The Age of Blame

"I'll make them pay"
"Serious lawyers for serious injuries"
"Had an accident - call the man with the bike"

And so on and on it goes. I never thought I would see the day where major media coverage is sponsored by personal injury lawyers. I see prevalence of personal injury lawyers as a symptom of a bigger problem. We are so quick to blame others and so reluctant to accept responsibility. As in everything, there is a balance.  There are situations where it is absolutely necessary to hire someone to represent you. But that should be a last resort, not the first line of thought. I think of my father-in-law who had very substandard care in a hospital before his death. But it is highly unlikely that his care would have changed the outcome. So is blame healthy in that situation? Probably not.

There must be a reason these guys are advertising so often. They are feeding into that "it's someone else's fault" mentality. What most people don't realize is that there is enormous collateral damage fostered by this atmosphere of blame. Costs of services go up exponentially because there is a cost to protect one's backside. Then you have to ask whether it is even worth it. Public services are quickly going away because of the threat of liability.

But I think the most insidious thing is the personal cost of the blame-game. Blaming and getting retribution is never healthy for someone. When Peter asked Jesus how many times should he forgive, he thought he was being generous when he said seven times. Jesus replied it is seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22).  In other words, unlimited. When we seek to blame others, it actually costs us. Strange as it may sound, it is so much healthier to give it up. More times than not, it is not worth for ourselves. If there is loss, absorbing the loss is actually better than fighting for the gain. This is particularly true for Christians where it is actually commanded by Paul to not seek justice where it can detract from personal relationship (1st Corinthians 6:1-8).