Guilty of Being Innocent

We as human beings are guilty of a lot of things. We're guilty of crime and punishment. We're guilty of polluting the earth. We're guilty of having New Jersey accents. We're guilty of being annoying. We're guilty of being disturbingly kind. We're guilty of having sex with a lot of people. We're guilty of being human. We're guilty of mistakes, of misjudgment, and miscommunication. We're guilty of having consciences.

But do any of these things we are guilty of warrant premature death?

A great many people in this world die innocently, in my opinion. Natural disasters, hostile government takeovers, cruel and unusual tragedies and accidents take people before they deserve to go.

These things happen everyday, near and far, and it seems as if there is nothing we can do about it.

War is a perfect example. We're in the middle of one now, and it never seems to be going away. If you were to ask a notable politician about the loss of human life in a war, he or she might tell you that certain lives are going to be lost due to collateral damage. Sacrifices are going to have to be made. People will die and there is nothing we can do about it. Better them than us, they might say.

Politicians have been known to deal in human life as if they are dealing with dollars and cents. And if the lives of those humans being dealt doesn't matter to them, then they are more easily spared. Some people's lives could be communicated as chump change, as long as there is a possibility of making actual dollars and cents.

If you were to ask the mother of a fallen soldier or any ordinary civilian who meets, works, and talks with other ordinary people everyday, they might tell you that the ultimate price to pay for one's country or for any matter, is one's life. Paying the cost of one human life is the highest possible cost to face. And it is not fair between the people who have earned and know the true value of a human life and the people who callously toss human lives away in multitudes.

The value of a human life could be equated to that of a penny. Seeing a penny on the ground is pretty common. Pennies have long been looked at as a worthless piece of currency. They are not worth the effort to bend over and pick up.

A penny on its own cannot buy anything. It is scrap metal. It's a charming representation of one of America's more familiar Presidents, even though he's already got a paper bill. A penny, though, is actually worth less than the cost it takes to produce it. And there it lies, unnoticed, on the ground. It is helpless, unless somebody who cares comes over and picks it up. Pennies are worthless. And yet, they are also priceless.

A single penny means nothing to a lot of people, much like a single human life might not mean anything to some people. When pennies start to form with other pennies, though, they become something greater, something that cannot be ignored. When pennies join together, they become nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars. These things are forces powerful enough to make a difference.

The same can be said about one human life. Even though one life may go unnoticed to some, it can also be pooled together with others, and create something even greater than originally thought.

A big difference lies in the people who spend a lot of money or lives at once. A person who pays for things in hundred-dollar bills does not have the same respect for what he or she is losing as the person who tosses that single penny into a fountain, wishing it to become something greater.

Don't ignore that single penny that other people tread over. Every penny you pick up, as every life you touch, is worth it.

Nobody should be victim of being tossed aside and neglected. Every life and every penny is guilty of having value, even if it is only one cent.

The Cold

It's very unfortunate, but currently, we have no hot water in our apartment. It has been out for a few days now and we have been routed to taking cold, cold showers.

It's true that there are far worse fates we could be suffering right now. The fact that we get to wake up everyday in a peaceful community and not have to worry about unbridled violence or war or pestilence is pretty reassuring, since the news brings images of those things into our home every night.

And while we sit here and complain about not having hot water, our relatives are back home packing bags up with sand to try to hold a river back at its banks. This after several thousands of homes and acres of valuable farmland have already been destroyed.

And yet we whine about having to stand in a little bit of cold water for a few minutes? It hardly seems right. It's the middle of summer, even, we should be grateful for such a cause.

But when you look down at your hands and see every blue vein light up like a neon sign, it lets you know how very clean you are! And when using Head and Shoulders Refresh, the cold feels even colder!

Jumping into a cold shower delivers a shortness of breath, much like you might feel when finding out your best friend got trapped in a car during a flash flood or seeing all your worldly possessions destroyed instantly before your very eyes.

It's amazing how we sometimes take technology for granted. And how no matter how prepared we may think we may be, it doesn't compare with going through the actual event. Sometimes you really don't know what you have until it's gone.

Real TV

Reality/game show contestants are a lot like animals being led to a slaughter.

They are all real and they each have individual personalities, but they have been cast or have been bred to serve a purpose, and it is not pretty to watch at times.

People who volunteer themselves to be belittled on public display, who perform silly tasks to get the attention of viewers, are a lot like that flock of chickens you had when you were younger. And your mother or father told you not to get emotionally attached to them because some day soon they were all going to be killed and eaten for your enjoyment. Even though your parent told you this, you got emotionally attached anyway.

You started to name them and find out where they were from and what they did for a living. You picked out a favorite and started rooting for him/her throughout the contest. And you watched them sing their little songs or play their little games. You would watch them scurry around for little pellets of food. They looked so innocent. But you've been told and so in the back of your mind it is ingrained that you are going to have to bury/eat them.

Each week they get more pellets of food and are sent around to perform more pointless tasks for your enjoyment, each week getting fatter and fatter. And each week you come back and one of them is missing. You look through the bunch to see who it was, hoping it wasn't your Robert or your Christina. She has the most beautiful eyes, after all, and a personality and charisma that you just couldn't help but fall in love with, and you don't want to see her get sent to the chopping block.

