A New Year Resolution

I don't normally hold to making New Year Resolutions.

They are kinda pointless... I rarely keep them...

...past the third or fourth of January...

But this year I have one, but I don't think I made it.  You see, it is something that has begun as just something I noticed, to something that bugged me, to something that now I can't control... I know it must be coming from something inside of me, because it goes against my natural personality.

So my New Year's Resolution is Speaking out when things aren't right.

It hasn't always been easy for me to do this - my natural personality is to blend into the background and cause as little offence as possible, but as I said it's becoming something I can't control.  Something is rising up inside of me and quite frankly, I'm scared of it.

But what I have been seeing is that we live in a society that reflects my natural personality.  Inoffensive, silent, and to an extent, lethargic.  We don't condemn what is wrong, and we don't stand for what is right.  We blend into the populous and are of the belief that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, so long as those believes are not imposed on anyone else.And it is really getting to me.

Yesterday I was in a take-away cafe getting some lunch.  (I'm such a sucker for potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce!  :P)  Waiting for the food to be cooked, I noticed the place mats on the tables - laminated pieces of paper printed with jokes.  The jokes were disgusting.  They had language and references to adultery and other inappropriate subjects.  Needless to to say, I was disgusted.  There was another sign in the shop that said, "Please leave your school bags outside."

I'll admit, I was sitting there fuming.  Obviously, children came to this shop, and yet they blatantly allowed content that was offensive to adults to be displayed where everyone could see.  I debated with myself whether to confront the lady about it or not.  I had almost decided not to when I heard my own voice talking to her about it.  Do you know what she told me?  She said - and this shocked and saddened me - You are the first person who has spoken to me about this.  She then assured me that the kids never read the place mats, and people complimented her on having a joke.  She was really quite dismissive about it all.

 Blame it on my world-view studies, if you must, but I have decided that it is no longer good enough to disagree with what is wrong.  Disagreeing never got anyone - or anyone else - very far.  We need to make a difference, to stand up for what is right.

Who will join me?