What Does It Take?

Why does it usually take a crisis, or an incident, or a crash, or a death before people take action? In the olden days, we were all Boy Scouts: We prepared for the unexpected. These days, many don’t think with a future in mind. Here are some thoughts to restart the engine.

If you suffer from incontinence, don’t go to the comedy club.
If you’re running out of room in your closet, don’t buy a new outfit.
If you don’t have money to cover next month’s credit card bill, don’t charge something (unless it’s essential, of course, like a new set of golf clubs).
If you’re preparing for a colonoscopy, don’t fart.

Simple enough, right? But it seems the world still needs a wet fart to stop the inevitable.

Take our local Department of Human Services, for example. They condoned years of sexual abuse upon someone I know, because the father always has the right to “visit” his child. They recently allowed the death of another child. Evidence for both was presented to them, but their zombies and directors ignored and did not heed all the reports. Their excuses and “investigations” are many, but if you have ever met a social services director or caseworker, you know why they aid and abet perpetrators. I doubt this taxpayer-supported group will ever take action when and where it matters.

And the pope. Gee. I suspect the hieroglyphs were on the rectory wall—Homo sapiens’ first pornography—but fear of retribution and demerits kept victims from telling their stories. My girlfriend from Mexico and my Nana in Wisconsin were molested as young girls by their priests. My friend hid the fact for 40 years out of fear; Nana moved to a different town to live with her aunt. I now understand one of the reasons why so many friends “used to be” Catholic, though I question why three of my mom’s cousins became nuns and one a priest. Do French priests commit improper acts too? How many more crises will it take before priest predators are stopped? Will the Catholic church just sweep them under the floor mat?

Do you think one of Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s peers, superiors, or anyone who knew his character should have guided this guy into a white, spongy room? Too many people are scared to report a potential incident.

Who wants to be the narc? Who would like to say, “I could have prevented that”?

It all starts here: you and me having enough courage and concern to thwart a disaster, whether it’s environmental, spiritual, physical, or emotional.

Let’s avoid social services altogether, teach the pope that condoms don’t increase the problem of HIV AIDS, report extremists, and prepare for the unexpected wet fart.

We can do it.