Consider the Options

Sometimes there is clearly a best choice in life. More often than not, however, I’ve found the situation more ambiguous. For this reason, it is critical to remember: there are options to consider.

Avoid locking in too quickly.

In high school, the people who face tough decisions daily are the assistant principals. One assistant principal that I greatly admired was Diane Kennedy. Diane was known as “Sister Jemma,” because of her ability to consistently provide stern but “divinely inspired” counsel. She demonstrated this skill with the “infamous Taco Bell incident.”

Infamous Taco Bell Incident

This incident began in the Taco Bell dining room as an argument over a girl. If there is an argument between two male students, it typically is over a girl. It turns out that Tiffany, the girl, and her new boyfriend, Kyle, were in the restaurant, as was her old boyfriend, Liam. You guessed it; words were exchanged and it escalated into name calling. The conflict moved out into the parking lot. Someone threw a drink. They missed the target and hit the car of a bystander.

Now, a dozen students or witnesses were drawn into the incident. More food is thrown. Alexa’s boyfriend, Jason, gets so angry that he punches Liam. The Taco Bell manager runs out of the restaurant yelling, “You kids better get out of here. I’ve called the police.” Of course, she did not call the police. She knew that these “kids” are students at my school.

A Break In the Case

Diane started investigating immediately. At one point, the office was full with witnesses, alleged victims, and alleged offenders, each with a competing version of the truth regarding what happened and who was at fault. There were some innocent bystanders, but not many. In reality, all of these students were on one side or another. Most had a part in pushing the situation to the ultimate conclusion.

Not surprising to any of the staff in the office, at one point, Liam is in Diane’s office and I can see that he is crying, baring his soul with great contrition. In this case, as in many others, the boys are easy. After Diane was done with him, Liam was more than willing to take complete responsibility. However, as she had learned from experience, the girls were likely not innocent.

There Are Always Options

The break came from one of the witnesses who mentioned a Facebook post from Alexa alleging that Liam had acted less than honorably toward Tiffany. It was this statement that Kyle was responding to when he made the verbal accusation in Taco Bell that started the entire incident.

The lesson is the sooner you start considering the options, the more options there will be. Avoid locking in too quickly. If you do, you limit the options. This reminds me of a quote from John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach at UCLA: “…it’s what you learn after you know it all that counts most.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” 

James 1:5

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Brain Development.