Unfortunately, we live in a world – and maybe this is just in America – that seems to be transforming into one where most everything we do is questioned. Motivations are being scrutinized; reasons are being critiqued.
It’s gotten so bad that it’s not so much that people do the right thing but rather the skepticism from others who insist on asking why?
Two examples that immediately come to mind are those who donate to charities and not surprisingly, politicians. The former often get accused of donating “only for the tax breaks” while the latter gets questioned for “playing politics” on important issues.
Former Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz gave millions of dollars to the Maryville Academy – a large residential child-care facility. Because he was known for being cheap in how he ran the hockey club (thus earning the name “Dollar Bill” Wirtz), a lot of people accused the late billionaire of donating only for the tax breaks; to off-set loses in other areas of his businesses.
Others suggested he did so in an attempt to bolster his incredibly poor public image. Still others questioned why he “only” gave millions when he was worth billions.
And?
Does it really matter why someone gave millions to help children improve their lives, become better educated and provide those living on the street a place to live?
Say what you want about the man as an owner of a professional hockey team (and he was horrible, by the way), but finding fault in his – or anyone’s – charitable work is asinine.
Yet that seems to be how society works now, isn’t it?
He’s just trying to get some…
How often have we seen a man give a woman flowers and immediately think: “I wonder what he’s apologizing for?” or maybe that he’s just trying to get laid. When, perhaps, he truly is just showing the woman he loves that he cares.
If you think about it, we all do it to some degree and if I had to wager, a very large degree. The idea of simply taking someone (or something) at face-value is disappearing and it’s sort of sad, really.
Yet where did this distrust come from? Personally, I don’t think there is any single event or individual thought process we can point to.
Is it jealousy? Maybe. Some sort of deep-rooted sense of self-protection? Perhaps. Decades of exposure to negative media stories and violent movies? I can see that.
Maybe it’s just a natural part of the aging process. The older we get, the more personal experiences we have, the more inclined we are to think the world’s full of assholes.
“He did X only because of Y.”
Well you know what? If “x” is the right thing, then rarely can I see where “y” should matter.
* And on a side note: this is my 100th blog. In retrospect, I probably should’ve picked a more fun topic like mascot torture or global economic indicators.
