Will 2016 Be The Year That #BlackLivesMatter Learns That Choices Have Consequences?
2015 has come and gone. It was a year of controversy and offense to those who live in the-five year-old kindergarten land of fair play.
That mythical land of utopia where touchy–feely, liberal, kum ba yah perfection reigns and someone else always picks up the bill.
Where feelings are easily wounded with the harsh truth, or rumored half — truth spit out by the lame stream media, or misinformed so and so who said this or that.
Where fact checking is too much effort and it is easier to believe whichever nugget of hearsay hits the ear last.
It seems that too many folks didn’t have a parent who delighted in informing their children a hard fact of life when hit with, “but, it’s not fair!” The proper parental come back being, “Life’s not fair, get over it now and avoid the rush.”
A caring parent would gently strip away the fairy tale lies of life and let the child know that the harsh truth that choices made today can affect the course of one’s life forever.
A good example of where bad choices came into play during 2015 would be the riots in Ferguson MO over the shooting of an unarmed teen.
The Grand Jury refused to indict Officer Wilson on any count because, after many hours of deliberation, the facts were brought out that Brown had acted aggressively toward Officer Wilson.
Brown was not shot in the back trying to surrender, as was initially reported, nor was he the “gentle giant” as was claimed. He had just roughed up a convenience store owner as he tried to rob the store.
It is a shame that a mother lost her son, but the outcome of his poor choices delivered the events that cost him his life.
Many other people who ran afoul of the police, sparking protests in 2015, were not model citizens. When a person has a criminal record, the police tend to lose sympathy, especially for repeat offenders. Again, poor choices change the direction of one’s life, and no one can expect everlasting patience on the part of those who are called to defend the peace or those who are in a position to judge those who have violated the law of the land.
These confrontations with the police spawned the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Yes, black lives matter, all life matters, but blocking roads, malls, and other public places will not bring people back to life, especially in the light of the fact that some caused their own demise with their actions.
When all the facts come to light, these same protestors don’t give up the ill -informed example. They continue to run with the same misinformation with indignation.
These protests and protestors often have run afoul of the law as well. After which, these same people, who have broken laws, expect John Q. Public to sympathize with the consequences of their actions.
Another example of poor choices would be the predicament of Charlie Sheen. The lifestyle he led brought him to being HIV positive. No one wishes ill health on anyone, but there are definitive reckless choices that put one in a position to contract a disease.
Lastly, to those who took offense at every opportunity, especially when it was the truth and it happened to be uncomfortable to hear. The truth is often unpopular and cannot be dressed in silk and velvet and be called something else. Just because it isn’t fair, or politically correct, doesn’t take away from the facts. It is impossible to make everyone happy at the same time and your state of mind is of your own choosing.
Get over it and yourself! Let reality in and it will be an eye opener.
The conclusion of these examples is that one cannot go against the guidelines of civilization, morality or propriety and expect good results.
Neither should one get severely butt hurt because, “it’s not fair” or “why me?” The consequences fit the situation, and cannot be avoided.
Hopefully, 2016 will be a year of personal responsibility – the year that the easily offended, reckless or criminal will learn that society didn’t do to them this harm or penalty.
The poor choices of their own evocation brought them to the place of discomfort they now occupy.
Image: Flickr via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Protesters_with_
signs_in_Ferguson.jpg