Huh?

A QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY



A few years back, a news report came out of Orlando, Florida about a new craze for local teenagers: garage jumping. Thrill seekers were jumping from one parking garage roof to another, with some roofs as high as six stories or 80 feet. As expected with such lunacy, some fell and were injured.

The family of one boy who fell and fractured his shoulder, filed a lawsuit against the city and parking garage for not having a fence to keep jumpers from jumping. The city has since erected some length of fence, but a jumper can still get around the fence and jump. The suing family stated that the garage should “take responsibility” before another jumper jumps. Huhhh?

How about this for a solution: put up a sign that says “Don’t Jump, Idiot,” but then that would be too common sense of an approach. Plus, it may offend idiots.

If anyone is crazy enough to take such a risk, that individual will go find an unfenced building somewhere else and jump anyway. Where does responsibility begin? It begins with the individual. Where does the placing of blame stop? Should we place fences on streets and highways to keep people from walking in front of moving vehicles? If not, can local or state governments be sued for not restricting walkers who may get struck by automobiles? When the door to lunacy is opened, when do you shut it?

Remember the individual who sued McDonalds over the hot coffee? After placing a hot cup of coffee between the legs while driving, this person received burns from splashed coffee. McDonalds then began placing on each cup, warning signs of “Hot Coffee” (which is tantamount to “Cold Ice”) when they should have spent a few cents more and also printed “Don’t Place Between Legs or Knees While Driving, Genius” on each cup. By the way, isn't coffee supposed to be hot, otherwise, it is called cappuccino?

The shirking of responsibility is nothing new. In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve both did their share of placing blame. Eve told God the serpent gave her the fruit to eat, so it was his fault. Adam placed a double blame with one stroke and told God the problem was the woman He (God) gave to Adam. When Aaron, the brother of Moses, was asked where he got the golden calf, his answer was, “Well we put our gold in this fire, and out came this calf,” like the calf made itself. And last but not least, King Ahab called Elijah the one who “troubleth Israel,” yet Israel’s real problem was Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, for it was their wickedness that demanded the judgment of Jehovah.

When people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, then everyone else is fair game to blame. Couples divorce with a no fault divorce. If it was not the fault of either involved, then how did it happen? A young person robs a store, but it’s not his fault. His defense attorney later claims society has failed all youth. The list could go on and on. There are sometimes external circumstances that contribute to, or influence individuals to make certain decisions, but ultimately each individual has to be held accountable for his or her own actions. Accountability, followed by acknowledgment and confession of wrong doing, reduces problems and paves the way for making right decisions in the future.

Acceptance of personal sin is necessary for salvation.

Joseph Harris