I believe in doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Most people do what is right when they are being watched by their peers or someone of authority, but fewer do so when no one is there that can hold you accountable. This was made clear when I went to basic training during the summer.
The bays that we slept in were our responsibility to maintain, but when the drill sergeants were not present nothing seemed to get done. That was because with no one to hold the people accountable, they felt that they did not have to clean. I decided to take it upon myself to do what was right even though there were no superiors in the room. The bays housed 60 of us, but no one wanted to do their fair share of cleaning. I knew that I would not get any help, and that I would be the only person doing what we were supposed to be doing, but I still picked up a broom. For the next three hours I swept and mopped the bay floor while everyone else relaxed against their lockers. It took a couple of days for everyone else to decide to help too. Pretty soon almost everyone was cleaning and it took a lot less time to make the bay spotless, even though it was never clean enough for the drill sergeants.
Doing the right thing, even when no one else would, helped change the people around me in a positive way. It made them realize that they should be doing what was right, as well. This demonstrates the power people have on others. If you lead by example, others will follow. Even when you do not think anyone can see, there is always someone around that is seeing what you do when you think you are alone. It is doing something right when you are alone that truly matters, because that is when your actions speak the most. You should always do what is right even when nobody's watching, because that is when it matters the most. This I believe.
