Where do bad choices come from?
“I like to say that bad choices come from three places.
The first place can be one of bad intentions. If I approach a stranger on the street and punch them in the face, do I have bad intentions? Yes, I made this choice intending to hurt that person.
The second place can be one of bad judgement. If I’m very sleepy and I choose to operate a vehicle, do I intend to run anyone over? No, I may not have had bad intentions. Yet did I know there was danger and still make a bad choice? Yes, my choice came from bad judgement.
The last place is one of bad information. If I’m a teen in a relationship, for example, who doesn’t know the age of consent in my state, am I necessarily trying to hurt anybody? No. Did I act despite knowledge of restricting laws? No. If I knew differently, I might have made a different choice. Instead, I made a choice based on bad information.
All choices – whether good or bad, and regardless of their origin – have consequences, which can even be legal and follow us for the rest of our lives.”
When I’m facilitating workshops, I try to make some information easy to remember so that my message sticks – especially for teens. For the past two weeks, I have been saying the above anecdote to students in middle schools and high schools. Today, Lu told me I should “write that down and share it.” So, there it is.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Have more to add?
