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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Distorted Vision Life Lesson

Ever wonder how two people can look at the same thing and draw different conclusions?  If I were smarter I might know the answer but all I know is that it happens all the time and sometimes can fracture relationships, cause turmoil and dissension.
When I was living in central Florida many years ago my two sons and a neighbors son were walking over a couple blocks to a 7-11 store to buy a Slurpee. The municipality was installing new storm sewer drains along the road they were walking along. The 6 foot high cement storm drain had been laid for about a half a mile or so. The boys heard cries coming from the storm drain and they went to see what was making the noise. Turned out there were two little boys in the storm drain that were lost and couldn't get out. The two bigger boys each grabbed a leg of the smaller of the three of them and lowered him into the drain to grab the smaller boys. They were lifting the last one out when the mother showed up and commenced yelling at them and cursing them for putting her son  IN the drain. They went ahead and extracted the last child and went on their way. She commenced to call the sheriff and report the incident. The sheriff deputy came out and investigated by talking to the three boys separately and  was getting a logical and same story. That the small children said they entered the drain from near their house and their story coincided with the boys story.

We found out when the deputy came and told us what had REALLY happened and the mother instead of thanking the boys for getting her small children out cursed them out for the wrong reasons. The deputy said even though he told the mother what actually happened and that her own children said they had traveled for several blocks in the storm drain she refused to listen. He didn't know what else to do to convince her if she wouldn't listen to her own children.

I thought the matter had been resolved until the husband came storming our door later that day. I ran him off and called the deputy who went to him and told him what had happened according to his own children. He told the deputy that he was going to shoot my boys and the neighbor boy when they came to the school bus stop. The deputy told me what he said and advised until he actually attempted to shoot the boys there was nothing he could do. I sent the deputy back with the message if that idiot tried anything against my boys there was no where on earth he could hide that I wouldn't find him and he would die a very painful death. The deputy improved on my version and included himself as well.

He never tried to retaliate against the boys and moved from the area shortly after that incident but it shows just how some people can look at something and draw the wrong conclusion and then act on their misconception. I never knew why the mother jumped to the wrong conclusion and could convince her husband when her own children and a deputy were telling her/him what actually happened and it wasn't what she observed. Possibly because she let three little children out of her sight when the open storm drain was right there by her house. This could have proven disastrous but for the fact that the husband was more afraid of the deputy and myself than he was of seeking retribution. He actually should have been deathly afraid of the neighbor who didn't learn of what happened until it was pretty much resolved. He was the type who would have hunted the husband down and he would have disappeared.

 It goes to show however that people see the same thing and draw different conclusion. The life lesson is that when someone in authority and your own children tell you that you are wrong it might be a good idea to listen - question if necessary - but listen first of all before you act. Sadly enough that doesn't happen where people are willing to listen and determine the facts very often.


3 comments:

Gypsy said...

It seems very few people listen any more - they jump to conclusions and then pass on their misconceptions. You see it in the news every day. I'm glad the Deputy heard you and your boys out, plus the children they rescued from the drain.

Raylene said...

Could be that Mom was afraid of husband so she diverted the story to protect herself---a bad lesson to teach the children

Lee said...

Thank you for sharing this story. You must have been very proud of your boys for taking action in an emergency and helping others. It is frightening to know how many people in this day and time are so fear based that they don't stop to question their own assumptions and just react in the most negative way possible. I am happy for you and your lovely wife to have found a beautiful place in the mountains. Your posts are wonderful.