Never compromise what's right

I'll be the first to admit that more than once, perhaps more than a hundred times, my mouth has gotten me in trouble. As I grow older, it's still a problem for me sometimes. Everyone who knows me well, knows that I'm as opinionated as a person can come. However, I hope everyone realizes how passionate I am about things too. Passion drives me in many ways. We all have things we're passionate about in life. For me, I'm passionate about finding creative ways to reach out to others, using my talents to speak and write, participating in volunteer work, and doing my best to reach out to the elderly. Those are just a few things I'm passionate about and a few things I'm willing to fight for. Yet, my passion is really simple. I've always been taught to stand up for what I believe in. Aaron Tippin's song "You've Got to Stand for Something" really summarizes a lot about how I feel about fighting for the things I believe in. Here it is:

You've Got to Stand for Something

"Now daddy didn't like trouble, but if it came along
Everyone that knew him knew which side that he'd be on
He never was a hero, or this county's shinin' light
But you could always find him standin' up for what he thought was right

He'd say you've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

Now we might have been better off or owned a bigger house
If daddy had done more givin' in or a little more backin' down
But we always had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do today, you'll have to sleep with tonight

He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything

I know that things are different than they were in daddy's days
But I still believe what makes a man really hasn't changed

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything"

You don't have to be a "hero" to stand up for what's right. In fact, I think it's better to stand up for what's right in a spirit of humility and just doing things for the sake of upholding values. So many times, people seem to be standing up for what's right but aren't genuine about what they're doing.They're doing for praise not principle.

On the other side of the coin, many times we let others control our thoughts and actions when we know the things we are allowing ourselves to do just are not right. Like the song states, we're just a "puppet on a string" bending and bowing to the movements of a puppeteer that we know is guiding us towards what isn't right.

Still yet, we may choose to do the right thing but not gain from it. Doing the right thing is hard and may not work in our favor as far as worldly advancements go. However, some of the people I respect most in this life are those who have sacrificed fame, fortune and praise to stand up for the right thing, even when it wasn't popular. Besides, like the song says, you'll "always have plenty" and you can sleep well knowing you did what was right.

Finally, what makes a man "really hasn't changed." For tonight, I have discovered that the measure of a man can be found in his effort to stand up for something instead of falling for anything! Never compromise what's right folks! Uphold your family name! Stand for something or you just might fall for anything!

That, my friends is just a few thoughts from this small town southern man!