One of the benefits of the current delay of my business project is the extra time I'm allowed to explore. Using my Twitter feed as my starting point, I can spend hours in a day following conversations and suggestions, ideas and presentations that would take me days or weeks to discover independently. Culling my disparate thoughts and reactions to this process into a cogent weekly blog post is the resulting challenge.

This week I wanted to share a few of my explorations and their loose intellectual intersections; justice and difficult decisions worth making.

1. Gary Whitta, writer of the movie "The Book of Eli", was being interviewed on TWiTGameOn regarding his new project as head writer for the new video game series "The Walking Dead." He shared that he is relishing the opportunity to create original story-telling that stays true to the original comic and subsequent popular AMC cable series. Whitta admitted that he found the writing for a video game was more challenging than the movie due to the sheer volume and necessity to explore every possible decision and outcome from the character's action. With the inherent recognition that fans enjoy end of world apocalypse type scenarios, he asserted that what distinguishes the Walking Dead series is the discourse and consideration that the main characters endure. It is when they are put to tough decisions that their true identity and humanity are revealed/exposed.

2. Many of my evening of late, I'm streaming movies on my computer. Earlier this week I watched "Machine Gun Preacher." It starred Gerard Butler and was based on the true story of an American biker, druggie and criminal who found god and a new mission. At his self-formed church that encouraged all sinners to attend, a missionary from Africa came to speak and inspired him to go to Uganda where he learned of the horrible fate of the invisible children of Sudan. These orphaned or kidnapped children were often forced to kill their own parents before being forced into sexual slavery or becoming child warriors. The movie followed his inspirational and obsessive journey to start a church there, save as many children as possible and battle the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army).

From my time traveling in Africa twenty years ago, I had heard of this shadowy military group so I looked up more information about the LRA's leader Joseph Kony. For over 25 years, Kony has created a religious cult like army that had abducted and forced an estimated 66,000 children to fight for them while killing hundreds of thousands and helping displace over two million people out of fear.

3. Flash forward a couple days and I noticed a tweet about the Invisible Children and Kony 2012. The link led to a compelling video by Jason Russell who had his own experience in Uganda with the invisible children and had made a promise to do something about it. Over the last nine years, he has built momentum for what is now becoming a "revolution" that will hopefully gain full wings on April 20th. I highly recommend the video for a variety of reasons; the justness of the cause, the creative and innovative techniques used, and the power of social networking to mobilize the masses for worthy causes. He is trying to turn the traditional pyramid of power upside down to educate and pressure politicians to ensure that Kony is recognized, captured and ultimately faces justice for his horrific misdeeds.

A few selected quotes...

"He didn't choose where or when he was born, but because he's here he matters."

"Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live"

"The best you can offer a child is by letting them be independent...and that was by providing education."

"We've seen these kids. We've heard their cries. This war must end. We will not stop. We will not fear. We will fight war."

"It's always been that the decisions made by the few with the money and the power dictated the priorities of their government and the stories in the media. They determine the lives and opportunities of their citizens. But now there is something bigger than that. The people of the world see each other and can protect each other. It's turning the system upside down."

4. The final piece of media that I encountered this week was considered one of the most moving presentations of this year's TED Global 2012 conference. It was a speech given by Bryan Stevenson on the issues of injustice. At a conference that celebrates technology, innovation and entertainment, Stevenson addressed the injustices in the United States that has the highest incarceration rate in the world and a massive imbalance along racial lines.

A few selected quotes...

"2.3 million people are incarcerated in the U.S." The highest percentage in the world and up from 300k in the 1970's.

"Everybody is better than the worst thing they have ever done."

"The opposite of poverty is not wealth, the opposite of poverty is justice."

"50-60% of young black men are either in jail, prison or on parole."

"Out of every 9 people on death row, we've identified one person who is innocent. Can you imagine if we let 1 of every 9 planes crash?"

"We have a justice system that treats you much better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent."

The response was so strong to Stevenson's talk that in the few days following his speech, the TED attendees donated $1.12 million to help his cause - Equal Justice Initiative that fights poverty and challenges racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

What all these various media share is a recognition that we are defined by the important decisions we make in our lives. It is in those moments that we feel most alive and create our legacy. There are causes worth fighting for, not out of some personal interest but because they are right. Each of our paths and priorities may differ, but we each matter and deserve a level of respect and dignity.