What do the good men do in the United States of America? Well, often those of us who have been so fortunate as to have been raised in a home where morals are upheld, and good consciences are formed are sent off the wonderful blessing of education. We often become idealistic, and believe the world can be broken down into good and bad and there should not be too many problems in distinguishing these; strangely maybe, since we surmise this in a sheltered world, that this is true. There are black and white issues that need to be addressed as such. Yes, there is plenty of gray in the world as well and it needs to be considered, but the problem arises when the gray prevents us from taking action in the pursuit of the good. Anything that we have learned to be good can be twisted; if it be by a crooked politician, an agenda-driven instructor, or a misguided parent; and we have to realize this, and understand that this is evil trying to worm it's way in. The Devil is very much alive in this world, and he works through imperfect human beings to try and foil the Lord's desire, which is that we would freely choose to love and serve Him, and that this love would show in the works that we do on this earth.
Once we realize that evil can find its way into anyone's mind, even our own, we understand that we can rely on our conscience, we can rely on those around us who live lives of goodness and charity to show us the truth; that a degree of goodness can be realized in this world. Hence we who understand this truth must not stop at this conclusion. For to rid the world of evil, we have to separate it from those who perpetrate this evil. Unfortunately, man can be dominated by the absence of good, by a desire for harm; but in most cases man is misguided or confused by the imperfect lives he has lead, and so we need to be able to separate the "actor" from the "act", and the "evil" from the person. Man can be freed from evil. He can convert, learn, understand and recognize truth. However in the world of today, he is often not presented with such an opportunity. Thus it is to us to speak the truth that we learn from the Almighty and from the good in the community that surrounds and nurtures us; for if we do nothing, then nothing will stand in the way of the spread of evil. For to complete the quote that heads this post, "All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."
And what good can we do? We may not be the best speakers, or even conversationalists to be able to share the truth. But we all do have a gift. As Matthew Kelly describes in his "Rhythm of Life" we all have an ability to do one particular thing better than anyone else in the world, and our lives are a quest to find that gift, talent, or skill; and then to use it. We can call this self-actualization. Whatever you are best at can contribute, and if you have any doubts, consider this: it is not what we do, but how we do it. Do everything with integrity, courage, and prudence, and you will show that you stand for what is good and true. When the opportunity arises to discuss the issues of our day, I would hope that we could all stand up on the side of what is good and right, but this is difficult and not all of us may be capable of confronting, or enduring a confrontation. But it is how we live and what we do in the interest of what is good and right that prevents evil from flourishing. Yes relationships are important and good, but would we not take the chance of losing one in the hope that someone may see the truth? For if successful, how much stronger and more powerful might that relationship be?
Be strong my friends. Strengthen your belief in what is good, live it, learn to stand up for it; evil does not stand a chance!
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