To everyone who has ever done the right thing when it would make thier lives harder and do nothing to satisfy a thirst for vengeance.
Tonight, I’m giving it to myself, because the other option is below my level of accepted behavior.
My roomate this last year has sucked. Universally and worse than any other crappy roomate story I have ever heard. Sexual, verbal and physical assault, stuck with unpaid bills, locked out of my house…not to mention an uncomfortable and destroyed living environment that I eventually simply moved out of (but continued to pay for.)
And I am proud to say that I have been more than genrerous and fair with this individual. And earlier this evening I was angry at the both of us, him for being such a rotter and me for not treating him to equivalent horrors that he has given me. (a $750 emergency room visit anyone?) And I was hating myself for it. I try very hard to be a good person, and for the most part I suceed.
In this situation I have suceeded beyond anything I have ever expected of myself or another human being. And I felt miserable. I talked to my father and he reminded me of something I was missing. He said, "Congratulations for doing the right thing, even knowing you will get reviled and maligned and abused. "
This has been a cornerstone of my moral code. You do what is right, no matter what. And I did that. And no matter what my roomate or his family thinks of me, I did what was right. Its not fair, but I can only control my own behavior.
So, tonight, a toast to everyone who has ever done what was right when it wasn’t simple, wasn’t easy, and it caused them pain. Because that is when it counts. Those are the actions that build a soul into a person to be proud of.
A toast to you, Medea, who would best me in a moment!
I haet people. I believe people should make their own way an dbe done with it. Something more than a year ago, my wife told me that while in college, and with roomates that took advantage of her at every turn, stole her belongings and made her clean the entire house by herself, one of her two housemates tried to commit suicide by overdosing on pills.
My wife called for an ambulance and saved the dumb bitch’s life. I probably would have let her die.
Most likely, that’s what makes my wife a better person than me.
Though I know we know eachother in the Doper sence and I don’t know anything about your religious affiliation, it just goes to show you never can tell and you should consider yourself lucky i fyou are under the auspices of someone more forgiving and something less Darwinistic than myself.
I do applaud you good faith, however. Thank you for being the excellent human being that not all of us are capable of being.
Kathryn, I think you have a pretty good idea of how I feel about this. Even if we disagreed on the precise course of action, I still am awfully proud of you. Perhaps in some way your generous actions will still be able to influence those involved toward a positive end.
It’s late, and I’m tired, so any examples I could give you will just seem to me to be boasting, but I always try to live my life in the manner you’ve described.
Thank you, thank you, for trying to make this world a better place. We need more like you.
Kathryn, I am all for doing what’s right and I applaud you for taking the moral high ground. However, unless I misconstrue something here, it would seem the right thing would have been to get this guy arrested and warn other potential future roommates.
Of course my own reaction might have been to break both of his kneecaps…