Why Bother To Fight a Good Fight?

Not every disagreement is worth a fight, but some issues are important enough to put forth the effort and wrestle against them. Though I’ve argued, just for the fun of it, with certain individuals over benign topics, these harmless debates never amounted to anything serious. But sometimes there are good reasons to set our foot down and sink our teeth into holding our ground for what we believe is right.  

What Constitutes a “Good” Fight

Not everything is a moral issue, and it is not my job to police everyone’s actions. But when someone threatens to infringe, overstep or violate me, well then, it is time for me to put up my dukes, even if it means a showdown with city hall.

We purchased our humble abode because of all the space that surrounded it. At the time a tree farm boarded the north and west boundaries of our property, while our neighbor’s empty field bordered the south side. It was an oasis, an ideal place to raise our family.

But in a short amount of time, our neighbors sold their property to a developer and a row of new houses popped up. Then the tree farm was sold to the city and I watched from my kitchen window as a bulldozer cleared out the trees. I was dismayed.

“I wonder what they will do with all that land?” I asked my husband.

“I heard that they’ll put in soccer fields,” he said.

“That can’t be all bad,” I remarked. 

But in addition to soccer fields, there were other plans as well. When I saw red flagged stakes just outside my bedroom window, I began to take more notice. As soon as I spotted an official looking person tromping around the area, I engaged him in a conversation. 

“What exactly are your plans for this area?” I asked.

“A parking lot and bathrooms.”

“Really?”

Now I was crestfallen. Cars out my bedroom window? Public bathrooms next to my garage? 

“You can’t fight city hall,” was all my husband said when I told him.

But his statement was all it took to light the burner under my buns motivating me to do something about this invasion. Did city hall really have a right to put in a parking lot? Could they really install public bathrooms so close to my house? Could I protest in some way?

 I bloodied my knuckles knocking on my neighbor’s doors and my voice went hoarse talking with anyone who would listen. I grunted and groaned my way through paperwork, met with city officials and enlisted the help of smarter people than myself. A determined group, having one goal—to stop public potties and a parking lot from becoming a common sight in our neighborhood, was formed.  

And our concerted effort paid off. The plans for the parking lot and public potties were nixed and instead, a pretty pathway leading to the soccer fields was built. 

Why bother to fight a good fight? Not every issue is worth a fisticuffs, but when we know someone is stepping over the line, it is time for a showdown.