When was the first time you realized your actions had consequences?

[rebeccmeister]

This morning I half-remembered a story my friend S told me once about the first time he realized his actions had consequences for other people. I don't remember details of the story, except that he was extremely young and it involved swinging a baseball bat and hitting somebody (hard enough to hurt, but not *too* hard).

It was never a huge revelation for me, I guess. For a while V was convinced that one must consider the consequences of every action on every single person who might potentially be affected by that action, but that never seemed like a satisfying idea either. I really appreciate her consideration in retrospect, now that I feel like I have recently let myself get into situations where I am surrounded by less considerate people, who in turn make me feel like it's okay to be self-centered and inconsiderate. But I guess that's the way Americans are. And just look where it has gotten us.

And the optimist in me would like to believe that, sooner or later, all of those consequences come back to us--good actions have positive consequences, bad actions bring about negative consequences; what is at first hidden becomes revealed. Yet in biological contexts, we learn that cheaters always win, unless they get caught. If you look at our attempts to bring about justice, you will see that they fail as often as they succeed.

Perhaps I just need to be more patient.

Comments

[popcultureicon.livejournal.com]

the quote goes something like "yeah, tehy got away with it, but you are still alive and awesome, and they are walking round somewhere still the same asshole."

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

Oh man you are so TOTALLY right. Thanks a million as usual, Mr. Awesome. I bask in your Awesome Internet Glow.

[popcultureicon.livejournal.com]

now if only i had awesome punctuation.

[boolean263.livejournal.com]

popcultureicon makes a good point. If your personal integrity is important to you, then it's worth ensuring your actions are the best they can be. That's how I try to live my life. It's easy to be inconsiderate, but I wouldn't like the person I'd become.

My Mom, who's somewhat religious, is also fond of the concept of divine retribution, in that, she also says that people reap what they sow. It's a very vague statement, unfortunately; it's possible that people sometimes get bad karmic consequences in this life, but I think the religious sense of the term implies that the consequences will be judged by a higher power, possibly in another existence.

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

You have a good point as well. Thank you! Both you and popcultureicon I think took my line of thinking a bit further in the direction it needed to go. (;

I don't really believe in divine retribution per se--sometimes I really wish I could. But I read too much philosophy. Maybe instead I can take comfort in the fact that in the end everybody suffers the same fate (even those darn cryogenically frozen people--who do they think they're fooling, anyway?).

[popcultureicon.livejournal.com]

i believe in karmic come-uppins.
it's far more tangible in that if you are mean to people you are miserable.
i mean. the most mean people sure don't look sad, but they really are.

to take a religious tact at it, the teachings of Jesus (love everyone, turn the other cheek, give and you will recieve, judge not lest ye be judged, and how you treat the lowes of my people so you treat me), if followed lead to a life of happiness (assuming you don't bother with the re interpretations of the various nutters religions). whereas a life of judgement, revenge, hate, and more hate just leads to suffering.

*i should proofread that. really.*