The Right Thing, or The Right Thing

On this episode of Dare To Disagree, Puppet Master and I got into an argument that made me think afterwards. His point in the show was that people growing up in the ghetto that turn to crime are 100% liable for their decision to become a criminal. I actually agree with that, but that brings up something that I have thought before.

I do agree with Puppet Master that people in the ghetto have the ability to leave where they are at without turning to crime. And a lot of the reasoning for why they don't take the benefits allotted to them are not quite acceptable. Poor role models. Parents that do not encourage children to better themselves. Committing crimes are easier in the short run. Adults that give up on the next generation, who in turn learns to give up on their next generation, and so on in a vicious cycle.

It is not really fair to pressure the parts of society that is not entangled in that cycle to invest and work to change it. Holding them responsible to help fix that situation is certainly not fair.

But that is where the trap for all of us comes into play. If we don't take responsibility for that situation, and pay the costs associated with fixing it, it will likely never be fixed. If we take on that burden of changing the mindset of people who live in these ghettos, the investment will pay off significantly in future generations. We just have to be the ones to break the cycle. Make one generation of those people successful and they will teach the next and so on. It will continue down the line and the country will be safer for all of us.

This problem in these ghettos are like someone throwing a cigarette out of a window and starting a forest fire. Yes, the right thing would be waiting on that person to come put out the fire they started. But while we wait, the forest burns down. What we need to do is put out this fire that has been burning for decades. No, it isn't our fault and it isn't really our responsibility. But if we don't put it out no one will. And we get to watch these blaze go and possibly burn down our house.

In my opinion, it would only take fixing one generation to repair 90%+ of the issue. If we could lift up this upcoming generation, give them the skills to succeed and the drive to do so, the problems will die. They will teach their children, who will teach their children, and so on. That sounds simple, but it is a huge and difficult endeavor and one we may never benefit from. But our kids will, and their kids will, and the world will.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in"