Doing What Is Right

I stumbled across a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.
Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it political?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular.
One must take it because it is right.

A gift from a friend I wear on my left wrist. The words Isaiah 1:17 are always in front of me.
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the case of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Doing what is right can lead us to frightening and very dark places.
In my last race I ran past a symbol of darkness. A man dressed as The Grim Reaper stood beside a cemetery. A lady who ran this race was offended and she wrote "why the Grim Reaper, why not a cuddly Angel?"

As I thought of her question I saw a lot of my generations attitude towards big picture issues represented in her question.

Cuddly Angel issues are the issues our Governments, major Corporations, famous stars, and a majority of our everyday people involve themselves in. This issues receive a lot of publicity, and tons of funding. These issues do not involve people.

Grim Reaper issues always involve people. The hardest ones to deal with and to effect change involve children.
Children dying of A.I.D.S.
Children dying for lack of nutrition, water, or basic medical care.
Child Soldiers, and the sexual exploitation of Children for profit come to mind.


Doing right in my life has been dedicating a spring marathon to the exploited children in Cambodia as a means of raising funding and awareness. This picture is from the  Boston 2011 Marathon.

I run marathons to support a not for profit organization Ratanak International.

I run marathons to raise awareness for the more than two million girls worldwide who are forced into prostitution.

I run marathons to show my daughters that nothing is impossible, and that it is never okay to give up. Nothing and no one should stop us from pursuing a dream.

I run marathons because I can. The girls I run for sometimes can`t walk.

I run marathons because my father always told me "one man can make a difference." Running marathons has allowed me to try and be that man.

I run marathons because now that I`ve started, I can`t see myself stopping.

When I run marathons the pain I experience is temporary, but it reminds me of the pain these girls must bear. And the marathon training, in a very small way, reminds me of the girls everyday struggles.

Running an actual marathon is the most lonely, hopeless, and discouraging experience I can willingly suffer. Yet I know the girls I run for would love to trade places with me.

I run marathons because when my life is over the knowledge that many girls may have had a new chance at life will mean more to me than any title, position, or money I could earn.

Doing what is right is a long term commitment that at time bears little fruit.
The children I advocate for I may never meet. They may never be free.
I run marathons with no promise or certainty that my dream of the sexual exploitation of young children in Cambodia will end in my lifetime.

Last year I finished The Cleveland Marathon by running up Martin Luther King Jr. road, one of more than 700 such streets in America named after him.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated before his dream ever occurred, yet today Barak Obama is The President of The United States.

So if my dream is not fulfilled in my lifetime, maybe my children will see the day, or if not maybe their children.
So until that day I do what most people who run marathons do.
I keep running, one step at a time, never looking too far ahead, never looking too far behind.
I deal with life issues as they come and keep running, looking forward to the day my dream is realized.
For those who may want to make a donation.
click on 5kmwalkathon.com
My  participants name is Larry52

Larry