Results are what you expect, and consequences are what you get.
~ (Anonymous)
Results are what you expect, and consequences are what you get. ~ (Anonymous)
Somewhere in my youth or childhood, there was a game show called “Truth or Consequences.” Contestants were asked silly, trick questions which they invariably failed to answer correctly. Then Beulah the Buzzer would go off and they’d have to pay the consequences. Of course, those consequences were designed to entertain the audience by making participants do something embarrassingly funny.
Recently, events and soon-to-occur events have had me thinking a lot about the connection between “truth” and “consequences.” But now, 50 years after the demise of the game show, I believe: The truth is that all answers have consequences.
That should motivate intelligent folks everywhere to assess difficult situations carefully, choose battles wisely, select actions that have the most potential for reaping positive results, proceed with hope and take responsibility for the outcome (the good, the bad or the ugly!)
Common sense, right? Maybe not as common as we’d think. We seem to live in a time when people want to do whatever they want and yet refuse to be responsible for anything they want or do. How have we come to this willful, irresponsible mindset?
My parents were the first to teach me the sometimes painful principles of cause and effect. If they said, “Don’t do that …” and I made a choice to do it anyway, punishment was meted out swiftly and surely. I wasn’t given multiple chances to justify my disobedience or whine about the rule itself. I wasn’t trained to negotiate with authority figures in troubled times nor was I taught how to submit a cutesy-pie appeal. The rule was: “You knew. You did. You pay.” Sometimes it was worth it; often it wasn’t.
Although those themes are firmly entrenched in my belief system, they’re usually not cognizant parts of my day-to-day life. They do, however, become poignantly clear when personal passions or beliefs inspire me to push against the status quo. That’s when I’m acutely aware that actions against accepted norms involve consequences.
Gilroy High School students have been or about to have some great opportunities to challenge current laws and unspoken mores. I can’t help but wonder how informed they are about styles of public dissension or how prepared they are to carry the cost for the crusades they’ve chosen to join.
n The Day of Silence. Most of what we’ve heard so far has surrounded whether teachers should participate in this non-violent protest but what about the students? I’d love (either in an email or on these pages) to have students who plan to participate in this demonstration briefly outline their reasons for participating, strategies for remaining silent for a whole day and expected outcomes.
After it’s over, I’d like to hear how students, teachers, employers and parents reacted. In retrospect, was the tactic an effective vehicle for change?
n The Day of Truth. Another opportunity for young people to take a public stand. This one involving after school, one-on-one interactive activities. I’m guessing it’ll require a bit more courage since passing out literature to peers can be risky business. It can lead to rejection, verbal abuse, physical altercations or shouting matches.
Again I ask those planning to participate, have you taken personal inventory? Have you recognized and separated your expectations from possible outcomes? Are you willing to accept the consequences of contributing to this debate?
n Marching against immigration laws. Another type of public dissent available to those living in a free country. It sounds like authorities did a good job of allowing student participants to rally en masse while keeping them safe from each other and bystanders. I’d like to ask the three who got arrested for not staying on the sidewalk if they feel their actions strengthened their cause or subtracted respect for the movement?
And, like other residents, I wonder how many marchers would have participated if the rally had taken place after school. Would spectators have been more inclined to acknowledge your cause if you had marched on your own time instead of taxpayers’?
If we’re truthfully passionate about change, we should be willing to submit to the consequences. Not to entertain casual observers but to inspire them to listen to our ideals and join our agenda. If we’re not willing to pay the price, we have no business being in the arena.
