are leading saying about you and your beliefs? Inaction is still action.