Imagining a Better Way - Page 2
No one ever wants to take responsibility because responsibility often leads to punitive consequences. But what if accepting responsibility meant that you were afforded the opportunity to learn and grow from you mistakes? What if everyone in this situation stopped pointing the finger and committed themselves to finding ways for this to never, ever happen again?
We live in a litigious society, one that strives to extract recourse from those who have wronged us, while simultaneously going to extreme measures to protect its members from accusation. But what are we litigating for? Money? How is money going to help this to never happen again?
What if the outcome from a case like this was that the entire Chicago Heights police staff was required to attend extensive substance abuse awareness training? What if the driver of the car had to volunteer his time working for MADD while he's imprisoned, or give talks about his experience to high school students And maybe the mother should be encouraged to attend grief counseling and Al-Anon, because that's the only thing I can think of that would be appropriately helpful for her right now. And maybe they can all stop pointing the finger and say, "I'm sorry, I made a horrible mistake."
I imagine little Michael Langford might appreciate that.
This is an original Chicago Blogs Mom post by Marie DeLean. She also took the above photograph.
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