I am sharing this post that was written by a Facebook friend, Michael J C Taylor. Dr. TAYLOR is an American constitutional historian. https://www.facebook.com/dr.mjctaylor
We are always looking for somebody to blame.
Yeah things are rotten all over. It’s because of the immigrants flooding our borders looking for a hand-out. It’s because of all these damned minorities demanding their “rights”. It is because of breakdown of the traditional family. It’s because of the Democrats or the Republicans we can’t get anything done. It’s because of one thing or another my life has gone straight to hell.
And because of it everybody is a racist, a fascist, a homophobe, a redneck, a misogynist, a feminista, a religious nut, an atheist freak, or something else insulting. Of course when we assign blame we are obligated to involve ourselves in name-calling. It is as American as apple pie.
For every dysfunction and misery we experience in our lives we assign blame to others. It is much easier to assign culpability to someone else than it is to ruminate and dissect the nature of our problems and seek a solution. And in doing so it is also required we isolate ourselves within small hordes of like-minded people because there is strength in numbers no matter how wrong we may be. And yet we still wonder why human civilization is coming apart at the seams.
Though this phenomena has gone on since before recorded history social media has both exacerbated and amplified it. Longtime friendships have ended because of petty disagreements over nonsense, as well as family members disinheriting one another due disagreements. And all place the blame with the other. Blame is easy, assuming the responsibility to mend and maintain vital relationships that is hard, in fact too hard for too many.
Not only do we expect everyone within our families and communities to act congruent with the rules, but we jump down on them hard when they deviate. Why did that young man run from the cops when he was being arrested? It’s obvious he was guilty of something. Why did the cop draw his weapon and fire? It’s obvious the officer thought they were in imminent danger. Yet when we make such judgments and place blame we are doing so without knowing all of the circumstances and facts of the incident in question. We just assume we do because our chosen medial tells us so.
I hate to be the one to break it to you but people are not perfect and are prone to make mistakes. Big ones and often. Yes every one of us. Due to the constant battle between our rational and emotional selves we all eat it once in a while. And believe me when I tell you I am just as guilty of this as you. I am in no way, shape or form perfect, but because I am not I do my level best to refrain from passing such judgments of blame upon others until I am well acquainted with the provable facts of any situation.
If we are to heal as a people, as a community and as a country we must stop looking for somebody to blame. We must look beyond blame and seek a solution to the problems which afflict us all. In our common struggles there is a unity of purpose, but if we continue to dwell in the despair of division the miserable doldrums of our lives will never change.
So must we always look for somebody to blame. I am doing my best not to, but I am human and will fail occasionally. And for that I am the one to blame.
