The Vulnerable Do Not Stand Alone

There was a time when looking out for one another wasn't considered extraordinary.

It was simply what decent people did.

You watched out for the neighborhood children. You checked on an elderly neighbor. You stopped when somebody was stranded on the side of the road. You treated animals with kindness. And when someone weaker, smaller, frightened, or unable to defend themselves was in danger, you didn't look around to see whether somebody else was going to step forward.

You stepped forward.

Somewhere along the way, we began to confuse strength with power.

But real strength has never been about how much power you have over someone else.

Real strength is what you do with that power when someone more vulnerable than you needs it.

Sometimes You Have to Be the Wall

Few responsibilities are greater than protecting a child.

Children depend upon adults to create the boundaries they cannot create for themselves. They trust us to recognize dangers they may not understand and to stand where they cannot yet stand.

That belief inspired one of the strongest messages behind our Try Me collection:

“I will always be the wall between a predator and a child. Every. Single. Time.”

Those aren't words about looking for a fight.

They're words about refusing to look away.

Being the wall can mean speaking up. Asking the uncomfortable question. Paying attention when something doesn't seem right. Teaching children that they have worth and boundaries. Taking concerns seriously. Getting appropriate help when it is needed.

Sometimes protection is loud.

Very often, it isn't.

But it requires someone willing to stand.

A Voice for Those Without One

That same responsibility doesn't end with people.

Animals depend entirely upon human beings for their safety, food, shelter, medical care and protection. They cannot explain what happened to them. They cannot call for help. They cannot walk into a courtroom and demand justice.

They rely upon us.

That's the heart behind another Old Justice Outfitters message:

“They may not have a voice, but they still have a defender.”

Compassion toward animals isn't weakness. Quite the opposite.

There is something honorable about using your strength gently.

• Feed the hungry dog.
• Protect the neglected animal.
• Treat the old farm dog with patience when his legs aren't as quick as they once were.
• And when an animal is being mistreated, don't pretend you didn't see it.

The vulnerable do not become less worthy simply because they cannot repay us.

Don't Forget the People Who Once Carried Us

Vulnerability doesn't belong only to childhood.

Sometimes it comes at the other end of life.

The father who once carried everyone else may someday need an arm to steady himself.

The mother who remembered everyone's birthdays may begin forgetting things herself.

A neighbor who worked hard for fifty years may suddenly find that ordinary tasks aren't so ordinary anymore.

Illness, disability and age can change what a person is able to do.

They should never change that person's worth.

Protecting someone can mean preserving dignity. Sitting down long enough to listen. Helping without making someone feel helpless. Checking in when everybody else assumes somebody else already has.

There was wisdom in the old custom of looking after our own.

We think there's still wisdom in it.

Strength Comes With Responsibility

At Old Justice Outfitters, faith is part of the foundation beneath what we believe.

Scripture repeatedly calls people to care for those who are vulnerable — the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger and those who cannot defend themselves.

That is a demanding kind of faith.

It asks more than what we believe.

It asks what we're willing to do.

Our parents and grandparents may not have used phrases like “community responsibility.” They simply understood that if someone needed help and you were able to help, you helped.

• You brought food.
• You checked on people.
• You watched somebody's children.
• You sat with the sick.
• You protected those who needed protecting.
• You didn't need applause for it.
• You did it because it was right.

Maybe Some Things Shouldn't Change

Old Justice Outfitters was built around a simple belief:

Some things shouldn't change.

• Your word should still mean something.
• Character should still matter.
• Hard work should still be honorable.
• Faith should still guide us.
• Family should still be worth protecting.
• And strength should still come with responsibility.

We don't believe every old way was better simply because it was old.

But some values survived generations for a reason.

Protecting the vulnerable is one of them.

• So when you see someone being mistreated, notice.
• When somebody doesn't have a voice, listen harder.
• When a child needs an adult willing to stand, stand.
• When an animal needs a defender, defend.
• When an elderly or struggling neighbor needs a hand, offer yours.

You may never receive recognition for it.

That's all right.

Doing the right thing was never supposed to require an audience.

The vulnerable do not stand alone.

Not while good people are still willing to stand with them.