Who Cares
| September 5th, 2008 by Robert | Word Count: 802 | Reading Time 3:17 | 1,923 views |
There’s a saying that seems to be the basic idea of living these days. It goes a little something like this, “It’s my life and I can do what I want to.” On top of that, there is a growing sentiment amongst our society that everything is ok as long as what you are doing doesn’t harm anyone outside of your actions. Basic fact being, people want to do anything and never be told the word “no.” Laws? Aren’t laws limitations of our rights? Rules? Aren’t rules only meant to contain our free will and create a society of lemmings? We are free thinking human beings with free will. We should be allowed to do whatever we decide is right for us. Right?
Society has been migrating to this particular theory of “freedom thinking” for quite a while. Is it the right direction? I don’t think so. However, I do not believe in government limiting our rights as individuals, but I do believe in moral, ethical, and common law. Our rights do not include the ability to do whatever we feel like at any time of our life. We are a part of free society, not an anarchist one. Life without law and rules results in a life of anarchy and destruction.
I recently ran across a poll on ESPN’s website asking a simple question about marijuana use by athletes. The question arose because 2 prospective NBA rookies were caught with the drug and were promptly suspended and punished. The poll went as follows: “How much does it bother you if athletes use marijuana?” Answers were: “A Lot – A Little – Not At All.” I voted “A Lot.” No, the athletes do not mean anything to me and they are not family or friends, but the act of illegal marijuana use by athletes or anyone for that matter, bothers me a lot. Why? Because it’s illegal and it’s a crime.
Are crimes shades of gray? I’m sorry Mr. Officer. My crime is a lighter shade of gray so you should let me go. I mean, the old lady didn’t need her purse and it looked like it was too heavy for her to carry anyway… plus, I’m a free individual and I can do whatever I want. As for the marijuana user, they say they aren’t hurting anyone by using this particular illegal drug. Are they living in a bubble? Are they secluded from society? Are they on their own planet full of snacks and hemp? If you are part of society and you are purchasing and using an illegal drug, at some point, you are harming someone other than yourself. Everything you do impacts others as part of society. You may not readily see the effects of your actions, but there are ramifications as a result of your decision.
Who cares? I voted that it bothered me, but how did everyone else vote? With over 126,000 votes, almost 52% said “Not At All.” Another 20% said “A Little,” and coming in at 28%, “A Lot.” Exactly, who cares? It wasn’t surprising to me to see the results so lopsided. Almost 75% of the voters don’t really mind athletes committing a crime. Smoking marijuana is illegal. Would you expect the same result if the question simply asked if you were bothered if athletes committed a crime? I would hope not.
The fact is, drug use is seen as an individual’s “right” these days and it doesn’t really “hurt anyone” when in reality, it does hurt other people. Families, coworkers, health providers, police, and society as a whole are impacted by drug use and sales. Well, marijuana isn’t “that bad.” It’s not? Does it not alter your state of mind and incapacitate you? Yeah, alcohol does the same thing… shouldn’t it be illegal then too? For that matter, doesn’t caffeine impact your body? The argument goes on forever and it doesn’t stop.
An argument trying to legitimize illegal drug use is not a good one. It is a crime and therefore it is wrong. If you want to change it, work through changing the law. Doing whatever you feel like because you believe it is your right is wrong. Seeing the results of the poll leaves me a bit disheartened about where our society stands at this point. I care about the integrity of our society and abiding by the law is a major component of that. If we allow our system to be whittled away by the “little” crimes, anarchy will creep in and our society as we know it will cease to exist.
“But it’s just marijuana… It’s my life and I’ll do whatever I want with it.” That also means I do not care about yours. Do we really need this kind of ideology in our country?
Citation: http://www.espn.com/
on September 6th, 2008 at 2:26 pm:
Some people think if they are not an avid sports fan, what the sports fans and sports players do is not going to affect them in their daily lives. Let them do what they want, who cares. But one day that sports fan or sports player will affect their lives. Maybe on the road, maybe voting under the influence, voting for someone very wrong for the position because it suits their fancy at the time. Maybe, getting into an influential office that will affect many lives, like getting laws passed, etc. If these people are on drugs that affect their judgments, we are all, at some point in time, at their mercy.
on September 6th, 2008 at 3:06 pm:
Athletes also affect young people and even some grown ups because they are viewed as role models (yes, even if they aren’t “supposed” to be). A young person looking up to certain individuals who are involved with illegal drugs can be harmed by the athlete’s choices.
People must understand that we are all in this together. I can’t think of a single instance where an action we do doesn’t cause a ripple effect in our world affecting someone down the line. Some people are just so short-sighted and focused upon their own individualism that the rest of the world is meaningless to them.
Holding people accountable for following the law is a basic rule of living in a society. If 50%+ view wrongdoing as “not bothersome” then I would step out and say they are most likely doing something wrong themselves. Think about that.
on September 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pm:
Since the NBA seems to care more than the voters in this particular poll, the 2 athletes involved in this situation were fined $20,000 each for their infraction. Who would have ever thought that the NBA would have more sense than the 50%+ of the people who voted “doesn’t bother them at all.”
The same league where an athlete proudly proclaimed that he had slept with over 20,000 women in his lifetime. Sad, but true.