So often today’s generation in various brackets of age refuses to read a newspaper, watch the news on television, or listen to it on the radio. They do not want to know what is going on outside their own home or circle of friends and family believing it has no effect directly on them or their loved ones and therefore has no need for it. It is because so many do NOT truly know what is going on in the world around them that they are unaware of all the many dangers around them in their everyday lives. Not only are you playing a game of Russian roulette with your own life but you are playing also this game with the lives of those you love. Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance. One bullet is placed in the cylinder of a revolver which is then spun like the wheel of a roulette game. The barrel of the revolver is then placed to the player’s head and the trigger is pulled. If it clicks you are safe, if it makes a loud noise you will likely be dead. I am sure many have heard of this game at some point in their life. I wonder how many of you would knowingly brave the game? I wonder how many would play the game only rather than placing the barrel of the gun to your head place it to the head of your child, your sibling, your spouse, or even an unwilling or knowing stranger? I am sure your answer to these questions is without hesitation “no”! Let’s take one of the most common events seen today. In the year 2013 texting and driving has become the leading cause of death in teen accidents. Yet if you notice while driving down the road almost every motorist that passes you or you pass will be looking down at a phone either reading or sending a text. Every time we text someone we know is driving, every time we read or send a text when we are driving we may as well be playing a game of Russian roulette. But how can we know how serious this is if we don’t watch the news and see the stories and pictures of the horrific accidents texting has caused? How can we know this if we refuse to read a newspaper telling the story of an innocent child that lost their life over a text message? The news you don’t want to know about is the news you need to know about the most. This is just, one event I chose that many can relate to. But it alone barely scratches the surface of how crucial news is in all our lives. Did you know that the majority of decisions made on a crucial political vote are decided more so on hearsay and rumors passed between friends and relatives on misguided information and rarely ever based on knowledgeable good planning and judgment? I know of several instances personally that a vote was decided in a recent presidential election because they were offended that one of the candidates was allegedly going to remove Big Bird from television viewing. The fate of our country was swayed in one direction or another over an educational program character. Our young generation is preparing for a zombie apocalypse believing our government is secretly drugging us to convert us into mindless zombies in order to take over the world and there be only one superpower. They can be seen texting each other important information about their cause while driving down the interstates and streets of America or while working diligently at their jobs every day. We stress for our children to excel academically so that they will be assured a place in the American dream. We teach them to work hard and persevere for the dreams they wish to come true. We teach them the importance of honesty, respect, morality, and integrity. Where so many fail miserably in what some feel is an effort to protect them from the evils of the world we are depriving them of the knowledge they need to live in and understand the true functions of the world we live in today. How can our youth know what choices to make if they are shielded from the truth? How can they know which would be the best candidate to cast a vote on if they have no real knowledge of what that candidate is truly about or how they will affect their lives or our country? Truly when you deprive yourself and your children of the knowledge shared about the real world and real-life events that are life-altering you are spinning the cylinder and pulling the trigger in a game of Russian roulette that could very well be taking the life of someone you know and love. Don’t make choices because he said or she said it was the right choice. Make an educated choice because YOU believe it is the best choice to make for you, your family, and your fellow man.
Simply my Thoughts
Dean Butler
