Once upon a time, there was a bored child. To alleviate his boredom, he began spying on his neighbors. He knew what he witnessed wasn’t his business. The people he observed were unaware, and most of the time, what he saw was of no interest to him. However, there was one time that disturbed him immensely. Try as he might to push the scene of his neighbor shooting his beloved horse out of his mind, he couldn’t. For days, the sight replayed in the boy’s mind. He couldn’t understand why his neighbor would do something so cruel.
When the boy couldn’t stand it any longer, he divulged the story to his mother. Knowing she wouldn’t be pleased with how he obtained the information, he immediately admitted to spying. Surprisingly, despite his admission, she was still angry with him.
“Son, what you saw was not your business to see, share, fret over, or judge. What that man did was make a very difficult and personal choice. I’m sure that decision pained him. ” She explained that people have the right to make their own decisions and live with the consequences that naturally follow. What’s suitable for one might not be for everyone.
To make sure her boy understood, she asked him to think of three ways he could have handled the situation and what bearing the neighbor’s decision had on him. After much thought, he left his list on the table. He offered three viable solutions but stated that until it was his decision, it was too difficult to know which one he could have lived with. And the neighbor’s actions had no bearing on him. Then, he slipped out the door to offer his sympathy to his neighbor for his loss and for having to make such a difficult decision.
