I believe that is important for people to realize their own values and beliefs. I find time in my schedule to volunteer at my local church’s leadership team. With the economy the way it is, I saw people protesting the way the feel about the stimulus package. As Malcolm X once said, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
I have always believed strongly in volunteering to help around the community. I was introduced to leadership team at my church when I was in 10th grade. I spent 3 months raising money and coming up with ideas for relay for life. Our team went on to raise the most money out of all groups. The next fall we went down to a soup kitchen to an event called the homeless experience. We served food and slept in boxes. Volunteering has made me realize that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. Some people don’t have food to eat or a place to sleep. You may think what you are doing is lame or pointless, but you don’t realize how much a little thing can affect someone.
On my way to school last week, people were protesting the stimulus package with the “Tea Party” demonstrations. In the middle of the street was a lady that refused to let cars pass. She held a sign above her head that read, “One voice.” As the police officers arrived and trying to ask her to move, she refused to do so and kept her sign raised high. One police officer read the woman her Miranda rights, while the other took the sign away and hand cuffed her. I thought to myself this is just like what Martin Luther King wrote about in April, 1963.
MLK wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail, which talked about civil disobedience and what he believed is right. They both stood up for what they think is right.
It is important to know where you stand and what your values are. Whether you know it or not your beliefs affect choices you make and who you are as a person. The more you are aware of your own beliefs, the more at peace you will be with yourself.