All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

-Attributed to Edmund Burke

I think I need to have this hanging above my door so I never forget the significance of what it truly entails. Every day, we go out into the world, usually trying hard to keep ourselves clad in our armor of self importance. We keep quietly to ourselves, afraid to stand out too much because it might keep us from being able to fit in with those around us. Speaking our minds might make us a target of ridicule. We never stand up to the little discomforts in life because we don’t think the battle is worth fighting. It is the duty of any person of honor to stand up and fight against inequity and evil.

There is no sin greater than ignorance.

-Rudyard Kipling

As we go about our lives, we need to push ourselves to make the world around us a better place. It is crucial that we accept the things we do not know, and help others learn about the things we do. If humanity wishes to truly advance beyond our instincts and rise to achieve enlightenment, either through spiritual study or scientific discovery, then we cannot march blindly across the night with our minds closed, our eyes pressed shut with fingers in our ears while we sing “La la la la la.” Everyone has something they can contribute. Each of us has a unique insight into the wonder and complexity of the universe.

Right now, we live in a world that is governed by ignorance and fear. It is an instinctual, primal emotion, that enlightened human beings must strive to overcome.

We always wait for someone better to come along.

We’re all guilty of it. We all think, “Who am I? I’m nobody.” I know I’m guilty of it. We hold out hope that someone stronger, smarter or faster will come along and show us a better way. We wait for superheroes and prophets to come and show us the error of our ways. The truth is, they’ve come, and they keep coming, and we keep not heeding their call to arms. Our history and religious books are filled with them. They show us a standard that we should be holding ourselves too.

I’m Done Waiting

I’m tired of sitting by, listening to people spout hate and ignorance and thinking to myself, “Isn’t that quaint, he still thinks it’s okay to be racist, silly old person.” I’m not going to do it anymore. From now on, when I see someone being a douchedick, I’m going to call them on it. Maybe if we just start calling an asshat an asshat, then we can work our way up to doing things like defending someone from being brutally beaten in a fastfood restaurant, instead of filming it on our phones.