Eighth Grade First Place Essay
RACHEL GERBER
St. Catherine Laboure School

What is "Ought to Be"

Martin Luther King believed that you should help someone in need if you are able to render such help. Random acts of kindness should be unconditional, impartial, and without bias. Any type of help given to someone can have a ripple affect on the person, their family, and our society as a whole. If people had learned to follow Martin Luther King’s words and examples this country would be a better place to live and raise our families.
Martin Luther King believed that if people needed help and a person is in the position to do so, then that person is obligated to provide that help. His message was not only for one part of our society, but also for all the members of our country, regardless of race, religious beliefs, or creeds. Many of his speeches reflected this essential message along with many other wonderful messages to help this society flourish and reach its full potential.
I was thinking about this issue on the bus coming home from school. There is a cancer that afflicts the spirit of our nation and it is more insidious and deadly than any physical malady. The cause of this cancer is simply bias, ignorance, intolerance, and apathy. This illness is preventing our country from moving out of the darkness and into the light where we can all grow to be productive parts of our nation. But there is a chance to cure this deadly disease. By using Martin Luther King’s works as a vaccine to prevent the further spread of this disease. We need to learn to help those in need as a cure for this affliction.
Lastly, many people in our nation are afraid to help the person in need. I fear many people in our society are only conscience of their own personal welfare. So the nation needs to also learn not to reject the aid of the person willing to offer it. We should not be afraid to help the veteran who is homeless and is in need of shelter, food, and water. Only, when we help that person and millions of others like them can our country be truly healed.
The result would take our nation to even greater heights than it has already achieved. Our country’s productivity in most areas will immensely improve. Also, the attitude of our society will be changed for the better. Overall our county shall change drastically if we follow Martin Luther King’s lead and assist the person in need of our help.