What have you done BECAUSE it is right?

I have a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on my wall at work, and I look at it every day and think to myself, what have I done today that is "right."

Here it is for those of you that care to read it.

Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time that one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.

Without getting into politics too much, I believe we have come to a time in our country when we must begin to do MORE things that are right. We must get to know our neighbors, be the one who looks in on an elderly person in town who's family is too far away, teach others what we know about self sufficiency. I'm not talking here about forced "volunteer service," I'm talking about reaching out, forming a community, being there for one another. Who of you knows your neighbors, or people in your town? Where would you go in a crises if you needed help? Are you prepared physically and mentally for the emergencies that may arrive in your life?

During the ice storm this past winter, I had the pleasure of being prepared enough that I was able to provide for some of my extended family that needed help. It wasn't life saving help they asked for, but it was comfort. A warm house, warm food, a hot shower, and some supplies to take with them back to their house so they could cook. We had visitors coming and going all day, but I still feel as if I failed because I never thought to check on my neighbors. Now, I didn't think of it because they are prepared as much as we are, but anything could have happened and they could have been in need and unable to reach out for help.

I don't know where we are heading in this country, all I know is that for several years now, it's been laid on my heart to prepare for hard times. Now it's being laid on my heart to prepare for others as well, and to teach wherever and whenever I can. How many of us know the Constitution? When is the last time you read it? Maybe some of you may think I'm being a romantic, thinking we can get back to a "simpler" time, but I truly believe that we can turn this country around, and people are waking up all over the place. There are reasons why each and every one of those things were put into our Constitution and Bill of Rights. There were debates, the Federalist Papers were written to take the debate public. Our forefathers knew the dangers of big government and of not taking responsibility for yourself. Well, here we are now.

Where could we be right now instead of this mess - if we all took responsibility and did the right thing - because it is right?