I was flipping through the television channels last night and came across America's Most Wanted. They went through about 6 unsolved cases involving murder, rape, theft, assault and/or kidnapping. I thought about the ripple effect these crimes will have on everyone involved. I thought about how these things will probably even effect a large number of people NOT associated with the crimes in an indirect way.
I'm a big fan of the band Our Lady Peace. They have a song entitled, "Innocent" which includes the line, "We are all innocent" within the chorus. I thought about the generations and generations that came before us and all the screwed up things that have happened that rippled through the centuries. I'm a believer in social conditioning which means that in a sense, maybe we are all truly innocent in a way. From birth we are born into a world stained black from the bad choices of our ancestors. This is a rather pessimistic statement but...at some moment in time aren't we bound to hit a point where we can't save ourselves? We won't be able to make a difference because too much pain, torment and confusion will inhabit each new life brought into the world?
Of course if poor choices can create a ripple effect, so can good choices. Good choices don't get the airtime poor choices do, so I would like to believe there is as much good going on around the world as bad and maybe we just don't hear about it. I feel naive writing that.
Now having written this I want to state that although I believe we all have baggage to deal with (some more than others) the point is that we ALL have something to overcome. And I feel bad for those thrown into lives that give them less of a chance than the next person. But as I watched America's Most Wanted I could sympathize but not reconcile. I think we all need to be held accountable for our actions. Which in turn may create a ripple effect in both directions.
I hope that at the end of my life I have created more positive ripples than negative.
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2 comments:
The ripple effect is real, but just as pond water ripples, it also fades. I think that as far as bad things, such as murder, rape, assault, etc, there are typically GREAT things that come from it. Such as a family that has lost a child such as the host of America's Most Wanted John Walsh, he turned the loss of his son into a fight to find criminals. Polly Klass' father founded an organization to help find missing children...without the loss, we might not...would not, have the resources to help others. I think that the good ripples from both of those examples have touched more lives than the bad ones...or at least that is what I believe.
Sidebar: You have already made more positive effects than negative and you are only headed up my friend:)
Thanks for the comment! I think you are right. I like this thought much better. It plays into the "balance" of life concept which I find rather pleasing.
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