Choices, Compassion, and Clothes

Y'all, I just can't stop thinking about that roasted chicken, (in case you need to read) probably because of some of the "suggestions" given to me. To be clear, I am open to suggestions. In fact, I love them even if I don't agree with them. They give me more to think about, and goodness knows I need more to think about--especially things I can't control...(well maybe my therapist needs that so she can stay in business).

So one of the comments I heard revolved around the idea of choices. The most extreme was that people who are homeless are probably that way because of the choices they made. Well, first of all, let's agree to say unhoused (or at least that's what I'm going to say), and secondly, there actually are people who are unhoused because THEY CHOOSE TO BE! So if that's the choice you're referring to, I wholeheartedly agree. Something tells me, however, it's not....

I could argue this one particular scenario until the cows come home, but I won't because a) I would get so angry I would want to tear your arm off and beat you to death with the bloody stump and b) I'd rather generalize this whole thing so that, please refer to a).

I agree with this. We all make choices AND we all face consequences (or should face consequences) for those choices--both good and bad consequences. What I don't get with all this thinking and reflecting I'm doing is why some choices and their consequences seem to be unforgivable and are not met with any sort of compassion?

Play along with me here--let's say I'm speeding, have an accident and one of my children in the car is killed. I made the choice to speed; one of my children was killed, but I can almost 100% guarantee you no one would show up and say or even write on my Facebook wall, "Well, you made the choice to speed so that's just the consequence of your choice." (If you did either of those things, well then you're meaner than a snake, and should probably stop reading now.) 

Now let's return to the unhoused again for a minute and the supposed choices they make that result in being unhoused. It could be true for some people they squandered all their money on gambling or drugs or bad investments or whatever else. They made choices and the consequence of the choice is they lost a place to live, often instead of compassion, there is judgment and scorn (and no roasted chicken).

Let's look at a final example, what if I was speeding, had an accident, one of my children was killed and the way I coped was by numbing my mind with alcohol and drugs, and then either I lost my house or my husband kicked me out? 

It seems to me if we are to have true compassion--the kind of compassion God asks us to have--it shouldn't be dependent on someone else's choices. It seems like we should be able to have compassion for others as human beings even if we disagree with the choices they make. People already have to live with the consequences of their choices, they don't need us to pile on.

On a less serious note--I have to live with the consequence of having some Godawful pictures out there because of my choice in attire....