Kudos to Colin Kaepernick, who has been named GQ magazine’s “Citizen of the Year.” He’s a reminder, though, that the path to activism and humanitarianism isn’t always paved with glory. I’m sure he’d rather have a job in the NFL. I’m sure he’d rather not be vilified.

But we don’t always get to choose our circumstances. Sometimes they are chosen for us. What matters is how we react to them. And what we do with them.

We can play partisan politics (Donald Trump and the Republicans) over what should be an issue of morality (sexual abuse) or we can say it’s wrong, Democrat or Republican, man or woman.

We can support a tax plan for the rich or we can ask ourselves serious questions about deficit reduction, infrastructure, the creation of new jobs, health care and the environment and then consider how a tax plan would best serve these.

We can give in to hate and fear or let them go and see in the suffering of others our own until the day comes when we see in our own suffering that of others.

Kaepernick may not have chosen his circumstances, but he has also made his choice.