A Lesson Learned

A friend and co worker of mine  took time off this morning to attend an award ceremony for the Senior class of her daughters High School.   Over three hundred students were to be honored for various achievements within both the athletic and the scholastic field.   Awards ranged from simple plaques to financial scholarships.  She was proud to share this moment with her daughter who was a possible recipient of the Valedictorian title.

She and her daughter arrived on time and eager to celebrate with other high achievers.  To their shock and disappointment only about thirty of the honorees and their parents actually showed up on time to participate in the awards ceremony.   These proud and grateful families waited patiently until half an hour past the scheduled start time.  It was at this point that the officials of the school made an announcement that, due to the lack of participation, the ceremony would be rescheduled for a later time.  Since all graduating seniors had to be present later in the day to receive their caps and gowns, these officials thought attendance would improve for the  presentation of the awards if it were rescheduled for that time.   Attendance was mandatory for those who were to receive financial scholarships and apparently these education experts thought it would be prudent to make these gifts more convenient to those students and their families who did not care enough to show up on time for the scheduled event.

And so, in their great wisdom, they sent everyone  home with apologies and asked them to return that afternoon instead.  For most this meant that they had thrown away several hours of scheduled time off from their jobs and would have to ask their employers for even more time later that day.  In reality, they punished those who followed the rules and changed the rules to make it easier for those who obviously didn't give a damn about any of it.  Considering the fact that these decisions were made by high level educators, it makes one wonder just what exactly are we teaching our students today?  Certainly not respect,  gratitude or responsibility for their actions.

 In my opinion the ceremony should have gone on exactly as planned with those thirty deserving students and their proud families.   The awards which were to be presented to the non attendees should have either been thrown away or distributed equally between those present.   Letters of explanation should have been sent to those who chose not to attend with a reminder that choices lead to consequences.   One final lesson taught to a very spoiled and unappreciative Senior class.

In the end my friend stood proudly (later that day) and watched her daughter receive the highest honor a Senior can achieve, that of Valedictorian.    Shame on the board of education  for tarnishing that moment of honor with their lack of leadership.

Justice Or Mercy?

If we were governed by the law  "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth",  most of us would be sipping our dinners through a straw while being led around by our seeing eye dog.   We have all murdered in one way or another.   Perhaps not with life ending bullets but at the very least with  words which caused the death of someones dream or spirit, cutting deeper into their heart than any sharpened sword.

Constantly demanding justice, we search for the perfect punishment to fit each crime, real or imagined, that has been perpetrated against us based on our own limited morals and experience.   We call ourselves righteous or even worse, Christian, and we set out on our own little Jihad holding court with ourselves as both judge and jury.  And in the end we imagine the world a better place because of it.

I am basically a good and loving person, and I believe there is good in almost everyone, but during my lifetime I have made many mistakes, committed many crimes against my fellow man, some conscious choices and some purely accidental.  In return I have been wounded,  purposely maimed, and once even had my own children injured during the conflict.

At this point in my life I'm not afraid to say I'm sorry, to take responsibility, and to make restitution when it is due.  I no longer seek justice and I sincerely try not to make judgements on others.  I believe that this world would be a better place if we stopped holding court all the time: stopped throwing stones.   I have learned that some laws are better than others, that no one is truly innocent,  that justice is an illusive concept, and that mercy and forgiveness win over punishment more often than not.