Thread: Lingering Thoughts... (Cyg's Journal)

Justice.. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing Edmund Burke The first time I heard this quote, I was 12. At that time in my life I hadnt given any real deep thought to anything. This one phrase, however, made me pause. I remember really taking it in, something about it struck a chord at my very center. Ever since that day, its stuck with me and following that principal has landed me in some hot water. Now, mind you, Ive never considered myself to be pious and Ive made my fair share of mistakes. But there is one thing that I have never been able to tolerate Injustice. When I see or learn of someone, intentionally, going out of their way to harm someone else, barring very certain circumstances, I will put a stop to it. If its a feud between family or a lovers quarrel, thats altogether different. A cashier getting yelled at over something that wasnt their fault, a coworker being bullied around the job site, things of this nature. My father, in an effort to teach me a bit of business psychology, said this You can judge a man not by what he will do, but by what he wont do. It took me a while to really understand just what he meant. But the longer I dwelled on it, it made sense. This too Ive carried with me for a long time and, coupled with the previous statement, often helps dictate my actions. I do have one story that Im not particularly proud of. I was in high school at the time. I was on my way back to class, coming from the restroom. This kid, whom I barely knew, goes flying by me with a bloody nose and tears in his eyes. Something told me to turn back and check on him. When I catch up to him to take a closer look, I was shocked to find that his nose was really broken. I then questioned him, at first he told me not to worry about it but I couldnt just let it go. Finally, after several minutes, he explains that some guys, in art class, had been calling him names and picking on him and when he attempted to put a stop to it, they became violent. I calmly told him to take his time to get sorted out and that Id catch up with him later. There was only one other classroom, besides the one I shouldve been in, on that end of the school, so I knew where to go I didnt waste any time getting there either. I went in and spoke with the teacher about what had happened. Of course, he claims he didnt see anything. Well, I decided to give him the opportunity to fix it, or I would. He pointed out to me where the kid had been sitting and then turned around and walked away, stepping into the supply closet. As I then looked at the table across the room, where the teacher had pointed, I saw three guys around it and one empty seat. I quickly made my way over to them and began questioning the three of them. One of them, ironically the smallest of the trio, said that the kid was a homo and freak and needed his ass beat. All I replied with was It wont happen again. I ended up beating the three of them unconscious, making sure every one of them had a broken nose before I was done. Like I said, Im not proud of it. But I didnt see anyone else doing anything about it. Its worth mentioning, those three boys, never bullied anyone else in school.