Is Doing the Right Thing Enough? Sometimes We Have to do What is Required. Why do we find doing the right thing so hard sometimes? It may come down to one word; Sacrifice. We all have been in the position knowing we had something to do. No excuses, we needed to do it. For me, it was a call to make I suspected would not be well received. But ethics demanded I do it. The response would be their responsibility. English Prime Minister, Winston Churchill during the early stages of World War 2 was the source of the quote. The period was in the 1940’s. The Nazi’s were pretty much in all of Europe and Northern Africa. They were rolling, to say the least. A defeat was unknown to them. America argued about getting involved. At this time, Pearl Harbor which ushered our entry into the world war had not been attacked. The stood England all alone. All alone to be sure. Few knew the shape of England’s air force. It had been decimated to the point where England had only ONE defending plane! Yes, ONE Spitfire fighter airplane defended the nation. So England was totally defenseless. However, Hitler decided to bomb civilian population centers, London. The bombs rained down on defenseless London without mercy. The civilian death toll misery was unfathomable [rare 1940’s footage of London damage]. It was one of the darkest periods of English history. It was at this point Winston gave a speech with this famous quote, “Never, ever ever ever ever give up. It was the absolute lowest point in the war for England. The darkest of times when all seemed lost. For England, doing the right thing was not enough. They needed to do more. They had to do what was required. The whole nation did. What was Required?You see, the English were required to sacrifice and face death. They could do nothing. They stood up to the pounding and found hope. They bought time with their lives, they went way beyond just doing the right thing. Amongst all this evil, Big Ben, the historic and famous clock tower, never got hit enough to collapse. It was a symbol. England would pay a terrible price, but their nation would survive. They solidified their resolve. During the civilian bombing, England rebuilt their air force and defenses. Soon, America entered the war. Together, the allies took the war back to those who started it. I know that story, so the quote is not just a quote to me. It’s a banner, a statement of fact and a lesson from history. Some things matter. Some things matter a lot. Some things take sacrifice. This quote is a memorial to help understand sacrifice may be needed. That some things matter more than what I feel or think. I am part of a much larger process and I must step up to my role. We must step up to our roles. I hope you will get the same encouragement from the quote.