On my way home today, I was stopped at a red light waiting for the signal to change. It was late and not many cars were on the road.
As I got the green light, I made my turn to head home. As I did, another vehicle approached the intersection from another direction. The driver paused momentarily and then ran the red light facing him…unwilling to wait the 45 seconds for the light cycle.
Unfortunately, this action didn’t phase me. In fact, it happens all the time. The fast paced world we live in seems to be “all about me” and “YOLO”. It seems to me, when I was growing up (a short time ago), running a red light was serious and not many people did it. In fact, most red light violations were made by people not paying attention, unlike today’s drivers who do it purposefully.
News stations in my hometown frequently broadcast events where someone has struck a pedestrian in a hit and run and fled the scene. Videos of young people throwing rocks and food cans at Police Officers in Seattle were shown on “May Day”. Drug use, alcohol abuse, and sexual activity is seen at younger ages as time goes on.
We live in a country where many blame the teachers for our kids’ poor grades, blame our bosses for our lack of promotion, and blame the cops for the tickets we get… forgetting our kids aren’t studying enough or doing their homework, we don’t have a strong work ethic and show up late to work, and we drive like we’re late to pick up a million dollars…
We live in a society without responsibility.
I hope we can return to teaching our youth about accountability, truth, faith, and integrity. Our world needs leaders who are good, honest, and care about the good of all. We all make mistakes but we need to learn from them and own up to them.
For those of you out there trying to make a difference, working to be part of the solution, or raising your kids to be true examples… My hat is off to you. The world desperately needs more like you.
David @ overwatchdesigns.com
