One of Aesop's fables tells of a crow that comes across a partially filled pitcher. The crow can't reach the water with his beak, so he collects pebbles and drops them in until it raises the water level so that he can reach it. No single pebble made it possible for the crow to drink, but rather the accumulation of many pebbles.
A few years back, my folks told me that a kid I'd gone to school with from first grade through 12th had killed himself. He had never been a "popular" kid, he was kind of portly and not in the least athletically inclined. He got picked on a lot, and much to my shame and regret, I participated in that to a certain degree in elementary school until one time my parents found out and drove me to his house to apologize.
In any case, I left home and he stayed in our hometown where he reported and wrote for the local paper. I never saw him after HS graduation, and never even really thought about him until about 20 years later when I was speaking with my parents over the phone and they told me that he had killed himself.
I knew I wasn't "responsible," and that he had made the decision all by himself, but I couldn't help but wonder if my words and actions many years back hadn't been one of those "pebbles" that, along with many others, somehow contributed to his reaching the point where he felt killing himself was his best decision.
The DJ's in this story may or may not be held legally responsible for the nurse's death, but on a moral plane, I would submit that they have at least a small degree of culpability.
That’s an apt analogy, Joe. In the moral universe, the DJs are at least partially culpable for the nurse’s death.
We all have our pebbles, Joe.
It’s what we decide to do with them.
In 8th and 9th grade, I was mercilessly bullied in high school. I was also portly at the time.
All day, every day, and I also saw this happen to others.
One person in particular drove it. He sat behind me in a number of classes and said cruel things all day long.
One day, he said one thing to many, so I turned around and punched him right in his face nice and hard in front of everyone.
He said that I was dead after school. Needless to say, I am still alive, and I was never bullied again.
I saw him in a bathroom in a French Quarter bar a number of years later. By this time I had grown to my adult size. I don’t think he wanted any part of me. He said Hi Chris how you doing man? I said fine Pat, and walked on.
Life gives us all pebbles. You can either carry them, or you can’t.