If I could will the world to learn something (I won’t say one thing because there are a lot of things I want the world to learn), it would be that there is a difference between what is RIGHT and what is legally acceptable. That ethics, morality, and right and wrong are not dictated by the laws of this land.

In so many cases, I hear people excuse behavior with the “it’s perfectly legal” clause and I see people whose actions demonstrate this without words. I see people returning items to stores that they admit having used for almost a year just because the store policy allows for it. I see people who lie shameless to get what they want because it is so rare for honesty or compassion to flow freely that they feel they have to in order to get what they need or want.

I like to believe that there was a time in this country, maybe not so long ago, when people still truly believed that right and wrong were completely separate concepts from what their government allowed. I believe there was a time when customer service wasn’t dead and when people gladly waved you into traffic. I believe there was a time when generosity was common and people truly helped one another — and not just in the midst of a crisis or natural disaster.

These are things I want to believe. I need to believe that this spirit might still be alive somewhere — because we might need it someday.