Decisions Have Consequences

Assigning blame for something that has gone wrong feels like the righteous application of accountability. We believe we have identified the “culprit” who caused the problem, and punishment solves (or at least resolves) the problem. This is understandable since, when things go wrong, we feel victimized. But in reality we are often victims of our own choices and decisions. Blame then becomes the abdication of personal responsibility for the event.

Recently a middle-aged woman competing in a triathlon suffered a massive heart attack during the swimming portion of the event, and died. The family is now suing the event organizers, blaming them for the death, and seeking unspecified compensatory damages. The petitioners allege the event organizers did not have enough life guards stationed along the swim route to respond quickly enough to save the woman.

The pain of the family, and their sense of victimization, is understandable. Mom was taken from them in the prime of her life. But are the event organizers truly to blame for this death? When one competes in an intense activity aren’t the risks implied? If someone bungee-jumps off a bridge and is injured or killed, should the bridge owner be held liable for not providing adequate medical response? To what extent are we responsible for the outcome of our own voluntary behaviors and choices? If we stick our finger in a flame we know it will get burned. But if we stick our finger in the flame of a gas stove, and it gets burned, why do we blame the stove manufacturer?

Each year an organization called The Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch holds a contest and awards recognition for the wackiest warning labels that have resulted from lawsuits predicated on victimization and its abdication of personal responsibility. When a five-inch fishing lure with three large steel hooks requires a label that reads, “Harmful if swallowed,” or when a washing machine at a Laundromat requires a label that reads, “Do not put any person in this washer,” or when a baby stroller requires a label that reads, “Remove child before folding,” then we have evidence that we’ve become a society that abdicates personal responsibility in favor of blame.

So, the next time you are about to blame someone for something, ask yourself, “In what way did I contribute to this outcome?” You may discover that you are the victim of your own decisions.