Enabling is endemic to our culture. I truly believe that enabling has become or is fast becoming closely tied to American culture. What has been the latest thing to cause me to think this? The Mortgage Bailout plan that just passed the Senate. The bill is a bailout for people who got into a subprime rate adjustable mortgage and now cannot afford thier payments. Therefore, they are about to lose thier houses. Now the government is stepping in to enable these individuals and allow them to not expereince the consequences of thier actions. (If you want more information see http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_HOUSING?SITE=TXDAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT or other articles)
First, I should explain what I mean by enabling. Enabling is usually used in reference to the person or persons that are helping the alcoholic or addict to use their preferred substance. For example, a man goes out and gets drunk on Sunday night, so he is sick with a hangover on Monday morning and cannot go to work. In addition, he passed out on the floor and threw up all over himself. His wife found him in the morning and did not want thier children to see thier father this way, so she dragged him into the bedroom, cleaned up his puke and then called his work to tell them that he had the flu. The wife is enabling and is an enabler. It seems to me that our culture as a whole seeks out enablers to keep our destructive behavior going.
In the case of the mortgages, some people made mistakes in not thinking about long term affects of an adjustable rate mortgage. It is sad that they may lose thier house, but it is a consequence of thier bad descisions in the past. Now it seems that many in our government are wanting to save them from these consequences or enable them to do this again. Many of these people willingly signed these papers and had full disclosure. They made a mistake. I am aware that some people were not told the truth by thier mortgage company and these mortgage companies should be made to take a hit. However, the current government bailout would also allow them to avoid the consequences of bad and unethical business practices.
Even the case of some proponents of abortion on demand, we are wanting to avoid the consequences of our actions. If you have sex, it does not matter what kind of birth control you use the consequences could be a baby or a STD. Abortion as a means of birth control attempts to avoid some of those consequences. It is enabling poor behavior.
We as a culture and as individuals need to stand up and take the consequences of our actions. God teaches us this. I mean God forgives us for ous sins, but many times we have to take the consequences. If I lie to my wife and lose her trust, God and my wife can forgive me, but I still have to earn her trust back. I still have to rebuild the relationship.
It seems to me we do not learn if we do not suffer the consequences. If the government is going to bail me out whenever I make a poor financial decision, then why bother making good ones. I do not have to think about the consequences, because someone else will take them for me.
I hope and pray that congress will realize that they are enabling. I for one will do what I can to take responsibility for my actions. I also hope ai teach my children the same thing. Responsibility is not always pleasant, but it is nesecary.
