At one time, we lived in a society where people would sacrifice for the common good, so that somewhere down the line, the next generation or a few generations later, the problem would be fixed and that generation would not have to face the same issues of the previous generation. Look at the formation of labor rules and unions due to the industrial revolution at the turn of the century. In those cases, businesses worked people like slaves in unsafe working conditions, they often endured gross injuries or were killed, and when they did not perform adequately, they often were physically harmed or killed. To "stand up" to it required placing the common good ahead of themselves, not so their problems would go away, but so future generations would not have to endure the same. I'm not sure this will ever happen in our current society that places the individual above all else. I'm not saying you have to get shot, like MLK, but he didn't stand up for what he believed so his life would be better.