Book of the Month, June 2024 Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday's latest book is a very worthwhile read- the main theme of this book is Justice. Using his usual combination of History, Biography and Stoic Philosophy he asks what we can learn about Justice - "not what is lawful, but what is right" How do we judger our actions against this standard. He encourage us to "Care about others and do what is right", or alternatively stated, "Show Up , Be honest, and Care". He is realistic about how hard that this can be to do, as he quotes Harry Truman that "Justice is an Awful Tyrant" - meaning that it can be very hard to achieve and there can be a very real price to pay.

So.....lots of people can talk about the goal of doing the right thing but what makes this book super valuable is that he goes through about 35 mini biographies of people through history who have stood up and done the right, often when it was quite challenging to do so. One can't help but be inspired by these stories and the impact that these folks had on the world. And it makes it so accessible- as there is something for everyone- while some of these stories seem beyond our day to day- there will be stories that resonate for everyone due to the variety of stories included.

Some names you will recognize right away- like Harry Truman, Florence Nightingale and Gandhi. However, other stories are equally inspirational, even it the names may be less widely known, like Frank Serpico, Regulus, Thomas Clarkson and Robbie Ross. And we find out cool actions about people who were well known, but maybe not for some of the items described in this book including Lou Gehrig, Albert Einstein and Ulysses S. Grant.

This book will make you think , evaluate and i is very likely to inspire you. Reading about the lives of so many people, what they faced and how they responded is such rich ground for reflecting on our own lives- "grappling with the past" as stated in the book. It is organized into three main sections- The Me, The We and The All which nicely summarizes that Justice in a personal responsibility, Justice is something we pursue with the people that we know and the we pursue Justice for the good of the World. These three sections are broken down into mini- bios around a key element of pursuing justice- that can be read one at a time , together and can easily re read many times. My highlighter was busier than usual with this collection of applied wisdom and experience.

This is a terrific piece of work- anything that encourages us to think more about justice, more about what is right, more about caring and kindness....seems to me to be a good thing. But the book can also be a cold shower- upon reflection none of lives can match the people in this book and we realize that quickly- but.....the book cant help but motivate us to increase out thoughtfulness and intentionality of pursuing Justice and a pillar theme moving forward. I highly recommend this book for those up for the journey- not a light read, but a very good read and re- read- I have read it 2x already!

Hope you are motivated to pick it up and enjoy the journey!!