What would you fight for?

The University of Notre Dame has been running a series for years now called What Would You Fight For? Each week during football season, they televise one and post it online. What would you fight for? Seriously. Is there anything and if not, why not? It’s another way of asking, “what are you passionate about?” That’s probably the main reason I loved TED Global so much – same reason I love Notre Dame. They are passionate about things. They are actively trying to make a difference, to improve the world in small ways and large.

What do I or have I fought for? Everything from the right word on the page, the right scenes for the book or screenplay to the right approach in helping kids in Dandora get a basic education. I’ve fought for money for scholarships for my own kids and for the ones in the slums. I’ve fought to be a better person and a good parent. I spent years fighting the bureaucracy of LAUSD to make sure my children got a good education. I fought the legacy of dysfunction in the family I grew up in so that the one I created would be better, kinder.

If you’re not fighting to be better at what you do, a better writer, a better actor, a better person or for where you live or on behalf of those who cannot fight for themselves, then how are you spending your life? There’s never a reason for boredom. There is too much to do. There are too many dreams to explore, too many problems to solve. Fight to create the best book possible, to give the best performance, to be the best spouse, the best parent. Fight your demons, fight for faith, for art, for healing, for freedom. Fight on behalf of the weak, to make the world better than you found it. Fight to be the very best you can be. Fight the good fight. An artist can always improve.