by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC
Very few of us are perfect. You may be, but I'm certainly not. Most of us end up having regrets about decisions we've made and actions we've taken. Those decisions were made in absolute certainty that we were doing the right thing…at the time. As new information and revelations came to us, we realized that we should have made other choices. That's just part of living and learning.
Whatever our religious orientation, or lack of one, most of us operate on some variation of the “golden rule” in our day-to-day decision making. Most of us are decent people who want to do "the right thing." We generally try to act in ways we would want to be acted upon by others.
There are also a few jerks out there who operate on another system, who don't care who they harm as long as they benefit. This article isn't directed to the jerks out there, rather to those who at least try to do "the right thing."
Some of our decisions result in bad consequences for us. Some of them result in harm to us and to others as well. Some of them result in harm only for others (though we certainly don't intend for it to be that way), kinda like what the government's armed forces leadership calls "collateral damage."
When and how much "collateral damage" we do as individuals matters. It's not something a person who wants to do the right thing can just ignore. That, however, brings up a painful reality . . . that we need to be as aware as possible and to think about the possible consequences of our actions. I know that's painful and unpleasant for most people, but that's the reality.
I try to do "the right thing" as well as I'm able to see it and try to understand the consequences of my actions. Among my friends, family and business contacts there are lots of great people. But I notice that some of them are engaged in life processes that create victims. I see "collateral damage" in their wake of which they are not even aware.
One of the most common "collateral damage" producing methods is relying upon and trusting in government "agents" to do our bidding, getting us what we want, solving not only big problems but also little ones. This has become a very socially acceptable method of being lazy, intellectually and otherwise.
When we call upon or allow government to do things for us, it uses the only tools it has at its disposal; confiscation, destruction, prevention, involuntary servitude, requirements, warnings, redistribution and other similar things all based upon threats and coercion. Governments have no other tools! All of these tools create "collateral damage," always! If you care about getting right with yourself, not to mention with your fellow man, you'd better think about this.
©2005 by Richard A. Cheatham. All rights reserved. Mr.Cheatham is a professional speaker/writer and is syndicated through Press Media Group, LLC. Contact him through, Living History Assoc., Ltd., at www.LHALtd.com or DrawBackVeil@aol.com.