Actions and consequences

Ever reflect on the fact that our choices, innocent or otherwise, have inevitable consequences, or that poor ones can (and often do) trigger life-or-death results?

Visualize tossing a stone into a placid lake and watching the resulting ripples.

This reality played out tragically in July 2018 on Table Rock Lake when an amphibious duck boat sank in heavy waves, causing 17 passengers to drown.

The captain of that tourist vehicle that fateful afternoon made at least one bad choice leading to the calamity by not properly respecting the forecast for a severe storm that suddenly swept across the popular lake.

And now U.S. District Judge Doug Harpool has dismissed criminal neglect and misconduct charges against three Ride the Duck Branson employees after finding that federal courts have no jurisdiction. That included the boat’s captain.

Harpool found the complaint should have been lodged in state rather than federal court since the lake is not considered a navigable waterway, a precondition to filing suit in federal court.

What couldn’t be dismissed were the horrendous consequences. No one seems to be arguing the basic facts of this sad case.

The captain, and those he answered to, understood beforehand there was a storm warning for the Branson area that afternoon. Yet the choice was made to take passengers out on the lake anyway as dark gray storm clouds gathered just over the horizon.

The amphibious vehicle carried life jackets. Yet the captain also chose to tell passengers they weren’t necessary. The vehicle’s hard roof and smallish sliding windows made it all but impossible to escape when lake water began flooding the compartment until the heavy boat sank beneath heaving waves.

This tragedy was indeed the consequence of several profoundly poor choices.

Being human, each of us make hundreds, well, more like thousands, of decisions daily without realizing the potentially negative and dire effects on others they can have as circumstances unfold.

This reality of our limited existence is nothing new. We’ve seen it time and time again. For instance, I remember well when Fayetteville alderman (and friend) Trent Trumbo chose to move from behind a truck into the passing lane along U.S. 49 before suddenly realizing a vehicle was trailing on the left alongside him.

In overcorrecting his SUV, Trent, only 41, chose to jerk hard to the right, which immediately sent his vehicle careening 100 yards down a steep embankment directly into a large tree at the bottom of that ravine. There, Trent tragically was ejected through the sun roof and died at the base of that tree.

As I visited the scene later that March day in 2002, I wondered what would have happened if Trent hadn’t chosen to pass the truck at that moment, or if he hadn’t severely overcorrected. Odds are great he still would be with us.

There are endless daily—no, better make that minute-by-minute—examples of consequences to our actions that don’t involve life or death.

For instance, Jeaneatta spent 15 minutes the other day scrubbing her hands to remove paint from her fingers and beneath her fingernails after spending the day slathering the stuff on walls. Her extensive cleanup was the consequence of forgetting to don her elbow-length gloves.

Last week our garage was littered with leaves after I failed to close the garage door during a prolonged autumn gust. The considerable sweeping that followed was a direct consequence of that lapse. This list goes on and on.

If we choose not to brush our teeth, we risk cavities. If we ignore prescribed precautions on avoiding covid-19, we risk becoming infected. Should we choose not to repair a damaged roof, we risk leaks inside the house.

If we choose to let the dog roam outside without its collar, we risk losing it. If we choose to mistreat a spouse or friend, we risk losing their affection. If we choose to drink and drive, the consequences can be disastrous.

As I sit three days a week to write on a variety of topics, controversial or not, I can expect one consequence will be to receive feedback, whether it be in agreement with my opinion or filled with nasty condemnations. Both go with the territory.

It’s difficult for me to imagine a scenario where our choices—big or small—don’t matter.

In fact, I chose to write about this critical part of our lives today, the potential consequences of which remain to be seen.

I’ve never been one to lecture others about how I think they should live their precious lives. I’ve always figured, as mentioned above, we each will reap the consequences of our choices without any of my judgments or assistance.

But after losing two close friends in Harrison to covid-19, both over 65, I do feel the need to plead for all of us to take this virus seriously and choose to follow the prescribed safeguards.

We all know the drill to void consequences by now: Mask up, stay six feet apart and wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Also, we all need to be vigilant about declining indoor gatherings, at least for the next couple of months, anyway.

The potential consequences we face as this scourge intensifies statewide have become far too great to take lightly. When we can lose two friends around us in a short period to the virus here in Harrison, I can assure everyone this is not a consequence you or anyone you care about wants to suffer.

Viral awareness

Sticking with the subject of covid-19, I read in a news account a few days back that the Arkansas Department of Health says the highest percentage of active cases, 13 percent (or 2,323 victims as of that date), had been traced to those who’d visited retail stores within 14 days of being diagnosed.

Something relevant to consider, valued readers, before you set out inadequately prepared to protect yourself from what’s swirling unseen out there.

With appreciation

I appreciate those who have emailed letters of support over the past week. It’s always a breath of fresh air to hear from rational voices and readers capable of relating their views in an adult and civil manner.

And while I’m about the business of publicly expressing much gratitude, mine also goes out to Harrison’s North Arkansas College President Randy Esters and the school’s Board of Trustees for kindly presenting me with their 2020 Presidential Citation the other evening. Wait a minute.

Hmm, I just had a terrible thought. You don’t suppose the selection committee went begging for a recipient this year, do you?

Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.