Discipline

Last night I had some thoughts about discipline. And integrity. And "doing the right thing". I am reading a Manga (Japanese comic book) and in the Manga a homeless man falls into the subway. Everyone stands around watching, and no one steps in to help until one high school student can't take it anymore and jumps in to help. He can't move the man by himself, and sees a boy he used to go to school with. He yells his name, and continues yelling it until he too jumps on the tracks to help. They manage to get the man off the tracks, but can't get themselves out and again no one steps in to help. The train is coming, and they decide to outrun it, thinking it will stop at the station. However, they quickly learn that it is an express train and get hit by the train.

What happens next is a series of unfortunate events, but I won't go into it. The point is the commentary this Manga was making on the current state of society, in which no one cares if a homeless person lives or dies. One can imagine if it had been a non-homeless person who fell into the tracks, a business person for example, people would have stepped into help. We live in a society where few care if a homeless person lives or dies. Except for one person who does, who tries to help, convinces another to help by shaming him in front of others until he feels like he has no choice, and the two die because of it. This book made me think about doing the right thing, regardless of the consequences. Inner integrity. How much of this do I have? How often do I do the right thing because I feel I have no choice? And how often do I do the wrong thing knowing I won't get caught? This book inspired me to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences, regardless of if anyone knows or not. It is personal, specifically what I am talking about, but I feel inspired to do the right thing in that area.