When I was younger, I loved the movie The Butter Cream Gang. It's about a group of kids from small town American that are in a 'gang' to do good. If an old lady needs help carrying her groceries, they'll do it; if a single mom needs help raking her yard, they're there. That kind of thing. They believe in the good in the world, acknowledge the bad, and do their part to fix it.

I like this. I've always liked this.

I can remember both times I tried being mean in middle school. One was to impress a girl and the other was to impress the class. In the former, I lost a fight I started and the later I said something totally stupid that sounded dumb and was ineffective. I regret both.

On the other side of this, I remember two instances where I was wronged and didn't say something to be 'nice' or 'good', and I remember them just as well. My point in mentioning either is that I've always felt a very real sense of right and wrong. I'm not speaking of morals, or saying what is right or wrong, just that 'right' and 'wrong' have always been two very real entities for me.

Rather than being absolutes where if you don't do one, you thereby do the other, it's more like at many times, you have the opportunity to add right or wrong to the world. This brings me to The Serial Dynasty, media in general, and collective consciousness.

This past weekend, we were having a conversation about how much more aware we are of injustice in the world. Something bad or tragic happens, and it's instantly all over the news. We can read about it, donate to it, drive there if we really want. This could look like driving to a Ferguson, MO protest or setting up a Kiva account. The possibilities are endless, as are our opportunities to help people in need. And this, as I see it, is one of the best things about the inner-connected world we live in.

It's easy to think in terms of smallness and see the world around us as big, dark, and evil. It's easy, in that view, to then hide things, be scared, be selfish, and take the little you have for yourself. Or, we can join the larger movement going on, the bigger thing around us, and give our voice to that. We can add to the good, share what we see or experience, and use these things to make a difference. We can be a mass-media, social-media, globally-connected Butter Cream gang that makes a difference all around us.

Which, I happen to think is right.