Bad Behavior Excuses
Progress came to Idaho with the Lottery. Promoters presented their supposed good reason. “Folks travel across the state border to spend their money in other states’ lottery. Let’s keep that cash in Idaho.” I guess the logic convinced many. But I wondered if that was such a good way to make a decision. If a lottery’s a detriment to society, then it’s wrong no matter what others might be doing.
I attended a community meeting where some folks present considered a New Year’s Eve party at the old high school gym. Finally, they voted the suggestion in with this convincing line, “If we don’t put on a big event, people will have to drive over thirty-five miles away on New Year’s Eve to get drunk. That’s too dangerous for the return trip on icy roads.”
In other words, let’s help them out so they can get drunk closer to home. No one seemed to care enough to say, “Hey, let’s make it more difficult to get drunk at all.”
The More Convenient Way
In our hurry to make life easier for everyone, we neglect to consider whether we’re making anything better. A society that makes a no good
reason decision on this basis loses sight of right and wrong, good and evil.
Paul said, “Hold fast to that which is good and abstain from every form of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:20,21).
But moral relativity shows up much closer to home than the state lottery or community New Year’s Eve party. Every time Junior throws a tantrum and we give in, just to keep the peace, we help discard standards of right and wrong. Every time we use phrases like, “I’ve been under a lot of stress” or “I’ve been sick so much lately” or “I can’t seem to shake off this depression” to excuse unbiblical behavior, then we’ve sold out. It’s moral relativity. So easy to do.
Who Makes Us Accountable?
It seems there’s no one around these days to tell us we’re wrong. Society standards intimates that any behavior is acceptable, as long as you state a good reason.
Hogwash!
There’s no good reason for bad behavior. Not in society or in our families. And that’s where you can make a definite difference today.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1988
Lotto balls image by kalhh from Pixabay
A,B,C image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay
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