right thing, right now — It Only Happens Once

The time is always right to do the right thing.

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Criticism

The act of criticizing someone undeniably carries a hefty negative connotation. Many of our preconceived notions of criticism entail personal feuds or grudges, scolding, chastising, humiliation, ridicule, and the shame, embarrassment, fear, or resentment that these actions inevitably precipitate. But why is this? If we think about it, offering constructive feedback to others is perhaps one of the…

Without tension, we wait. Without a deadline, we meander. Without urgency, it’s easier to stall.

— The Song of Significance

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart—and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained.

— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Public Interest

In 1950s and 1960s America, television had transformed from a fledgling industry into one of the most significant cultural forces in the 20th century, and as it began to prioritize airing lowbrow, mindless, and crass entertainment to maximize viewership, it inevitably garnered significant criticism from those concerned with its long term impact on the culture. In 1961, in response to these…

The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.

— To Kill a Mockingbird

The Cost of a Human Life

It was estimated that over $20 million was spent extracting the 33 miners that were trapped in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident. That's over $600,000 per life. How many millions of dollars were spent trying to devise ways to save three astronauts in the Apollo 13 mission? How many millions were spent trying to save the 47 lives that were aboard the FV Alaska Ranger? To rescue the 24 hostages held…

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

— James Baldwin

When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.

— Thomas Sowell

Concentrate every minute like a Roman—like a man—on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can—if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that’s all even the gods can ask of you.

— Meditations, Book 2:5