MLK Writing Submission

    “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” There are so many delusions of the intentions behind serving others, yet Muhammad Ali made it obvious that the motivation should be that service is as much an obligation as paying rent. To some it gives necessary burden, while to others it ushers a sense of achievement that no other feat can fulfill.

    If anyone should sit down and recall all of the celebrated leaders who worked for the better of humanity, such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Jesus Christ, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the commonality that made them such memorable leaders was that of putting service for mankind over their own selfish ambitions. These distinguished individuals knew very well the humiliation and for some the evident death that awaited them, yet they put the better of society above themselves. They were all very vocal about how acts of service should override selfish indolence. One would think that when people of this level of eminence spoke, somebody would have listened.

    The problem with America this day in age is that we are in a monetary, moral, and social deficit, but we are much more worried about our “Pampered Chef” parties and watching a bunch of overpaid jocks throw a ball around every Sunday and Monday to do anything about it. We have become a nation of lazy and irresponsible tightwads who have the attitude that helping anyone other than oneself is a waste of time and effort.  That is the source of this seemingly endless hole we’ve dug ourselves into. Everybody always is into the idea that fixing our country is possible, yet at the first mention of actually doing anything practical, everyone deems it irrational. Here is the solution to all of our problems: How about we as Americans get up off our idle butts and do something to help change things. Whether it be cleaning up roadside refuse or making a charitable donation that might actually take a tiny bit of sacrifice. Oops, I think I might have crossed a line.

    So the point is clear, service may be hands on every now and again, and I’m not promising you won’t break a nail, but where we are right now, it is a necessity. So for those of us who are actually willing to make a difference in our community, let’s stand and serve our city, our state, and our country. For those not so willing, isn’t there a football game you could be watching or a “Pampered Chef” party you could be going to?