Dad used to tease me, "You're a glutton for punishment." But, as far as gluttony went ...he encouraged our hardy appetites.

That is, with eating ...he saw us as healthy boys.

But, he did not encourage other unhealthy appetites ...and Mom certainly didn't either.

Advertising knows very well how the concept works.  Visuals often are very effective in growing appetites. An expensive new car wrapped up in a bow creates the image that the highest level of love is buying your wife that car for an Anniversary, birthday, holiday, or just any occasion.

For years, there have been extensive advertising for kid's cereal.  Just like adults want what other adults have ...kids want what other kids have.

People also have a tendency to want to be like others ...to not be out of step, but sometimes appearing like an army marching over a cliff.  Movies often portray things as being fun or cool ...when those things are not necessarily healthy things to promote.

We could call this an abuse of power or influence.  And this can happen at any level.  When people rally around their rights, they are usually thinking of a particular right they feel they are denied.  

Rights should be rather equally defined within reason ...yet, who would not understand that a person who robs a bank will not be entitled to his firearm or may have limited freedom, perhaps confined to prison life for a while with the hope of rehabilitating his attitudes and behavior.

But, there are many other attitudes and behavior that are not considered criminal ...they are none the less arguably unhealthy.  And some things perhaps should be denied.

It has been said that guns should be taken out of the hands of all citizens because some people use them to kill others ...yet, the same people say everyone should be able to kill their unborn baby.  And horrific as that may be, they also are having conversations of creating medical death pathways for parents who have changed their mind and no longer want their newborns.

Any form of decision-making is only as good as the criteria used for making the decisions. There are individuals decisions that people make on whether to drink and drive. There are family decisions made on how to educate children. But, even on that family level, other groups of people self-proclaim themselves as a wiser authority in an attempt to govern others.

When I was working for the State of Michigan in a Mental Institution, there were many 'ist' people making decisions.

There were psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists ...all contributing in making decisions on a 9 to 5 basis. I worked the afternoon shift, after the 'ist's had all left for home.  And we encountered unique problems that we had to deal with.  It was evident that on-the-spot decisions had to be made.

I attended a meeting, and I tried to convince the 'ist's that we needed to be trusted more in making decsions ...that we were the direct care workers who were there all the time and observed most of the behavior.  I mentioned that our observations and descriptions of the behavior were critical for their behavioral studies or well as medical interventions.

They agreed, and as soon as we were given the latitude to make those choices ...I saw the sorry results.  Some of my co-workers took advantage of that trust, and as i thought we could improve the situation, it got worse.

So, the question seems always to remain ..."Who is most capable and trustworthy to make decisions?"  And who is to decide who it is who should decide??

As was the case at my workplace, neglect and incompetence is better than abuse ...but, it would be preferred to arrive at a solutions that would not thrive on either.

So, yes, it does matter how we approach and view things.

It matters how we view things, inclusive of how we view the politics of our lives ...how it is that we are governed, and what governs our thoughts.

For some, it does not matter ...but the way we think on one issue may have much to do with formulating how we think on various other issues. I never believed that we should aspire to reasoning that tells us that if one person does something we say we disagree with, then that justifies us being able to get away with it also. I try to let God formulate my beliefs ...not hiding or getting away with.

In the beginning, God governed how things were to be ...first directly, then through 'judges' and prophets, until the people requested 'kings'.

Jesus came to direct truth ...and we have the Word.  It should not be that difficult to determine who we should seek to guide our lives.

And when we sin ...it's like trying to see our own way to refuge in a blinding dust storm.  We just get more lost, unless we have someone guide us out ...and it is wisdom to choose the right One.