Forum Member Dilemma

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Yes and no. Most times the "aggrieved" party in a case like this isn't willing to come on and share their side of the story. The fact that he did, and is willing to take some lumps, speaks volumes about him. Life isn't a often doesn't provide perfect information, sometimes you have to make judgements with less than ideal info. Of course those judgements don't have to be irreversible. I would change my vote on this subject.

Hi Scott,

Don't disagree at all, but you can understand how this looks. The fact that so many people were quick to jump to a decision based on only partial information, and then quickly changed their minds when presented with more input, is downright scary. This is exactly how a vast majority of people around the globe seem to operate in today's world with regard to half-truths, fake news, misinformation, and so on. They take what information they are given, and often make hasty, not well-informed decisions based on what partial or little they do know. I intentionally did not vote or offer an answer as I was well aware I possibly did not have all the facts, nor had a chance to have heard both sides of the story, before making a truly informed decision.

As you state, people do this all the time though, and it can very often result in extremely negative results, and even matters of life and death. Look at what is going on in Ukraine, and the supposed misinformation behind at least some of the reasoning for the invasion. Does anyone think the entirety of the Russian population really knows the whole, true story of what is going on? Thank goodness the issue of this thread has no such dire and real world consequences associated with it. But still, it is indicative of human nature and how people can rush to conclusions without taking the time to gather and look at ALL the information first (assuming they'll at some point actually be given all the information), and then actually think about what it all means and the consequences of their decision, before actually making a decision.

Granted, people don't always have the luxury to take their time to make their decisions, but that is certainly not true in this instance. And fortunately, there is no negative, lasting effect or dire consequences that result from people going back and now changing their mind in this particular case. But all too often, such quick and ill-informed decision making, when it isn't necessary, can result in much harm and damage to others, and may not be entirely reversible. I would pray that ALL people could be more cognizant of what they are doing and how they go about making such decisions, without possibly being too quick to decide, and end up making a bad decision as a result.

The saying, "Judge not, lest ye be judged.", would also seem to be very apropos here. Or put another way, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I've often heard Ebay sellers complain when getting negative feedback that they were never contacted by the buyer beforehand, but wished they had been so they could have resolved the issue without it escalating further. I would hope that such thinking should go both ways.