|
Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
January 5, 2003
Blame others for
your stupid faults |
 |
|
Well, we made
it. Year 2003 is here. For many adults, that means a New
Year’s resolution.
Many will resolve to make
lifestyle changes. Dieting, exercising, giving up smoking, or
getting out of debt are the most typical. In some cases, some
will promise to do all four this year. I applaud all who makes
a resolution and wish them the best of luck. It won’t be easy.
If it was easy, we would do it in April or June or August.
Like taxes, we usually put it off until a designated date.
While a new year
may bring about new self-promises, the tradition of making
resolutions at the start of a new year dates back over four thousand
years when the Babylonians used to celebrate the new year in March
at the start of new spring rains.
While sitting in a restaurant New Year’s Day and
reading a newspaper, I overheard a guy in the next booth talking.
“I’m going to quit smoking. I’m almost 30 years
old, and I have been smoking since I was 13,” he said to his booth
mate.
My initial thought was that this was an incredible
idea. A man of just 30 years had made a pretty tough but
intelligent decision. He could probably expect to live another
45-50 years if he were to quit smoking now.
Then something else hit me like that little devil that
seems to lurk on your other shoulder. I wanted to jump up and
tell the guy to rethink his decision. He had been smoking
cigarettes for 17 years. If he would just hang in there for
maybe three more years and keep smoking a couple packs a day, he
would be making a great investment. After 20 years of smoking,
he was a winnable lawsuit waiting to happen.
He had been seduced by the tobacco companies when he
was but a mere child. He was hooked. He had a disease.
Couldn’t he see none of it was his fault? He would be a
billionaire soon. Of course, he wouldn’t live to collect it,
but his home state would surely benefit, as well as some law firm.
Was he really ready to throw this all away for the sake of some
annual tradition?
Let’s see, two packs of cigarettes a day at $4 each
times 365 days times three years is $8760. He could play that
much in lottery and not win a dime.
Oh well. I kept my mouth closed and continued
reading my paper. I read about a 32 year-old Chicago woman who
says she will not eat any more fast food. She vowed to stay
healthy in 2003. What is this woman thinking? Did she
just crawl from under a rock? Doesn’t she know that McDonald’s
is being blamed for all of the fat kids in America? Why stop
eating unhealthy food now? Can’t she continue to suck down a
super-sized value meal a day and join the class action lawsuit?
Like the smoker, it won’t be her fault.
I guess I still have time to make a resolution. I
resolve to blame anyone and everyone else for any stupid thing I do
this year. If I eat too much, it’s the restaurant’s fault.
If I spend too much, it’s the store’s fault. If I drive too
fast, it’s the car manufacturer’s fault. If I tell a lie, it’s
the devil’s fault.
I think I could probably make this resolution work.
Good luck everyone. |
|
|
Thanks for stopping by! |
|
|
Home
| About | What's New |
Books | Columns |
Archives |
Seminars | Search |
Contact |
| |
|
|
|
