Why being righteous and doing right matters.

Over the last few weeks I've been doing a lot of praying and reflecting on where righteousness has gone for Americans in their daily lives.  You know, doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do.  Everyone would agree that evil can succeed when people stand idly by in blissful self-created ignorance.  Nowadays it seems that many among us have entered into an equally abhorent and insideous mode of doing just the bare minimum required of them by law, regulation or rule and do so not as a point of righteousness, but rather as a matter of "cover my ass," sort of speak.


Yes, Joe Paterno is a good man who ran an honest, big-time college-football program, donated generously to his school and was active in the university community. He's idolized by his players and Penn State alumni alike.  Back in 2002 when a graduate assistant reported an apparent sexual assault in the team showers between a young boy and Jerry Sandusky, Paterno followed Penn State procedure and reported the allegation to the school's athletic director.  But that was it. No follow-up, no checking back to make sure the incident has been reported to the authorities.  He "covered his ass," but didn't really act righteously.  He fell well short of what many believe, rightly, was his a moral responsibility. 


The matter became public with a graphic grand-jury report. Sandusky has been charged with abusing nine young boys so far, and it appears that his predatory behavior may have many more victims.


Suddenly there's apparent righteous outrage.  Following charges of perjury and failure to report the abuses against athletic director Tim Curley, he took a leave of absence, and a university vice president, Gary Schultz, then retired. Finally the board of trustees fired Penn State's president, Graham Spanier, and Paterno himself, even though he had asked to be able to finish out the season, his 46th as head coach.  Keep in mind that as this unfolded both Spanier and Paterno appeared to be more interested in "damage control" than acting righteously.


Even so, the trustees had no choice, but their actions perhaps weren't righteous.  It was yet again more "cover your ass" and "damage control" as the police investigation is ongoing, as is one by the U.S. Department of Education for possible federal offenses, and there will be the inevitable lawsuits.


Also, it is hard to escape the queasy thought that there are more revelations to come. Paterno's parting words to the students who gathered outside his house in support were typical: Go home, study, get some sleep.  He told reporters in a statement: "This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."


What's the lesson to be learned?  Doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do ought to be our paramount moral obligation.  Righteous action is our obligation.  Forgo it, and evil succeeds in ruining the lives of victims and those who stand by in blissful, self-created ignorance.