Assessing blame is given a lot of importance in the world today. Whether it is a natural disaster, an accident, or ‘user error,’ we instantly put a great deal of effort into finding out who is responsible. All this reminds me of an incident that occurred several years ago.
Soon after I picked up my five year old from day care, I smelled a foul odor coming from somewhere inside the car.
I asked my little boy if he needed to use the bathroom and he denied having that need.
The aroma stayed with us throughout the ride home.
After supper I rushed him into his bath. I check his clothes thoroughly as I put them in the hamper. Nothing.
Even after I was assured my boy was squeaky clean, from time to time, I would get a whiff of . . . or was it my imagination?
I didn’t discover the source of the stench until the next morning when I dressed for work and noticed a small amount of ‘it’ on the bottom of my shoe.
The moral is: Before we complain about a stink, we should each check our own shoes.
Fun lesson–for the reader at least. I’ve noticed that blame placing thing, too. People also love to sound off on social media about whomever they feel is the culprit. Ugh!
I’ve learned in my old age, that quickly accepting the fact that I might be responsible for something puts others at ease in possibly finding fault in their own actions. Accusing people automatically puts them on the defense. No winning there!!