Be responsible for once
I really hoped I was wrong. Maybe just once, the reports were incorrect. But the reports as of Friday all indicate that my suspicions were correct, which left me furious over what happened. Actually, I was even angrier -- well beyond words like livid, incensed, vehement and infuriated.
Although the case remains under investigation, it appears someone apparently decided the rules didn't apply to them. It's very likely someone made a horribly reckless decision to not only buy a bunch of illegal fireworks but to shoot them off in the foothills north of Boise, which triggered a very serious brush fire.
A Treasure Valley family lost their home and everything they owned because of the foolhardy antics of those allegedly responsible for starting that fire.
To make matters worse, it now appears the guilty party didn't bother to report the fire or attempt to extinguish it. They simply fled and left the mess for someone else to deal with.
Granted, if that's really what happened, those responsible may have ran because they were terrified. However, it doesn't absolve them of their actions.
It remains to be seen whether police will ever figure out who actually started that fire and make an arrest. I sincerely hope those responsible have the common decency to step forward and admit their guilt.
However, based on what I see in today's society, I seriously doubt that will happen. I see too many instances where no one wants to admit guilt or take the blame for anything.
Don't believe me? Try sitting in a court room when someone is about to be sentenced for committing a serious crime.
You'll see plenty of repentance from a number of these convicted individuals as they stand before a judge. They will make every promise possible to never make the same mistake twice.
In many cases, that promise lasts until those people are placed on parole and commit the same crimes again and again.
Here's the problem that I see in today's society. There are those out there who want to blame everyone else for their actions and actually believe that society itself is to blame.
I'm sorry, but when you make stupid decisions that cost others their livelihood, their property or their lives, it's not society's fault. It's your fault. Deal with it.
But that seems to be the consequence when parents have their hands tied and are either unwilling or reluctant to keep their children in line. We went from fearing a paddling from our parents to today's parents now being fearful of properly disciplining and raising their children.
As a result, I see too many instances where children run rampant as their parents idly sit by and watch. It's gotten to the point where it's gotten absolutely ridiculous.
Case in point: Just a couple of weeks ago, a call came in over the police scanner regarding an out-of-control child. The parents wanted our police officers to deal with their child because they didn't believe in disciplining their children.
Don't get me started on the number of times that I've gone to the grocery store and had to deal with children bawling and screaming out of control because they wanted a particular toy or treat. The non-stop whining and yelling gets so bad at times that I can hear them clear across the store, which I'm absolutely sure the other customers appreciate (pardon my sarcasm).
Despite the chaos, it seems many of these parents tune out all that noise and continue shopping. Those that try to correct their children are met with mixed results.
Consider the following: How many of us have tried that "counting to three" method with our kids? How many of us ever reached "three?"
It never works because parents don't get there. Once they count two, they'll pause for a minute and then end up counting to two and a quarter, two and a half, two and three quarters, two and seven eighths and so on.
Kids today know better. They're more willing to call our bluff. After all, what are we going to do, hmmm? Swat them on the backside?
When I was a kid, that's exactly what would've happened. Poor behavior was never acceptable when I was a child. If I ever stepped out of line, my parents set me straight.
For example, when I was a first grader, I tried sneaking into my mother's pursue to grab a dollar so I could play some games at the school carnival. I got caught and got my hand slapped pretty good and hard.
I never tried to sneak money from my parents or anyone else ever since. If I wanted something bad enough, I politely asked or did something around the house to help my parents, which tended to work a whole lot better than throwing a temper tantrum.
My respect for authority took root when I was in third grade and got sent to the principal's office. It was because I did something blatantly stupid that at the time sounded like a really good idea.
You see, I had a huge crush on a girl in my class, and wasn't sure how to get her attention. The solution came down to me picking up a small rock and throwing it in her general direction as I ran by (it missed by the way).
As I sat in the main office waiting to see the principal, I saw my mother come to the school and walk past me. It was the first time in my young life where I was genuinely scared out of my whits.
It was the also the first and only time I had ever gotten into trouble in school. I ended up getting grounded for at least a day, and all my toys were taken away from me and not returned until my parents felt I had learned my lesson.
To a point, I was grateful that it was my mother that tended to administer the punishment. It was because I figured that my dad would "hit for distance," if you get my meaning.
As a result, I grew up with something I see lacking in some children in today's society -- a deep respect for parents, teachers and others in our lives.
This brings me back to my earlier discussion regarding those who started that fire near Boise. I wonder if those responsible would've acted differently if they had someone in their life that stepped in and guided them away from making poor choices. Would that fire have actually started if these individuals understood the difference between right and wrong and the consequences attributed to poor decisions.
Unfortunately, we may never know those answers.
-- Brian S. Orban
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