Sooner or later, though, the day comes when your favorite gets selected, and you scream out, "Daddy, no! I loved him/her!"

All things must come to an end, though. Some creatures must die so that other creatures may live. The producers, directors, and executives of television are living off of these people's failure and embarrassment.

The contestants are all in the game. Maybe they knew what they signed up for and maybe they didn't. Maybe they are willing and maybe they're not. But they are all lining up to get their heads cut off.

Is it right? Is it ethical?

It's just survival.

And who knows? Maybe they'll win a great big prize, be the Christmas dinner, or maybe they'll go on to a great career in the afterlife, in singing, or acting, or writing. Maybe they'll be a game show host themselves. It could happen.

But those are the games we play, the things we do. What we do to get by is all addressed in reality TV.

Thanks be to God.

Is it Ok to Ask?

Some things you just have to ask about. Sometimes, a situation comes up when you have to decide whether what you are doing is polite or unnecessary. And if the said situation involves a friend or a stranger, no matter, you must decide how to act, and what is appropriate.

A number of situations have come up in the recent 24 hours for me to address this. Today, while I was getting ready to board the Subway, a very brave and rather foolish young man dropped down into the tracks, as the train was in sight and approaching the station, in order to cross over to the other side. He voluntarily and carelessly put himself in danger, leaping down into the pit of train tracks, an infamous and taboo refuge for rats, garbage, and electricity, where common pedestrian is not supposed to sojourn. He crossed the forbidden third rail, and waltzed over to the other set of tracks, where he quickly ascended the platform, to meet the other people on the platform, who were patiently waiting to go up town.

The majority of us in the train station watched in jaw-dropping horror as we anticipated this poor soul's demise into a colorful smattering of remains, that would have resulted in a large amount of paperwork, keeping us all from going home. For a second, we expected the worst. Thankfully, it did not end that way. The young man safely reached the other side, the train came, and we all went home.

Even so, this man chose to perform this particular action, making us all aware of the prevalent danger, and forcing us to make a decision as citizens and human beings of nature, who, in turn, have an interest in perpetuating the well-being of our species and our society. I did not ask any questions. Though I wanted to shriek out, "Dude, WTF?" I just watched in awe. I could not act. And when the train arrived, I boarded and looked out the window as the young man received a talking-to from another gentleman who was waiting for the train on the other side.

Though I could not hear the words, it was evident that the conversation was not pleasant and/or didn't have any business being a conversation to begin with, considering this guy could have walked down the stairs and around to the other side, just like the rest of us, and any other decent human being. I minded my own business.

When I arrived at my stop nearby my home, I witnessed two more circumstances that questioned my place in society. As I was walking from the train station on my way to my apartment, I heard, a few feet behind me, a girl who was sobbing as she was walking. She let out a loud cry of discontent, and though she wasn't in any danger, it was obvious she was upset. In this situation, it is difficult for a person like me to act. I could hear her crying very loudly, and while on the one hand, I wanted to make sure she was alright and see if I could help her at all, on the other hand, I didn't want to make matters worse by poking my nose into her business and making her more upset by not leaving her alone.

I chose to mind my own business and just leave her to her feelings. That though process held my attention until I saw another young man, this one lying flat on the concrete, face down, in an obvious state of unconsciousness. He wasn't dead; that much I could tell from the positioning of his arms (it looked like he had been doing drunken push-ups, and just never got up from the second one). As you might imagine, though, it abruptly pulled my attention away from the concern of the girl, as this sight is not as familiar to me and is far more eerie (at least the crying girl is still up and walking around; if there was a real emergency here, she could have helped me help the young man).

Once again I chose not to act, though, and just continued walking and minding my own business. Similarly dressed and otherwise nefarious characters were milling about nearby, and so I figured one probably had to do with the other, and that he would be taken care of...by somebody. I did not ask anybody to confirm, though. I guess I really wasn't too concerned at that point.

All this and more begs the question on my mind whether it is acceptable or not to ask about other people's business. While I know it is none of my business why the man chose to enter the path of an oncoming train, why the girl was crying boisterously, or why the other guy was passed out on the sidewalk, I also know it is in my best interest and in the people's best interest to investigate the general emotional status and decision-making processes of these people.

Maybe these people need help, and maybe I can provide that, or maybe I can point them in the direction of that help, or maybe I can just leave a positive influence on them they would not have had otherwise. Or maybe, I'll be way out of line and ask about something I shouldn't have, and end up being ostracized or ridiculed because of it. "You're being pushy," they'll say, and I'll think I was just being polite.

Therein lies the question then. When is it appropriate to be obtrusive and slightly over-bearing? Or is it ever appropriate? Sometimes, even though, you know you can help a person so much in such a way, it is best to let them figure out their business on their own. They don't want your help. They may appreciate the concern, maybe even be flattered that you would ask, but the truth is it is none of your business, and you should keep it that way.

We all want to be helpful. Having a concern for other human beings, even strangers, is natural and necessary. But where is the line between being helpful and being a pest. The line over which you do not want to cross, it seems, is sometimes very difficult to see.