Glass House Syndrome - Stop Throwing Stones!

Good deeds get done. Laws get changed. Inventions are created and discoveries are made. Since there are no perfect people who are the ones doing this good stuff?

Are the good deeds of a great person negated by the sins in their personal life? King David was an adulterer and a murderer, but did that negate the good he did for his kingdom? We’ve had great politicians who did amazing things for our country, but they were also adulterers, liars, cheaters, sometimes thieves and murderers. Do we dismiss their good deeds?

There is a reason that the story of the adulterous woman is included in the Bible. It reminds us that none of us are perfect. So, before we judge someone else - even when they are absolutely wrong - we need to check ourselves.

For those unfamiliar...back in Biblical days, if a woman was caught in an adulterous relationship, she was stoned by the townspeople. There was no penalty for the man.

A group of teachers of the law brought an adulterous woman to Jesus and asked if he thought they should uphold the law of Moses and stone her. (They were testing Jesus to see if he would go against the law of the time.)

After a while, Jesus replied, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." One by one they all dropped their stones and walked away. Jesus didn't go against the law. He just turned the mirror back on the accusers.

"Before you kill her, or persecute her, for not being perfect, consider your own imperfections. Are you willing to be stoned or persecuted for your wrongdoings, as well?"

We should all ask ourselves that same question.

Before you trash people - politicians, celebrities, public figures, your relatives, your spouse, your classmates, your co-workers, your boss - consider your own imperfections. Would it be okay to have your wrongdoings exposed publicly in the news and on social media, or discussed and ridiculed privately among friends and family? Is it okay for you to lose your job because of mistakes or bad choices you made years ago?

What is the deciding factor about what’s right or wrong? Is it really about whether people know or not? Does public exposure condone public persecution?  That’s a really stupid scale of judgment. “If we find out about it you’ll get punished.” Is that why we feel it’s okay to judge? “At least people don’t know about what I’ve done or what I’m doing.” Wrong is wrong whether it’s public or not.

We don’t have to (and shouldn’t) condone or reward wrongdoing. People will reap what they sow. Karma is real.  Should people be punished for their bad deeds? Of course they should. But where do we draw the line?

• A brilliant writer is also a petty thief. Does that negate the brilliance of his books? Should he lose his publishing deal if convicted?
• A world-famous chef also cheats on his wife or turns out to be racist. Does it change the taste of his food? Should his sales dip? Should he lose his TV show, his restaurant, his distribution deal?
• A world-changing civil rights leader is a known womanizer. Should we rescind the rights of the minorities he helped free? Should unfair voting rights return?
• A talented sports hero has serious anger management issues. Should he be fired from his team? Should he lose his endorsement deals?
• An incredibly effective politician plagiarizes a paper in college, cheats on his wife, lies on his taxes, and accepts payoffs from business people who advance his agenda. Should he lose his position?

What about those who aren't in the public eye? Let's bring it down the to level of the majority.

• If every man who has ever abused a woman – physically, verbally, or sexually – lost his job, how many men would be out of work?
• If every person who ever cheated on a test or plagiarized in college got fired, how many people would be unemployed?
• If every man or woman who was (or is) unfaithful to their spouse or intimate with someone else’s spouse, was killed, how many people would be dead?
• If the good deeds, inventions, and legislation of every politician or businessman who ever lied or didn’t keep their word were erased and they were labeled a known liar, who would still attempt good deeds?
• If everyone who failed on a project was publicly shamed and fired, who would even try to succeed?

Here's what we can do: 

1. Keep doing the right thing. 
2. Keep trying. 
3. Even when you mess up, keep trying. 
4. Apologize and admit your wrongdoings quickly. 
5. Forgive others. 
6. Don’t judge.

One final note...

It seems like people are far more punitive and judgmental when they “discover” your wrongdoing. Knock the legs out from under them, steal their thunder, admit your sins, and make amends before others find out about them on their own.

Transparency is freedom. If everyone started admitting and correcting their mistakes before they could be used against them, this era of tabloid-esque, scandalized media and social networking skewering would end!

Constantly Thinking…