Accountability

Accountability is an interesting concept. We use it to help get through things we wouldn't otherwise do. I am currently using several people to help keep me accountable as I am exercising and trying to get in shape. My wife and I made a pact that we would exercise together as often as possible and help each other watch those infernal calories. So far, we are doing pretty durned good with it. I have also started meeting 3 guys from church to run three times a week. That too is working pretty well.

We (the collective "We," not just me and mine) use accountability to maintain law and order. Why do most crimes happen in back alleys, or in dark or private places? The criminals know that someone is going to censure them in some way or another. This may come as a verbal retort. It may come as physical restraint. It may be through shame. We don't want other folks to know when we are doing something wrong.

We use accountability in our Christian walk through life. Sometimes we even over-do it. It's good when the accountability comes in the form of someone gently pointing out the error of your ways, or your not doing something so that someone will not have to do so (run-on sentence?). But, sometimes we simply put up a front so that nobody knows what's really going on in our lives.

Accountability is, to some extent, a manifestation of our competitive natures. Seriously, the reason that we show up to run is that we can't let the other guys think that we can't handle it. My wife and I are neither one wanting to "fall off the wagon" when it comes to getting in shape because we don't want the other to think poorly of us. We both know in our heart of hearts that the other wouldn't think ill of us regardless, but that's part of what drives us. The same thing is true with respect to law and order. We don't want other folks to know that we've had to resort to something underhanded to get by. Everyone wants to show that they can do it on their own.

I think that may be why God gave us a competitive nature, a consciense, and an innate sense of shame when we've done something wrong. Have you ever caught a little kid red-handed doing something he shouldn't be doing? What's their first instinct? They lie about it. You could show them photographic evidence, and they'd still lie. You might say that it's because they don't want whatever version of discipline that you're going to provide them after this event. That may be part of it. I honestly think it's because they are ashamed of themselves. They think that maybe if they deny it hard enough, you'll forget about it and they won't have to be ashamed.

I think this should be more of a factor in penalties for crimes. What do we do now with someone who has broken the law. Depending on what they've done, it ranges from a simple citation with a fine up to incarceration. I don't know about you, but if I knew that they were going to publish my name and picture on a web site if I'd been caught speeding, I might slow down. Jail, admittedly, scares the tar out of me. The rumors of physical abuse, sodomy, and other vile acts in prisons scares me to death. But, that doesn't seem to slow some folks down. They just keep going and committing crimes after they get out. I wonder if a little shame might be introduced back into the system.

Way back when, if folks got caught committing a really heinous crime, they were tried (if they were lucky) and executed with little delay. Accountability and shame had little to do with this. They thought that by removing that person from society, they were making things safer for everybody else. For lesser, but still serious crimes, they were either put in the stocks in a public area, or publically flogged. This brings up the shame and accountability discussed earlier. Who would want to have to have their neighbors walk by and say, "Oh, there's Michael. I just knew he was no good." Come on.

Well, I've wandered rather far afield from my initial scope, and I need to get back to work.

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