Everyone is watching

Think about it before you say it. Just take one extra second to go over it in your head and make sure you are OK with the message you are sending out. We all run into this and some more than most.
Case in point case #1: on the news tonight I saw a news story about a man who had been peeing on a and a police officer tried to cite him. Well little buddy wasn't the most sane person so he takes off running and the officer tackles him. It turns out that in the struggle his ribs had 26 fractures. Seem excessive? It's not when you have to tackle someone the way the police have to. He later died in police custody (I think. Don't quote me I may be mixing stories). But I digress, the story also noted that the Portland Police Chief (Rosie Sizer) had sent out a memo saying that officers should take into account the seriousness of the crime before engaging in a foot pursuit. Now we get to the kicker... the only comment mentioned was from the Police Labor union person who said basically our officers already take these factors into account every day multiple times a day and she shouldn't be asking blah blah blah. I stopped listening when he started bitching. Seriously! I know you need to chase people down and I know 99.9% of officers use their head when confronted with these situations every day. That said 26 frack'in fractures and death in custody is a bit excessive for peeing on a wall. Don't make an ass of yourself just say yes sir, take the new training class and do better next time.
Case 2: young woman get beaten by boyfriend and jumps into her car and gos to her mothers to call the police leaving the car in a tow away zone with the lights flashing. Police come and eventually arrest the boyfriend. Now the kicker but this is a double whammy.... As the officer is holding her keys during the investigation a Retriever tow truck is patrolling and picks up her car. She runs out to get explain and he won't drop it without getting $165 drop fee from her. Even when the officer comes over and explains the situation he won't drop it without getting paid. And kicker #2: when contacted by reporters the manager says the driver was within his rights and did nothing wrong. ??? Seriously? After which the company received 600 emails of complaint, the property managers called to set them straight and make them refund the cash and the property management company said it was reviewing whether or not to revoke any and all contracts with Retriever towing. AND AND then the owner (I think) still has the balls to say "I'm still not sure the driver did anything wrong." I don't know about you but after about 300 emails I might have an inkling that I need to look at the decision a bit more objectively.
Please folks, this is the reason Jerry Springer is actually not the hell spawn of TV. When these poor people get on that show and make total fools of themselves, they go home and watch the show. And that's when reality bitchslaps them out of that fantasy and back into the real world. Yes, that's you on TV. Listen to yourself and look at what you did. If you don't feel remorse at that point please seek professional mental help.
I'm an optimist. I believe that when people see how stupid they look they really can change. When someone is willing to stand up, tell them they are wrong and make them understand how they are effecting other people, I believe they will change. Even me. We've all had our moments so let's not judge them. Let's help them find a better way to live. As for the examples above.... I hope your watching and listening to yourselves. We are.

TL Owens

Thoughts on Transparency

Transparency: (Noun) The quality of being clear and transparent.

Yes, Dictionary.com is a wealth of information but can, at times, be quite unclear. There are many types of transparency to which I have been a witness. There are the classic transparencies which I will forever remember my fathers multitude of sermons being either typed or written upon. There are transparent films and glasses and foam and even aluminum but those are not what I am referring to here. My thoughts right now are on transparency of character.

Transparency of character is one of my goals in life. To be transparent in character simply means to be truthful. My father taught me to tell the truth but only in my middle years have a really come to realize the value of truth, especially as it applies to character.

To be true of character is to be without deceit when projecting ones character. My experience is that deceiving your self easily leads to deceiving others. If you are not truthful to yourself then how can you be truthful to others? Truth is at the core of my goal here and not the truth of ones opinion but the truth of ones objective decision.

So what am I saying about transparency of character? If you are lying to yourself then you cannot be truthful to others. The only way to insure you are not deceiving yourself is to objectively consider a given situation before making a decision. In doing so you open your mind to all possible outcomes and choose the path that most fits your truth. Your truth is what defines your character. Your character should be reflected in your actions as a result of those truthful decisions.

Simply put, I want people to see who I am and not just who I want them to see or who they want to see.

TL Owens