Follow your Convictions

People who wait an entire lifetime to find the absolute perfect moment to get involved are most likely looking for excuses to avoid involvement with any social cause. Many factors contribute to this lack of participation, such as "perfect standards" or lack of interest.

We have learned since we were children to conform to social groups, follows rules and not rock the boat. However, rules and laws are created by people who are perfectly capable of making mistakes. Rosa Parks is a great example of one who questioned the laws. When she didn't give up her bus seat to a white person, she broke the law of the time. Many people thought that her actions rebellious and believed she deserved to go to jail. They might not have even questioned the posibility of injustice in this law. Thanks to her courage and determination however, Rosa Parks took one of the first and most important steps of the civil rights movement. This kind of action requires bravery and conviction, and many people are afraid of standing up for their beliefs because they might be labeled a zealot.

I found the paragraph where Loeb's students describe social activits as fanatical crazy troublemakers quite interesting. When Loeb asked students their opinion about Martin L. King however, they paused and described him as "morally superhuman. A man so rare that nothing he did could be replicated, even on a smaller scale". This example illustrates that only a few people acquire this level of admiration, leading many to believe that the consequences of standing up for any and every belief, simply not worth the effort.

Loeb includes various examples of regular people who stood up for their beliefs and were not afraid of being stereotyped a fanatic. Such examples include Leach Walesa, the polish shipyard electrician who rose to the forefront of Poland's Solidarity movement and Martin L. King, who struggled with passing a philosophy class. Loeb shows us that anybody can make a difference in social issues they decide to pursue. Loeb's message is that we don't need to accomplish as much as the "great" leaders of the past in order to be successful.

In my case, I don't think that the "perfect standards" has kept me from getting involved in my community. If there was anything that kept me from getting involved, I think it was setting aside time. I enjoy interaction among people with diverging needs and opinion. I think that every time I get involved, regardless of the size of the project, I am doing "something" to make the world better place. I don't think it is ever too late to start.