In high school, a scandal rocked the senior class of 1998: Several resourceful students gained access to their examination papers completed a few days prior and proceeded to fill in their answers to questions they missed and correct the ones they got wrong. A teacher got wind of this and the entire senior class was held accountable. Our so-called "unity" was blamed, because we apparently turned a blind eye to this act of cheating. Several groups were aware of this deed and who committed it, while a larger number of us were clueless. We were held in a classroom where we decided what to do next. I expressed the idea that we all didn't have to be held responsible because many of us did not even know about what happened till the day we were confined to the room. One class leader spoke up and in a roundabout, passive-aggressive way said that it was not right for some people to say such a thing, because we were all in it together.

That memory got me thinking about the idea of taking sides or standing apart from unpleasant circumstances. When you get into a situation wherein you are directly involved, it's easy for your point of view to be colored by your feelings, so it's understandable that you want others to feel the same way as you and to get completely emotional about it. When you're indirectly, or not at all, involved, you have the good fortune of being able to take sides or view things from an objective standpoint. It's well and good, and admirable to be able to take a logical approach to a problematic situation. But it's not at all admirable if you already have a first-hand view of how serious, wrong, and unjust it is. At the very least, it makes you look unprincipled and uncaring, with no concern for what's right and with nothing but a desire to cover your ass and spare yourself from taking a stand.

Simply put, take a side when you already know something is right, and don't make excuses for the ones who are clearly in the wrong.

_{* Incidentally the title of the fourth Sweet Valley Twins book}