“If you can do good things for other people, you have a moral obligation to do those things. Not choice — responsibility.” - Richard Parker


In the new The Amazing Spiderman movie, the classic "With great power comes great responsibility" line gets reworked into the above quote. Uncle Ben tells Peter about Peter's father's philosophy. I am not going to rant about the change. There is plenty of that in plenty of forums, google and enjoy. This quote is more important because it sums up so perfectly how I try to inexplicably live my life. I choose to work in an inner-city high school with kids who not only don't have much but often don't know how to appreciate it when they do. I spend lots of my own money on inner-city athletics and academics because I know it is important for someone to care about these kids and their families. I know I make choices that are not always best for my financial or personal or career interests but I don't care. I have opportunities to do good things and I will not let those pass by. I feel like I am alone in the wilderness. No one understands why I am the way I am. And here it is, succinctly put into a movie. There are people out there who are less fortunate for many reasons. We all have a moral obligation to help them. It is better not only for them but for the entire community.