What is so important it is worth dying for?  Is there any cause that is worth standing up for to the point that you are willing to put your life on the line?  On the other hand, how much of your own beliefs and way of life are you willing to put aside for any reason?  Some people die within themselves, maybe because they want to blend in, maybe they don’t want to cause problems or tension, maybe they want to get ahead in a job or career…whatever the reason, where do you draw the line?

Watching a movie called Swing Kidstoday got me wondering if I would be able to stand up for what I believe in when everyone around me is sending the opposite message.  The movie is about a group of teenage boys who live in Germany during WWII.  These boys didn’t want to join the Hitler Youth, but two of them are forced into it; exposed to propaganda every day and expected to act a certain way.  The boys thought it would end up being the perfect cover:  “Hitler Youth by day and Swing Kid by night”.  Unfortunately, the boys get caught up, one more than the other.  One of the boys figures out that it really is all propaganda and that he could never be a Nazi and live with himself.  It takes his friend almost killing him and seeing him taken away to a work camp to come around and remember what he believes in.

Could I stand up for what I truly believe in?  What if doing so put my family and friends in danger?  I would hope I would never compromise myself because of a need to fit in with a popular crowd or teaching.  On the other hand, I can’t imagine ever putting my loved ones in harms way because of a personal cause…so where is the line?  How do we know when is the time to fight and when is the time to lay low?

Tags: Beliefs, choices, consequences
Filed under: Life, Society