Thankfully, it's not often that most of us are required to pause and decide whether "to do what is right" or look in the other direction.
Doing "what is right" often has a cost. As with many things in life, situations are relative: Generally, as we get older, in those spots that require a decision, maybe some courage, even, there's risk and higher stakes than when we were younger.
But fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders face such situations, too. Printed in this section today are the three winning essays from an annual contest co-sponsored by the Connecticut Post and Fairfield University as part of the university's observation of Martin Luther King Day.
Youngsters from Bridgeport middle schools were eligible. As thoughtful as the essays are, the words did not just flow from the fingers of these young writers. Writers need taskmasters -- all writers -- so the Connecticut Post and the university applaud the teachers who coaxed from these young writers the stories they told.
Not only do the stories give a glimpse into the lives of middle school children in Bridgeport, they are affirmation that in that population are youngsters trying to live up to Dr. King's exhortation that "The time is always right to do what is right."