Mistakes: Who's to be blamed for these?

Very often, accidents happen. Or things go wrong. The results of some plans turn repugnantly shitty. Usually, we turn the accusing finger at someone.

Could the problem have arisen because of us? Our first instinct is denial. How could we point the accusing finger inwards back at ourselves? It's certainly difficult!

Have you ever tried to turn your own finger towards yourself, turning akwardly at the wrist to do so? It's more difficult than pointing straight outwards, isn't it?

Someone pointed out that pointing outwards accusingly at someone else would have three other fingers pointing at ourselves with the wiser thumb neither here nor there.

The act of putting the blame on someone else is obvious in most vehicle accidents. At such times, just watch how each driver would put the blame on the action of the other while trying to justify his/her own right action.Usually, both eventually end up the losers with the welders and mechanics the winners.

Rare is the man or woman who would graciously accept the blame.

Closer to home, parents sometimes complain about the sweet tooth of their children. The blame falls on the poor innocent children.

Did anyone ask how the child acquire a taste for sugar and all things sweet?

I know of a parent who fed her very young child with chocolate malt sweetened with lots of sugar. As the parent was a relative I told her the disastrous effect sugar can have on our health. I talked about diabetes and cancer as well as everything else yours truly have read and learned about.

Perhaps, on the defensive (I should not have talked too much.), she said the child demanded it, throwing tantrums should the parent refused to comply.

Feeling that perhaps I had caused her enough anguish, I said no more as I wished to allow her time to think of what had been told. According to my experience, even adults rebel against good advice when they are pushed too hard.

The thing here is, who introduced the delights of sugar to the young child who is still so innocent. He could not read; so it was not from some written material. He is still very much within the control of his parents. He certainly could not demand for something he had not been introduced to; just as Adam would not have known the taste of the forbidden fruit is he had not had his first bite.

Perhaps, it is time our education system teaches us that it is alright to admit to our mistakes as long as we learn and understand from them; helping us to face them not so much with guilt as with realisation that we should exercise more care or concern and gather more knowledge to avoid commiting them.

When it comes to more dangerous mistakes, our educators could use the mistakes of others who could no longer be saved from the mistakes' disastrous results, to show the consequences of such mistakes.

Let's take a child who has lost some fingers due to playing with fire-crackers or explosive powders. Point attention towards that child. Use his/her mistake to teah others. Show a video or pictures of such a victim and tell the children how he lost those fingers. However, that may be insufficient to prevent a similar occurance. Talk about the consequences of having one finger less or two lost fingers, maybe three or four stubs for fingers or none for any finger-licking-good.
Let them realise how much they are going to forfeit for just that one stupid mistake which they obviously have no need to make.

If such a mistake should happen to a kid; let's ask ourselves, how many people are to be blamed? The authorities who allowed such dangers to be imported or manufactured? The smugglers? (If it is illegal to import or sell the substance.)The retailers who sold it? The education system which did not teach about it? The parents who were not vigilant enough? The naturally curious, adventurous child? Who's to blame?