Well...here i am now, so i will go ahead and write about how, as human beings, i believe our very nature requires, in fact demands, that we have an explanation for everything. In other words, when something happens, generally something we consider "bad" or "challenging" there must be a reason. Why did that tsunami wipe out parts of Indonesia? Why did Haiti get hit with such a big earthquake and suffer such devastation? Why did New Orleans flood? In asking why, the real question so many really want to ask is...who is to blame? In Indonesia, many said the lack of a "warning" system was to blame. In Haiti, people want to blame the poor construction of the buildings. In New Orleans, the city, the leaders, the inadequate construction of the dams are all to blame. Others just blame G-d for being angry or claim G-d does not exist. Why must there always be someone to blame? Sometimes things just happen without explanation and without someone (or someone other than ourselves) to blame. Don't they?
As a lawyer, I always struggled with this concept, which is probably why i chose to do defense work. The lack of personal responsibility and the need to find someone to blame, someone to pay, anyone, even if they are not really at fault, was a driving force for so many. So, why am I even thinking about this? Well, today I caught a very small tidbit of the Dennis Prager show and he was talking about the news item that came out discrediting the scientist who claimed that there was a link between vaccinations and autism. Now, I don't know a lot about the subject, but I do know there has been considerable debate about the existence of a link and how so many people today refuse to vaccinate their kids because of this. Of course, if I had a child with autism, I would certainly ask why, how, why my kid, why us. And I don't think i could ever be satisfied with believing that these things just happen. I don't take issue with those who seek to "blame" vaccinations for their child's autism, even if science presently doesn't support this. I am simply observing that the NEED to blame is so strong that some people may take positions because they MUST, and believe in those positions so strongly, no matter the criticism, because they MUST have something to hold on to. Something to say "aha" that's the reason. Something to give them "peace of mind" of "knowing" why something happened, having something, anything to blame, so they can sleep at night. The alternative--not knowing, having no explanation--is unfathomable to some people.
This is not to say that, in some instances, others are rightfully to blame!! When there is so much debate over "blame," however, perhaps we need to take a deep breath, look inside, and for just a moment consider the fact that "shit happens" and recognize that maybe finding "blame" is not necessarily the answer.
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