Even Trustworthy People Get Tempted

Once in a while something comes along that makes you stop and pay attention.  It can be something simple and seemingly unimportant or very big and obviously tempting.  Where is the line that says it is 'ok to want this, it isn't really that big'?  Somewhere in our childhood we found that line (if we are lucky).  A moment of clarity about the temptation and its being wrong to give in.

For me it was stealing a piece of gum from a small grocery store at the age of ten.  Luckily guilt kicked in and I returned later and apologized to the store owner.  It is easy to be judgemental about others doing things we wouldn't do because that line is highly personal.  Everyone learned where the line is, in an approximate not exact term and all the lines are based on personal bias.  It is just as easy for an Amish child to be tempted as a big city kid, or a preachers kid.  True character must come from how we deal with the realization.

Now that we've wrapped out minds around that thought, try this one.  Why do we give ourselves permission to cross that line?  We adjust it based on personal bias.  I think it is a fundamental tool we use to 'hone' our ethics.  Unfortunately it often can be used the wrong way and we 'allow' ourselves to 'fudge' over the line because we think it won't do any perceived harm.

Is this the reason we have murderers and theives?  Have they crossed the line so many times they can't find it anymore?  I would imagine that relearning it is harder than maintaining it... and once you habitually cross that line you're then always fighting to find it again.

In the end we pay consequences for our actions.  I think we weigh those against the temptation to see if we are willing to pay the price.  Hence that extra piece of cake or extra hour of TV when we should be doing something else.  It might also explain why we as Americans tend to eat so much.