Society pays for misdeeds

Jay Valleser

MANY crimes are done in silence and in the privacy even of our own shadows. But if we extend our thoughts an inch more, maybe we would realize that somehow it is the society that pays for our crimes, including those we do in secret. And this includes those that we initially decided only affects us. To illustrate:

1. a) Electing inept candidates. This is a result of selling our votes to the highest bidder. To accept money is not a crime nor a sin. It becomes one only when we do it for some dirty motivation or sinister intention. One can accept money given during elections without necessarily being involved in a buy-and-sell trading.

Candidates who buy votes are most often the least qualified. Once in office, they become the  worst performing government officials not fit to be called  politicians. To my mind, he is a skilled professional who is involved in politics and that is influencing people, not of money, but by his leadership skills.

When we elect inept candidates to public office expect society to pay for their misdeeds. People deserve those they elect.

1. b) Consenting parents. I use this phrase to mean parents who try to look the other way when a child bullies a neighbor or classmate. He gets emotionally high when a Tanod informs him of his child was caught taking the neighbor’s rooster or when a policeman comes to report of his child injuring another child in a fisticuff.

Much worse when a parent gets mad at the bearer of a report of his underage child caught sniffing “rugby” at the corner or having a shot of alcoholic drink in the wee hours of the morning at a downtown bar. Many parents would call their consent on these issues as an expression of parental love.

These are the kind of parents who are rearing future problem parents. What we need are parents who give informed consent, and are willing to impose proper sanctions for the misdemeanor of their children.

There are no problem children if only there are no problem parents.

These are just two of several instances in our lives where it is our society that pays even for our most private actions.