Playing the Blame Game

I watched the neighbor load the moving truck

Sadly knowing the only other full time kid on the block is moving away

And nodded my head at the silliness of it all

In the summer he installed an above ground pool...against development regulations

He knew it...just figured once it was up they'd let it stay

He was told to take it down

Angry at the decision reached...he put his home up for sale

And the realtor made him take the pool down anyway

I could feel anger radiating from this guy as I watch him enter his home

Responding to neighbors' waves with his middle finger

I can't help but laugh

Why is he so angry at everyone else?

It's nobody's fault but his own

 ~ ~ ~

I'm sure you've heard these...

'I'm like this because my wife, my husband, my mom, my dad...'

'If he/she showed me more love I wouldn't have to...'

'He/she never wants to do anything so it's their fault I did...'

'That backstabbing SOB...it's all his/her/their fault...'

'They're out to get me, they're jealous of me, they always treat me like...'

'Illness runs in my family so I...'

'I could never try/do that because I did this one time and...'

 'I'm sickly, I'm an addict, I'm too old, too young...

 'I have no money, time, anything to wear...'

'They don't understand me, they're mean to me, they don't support me...'

'He/she cut me off so I had to...'

blah blah blah

So right about now you're probably thinking

what a bitch!

But I am 'mega-guilty' of getting caught up in the blame game

It's as if every decision to be made reaches the receptionist counter in the brain

There it's directed to the kiosk

 

 So our little decision to be made indignantly takes its number

Proceeds to the lines

 

And together with all the other decisions we stand in line

griping, grumbling, feeling sorry for ourselves

patting ourselves on the back for taking-a-stand-against-the-wrong

Problem is...we're in the Department of Fear

Acting out of fear it's easier to point the finger elsewhere

because it's safer to stand clustered in the crowded lines of fear

where we can blame our inability to move forward on the reason we're standing there

or at the very least we can blame the crowded lines

Pointing the finger at someone else

is alot easier than pointing it where it belongs

At ourselves

I/ME/WE are the reason behind every decision/choice we make

It's nobody's fault

We choose to cheat, lie, run, avoid, procrastinate, blame or whatever it is

because we don't want to admit that we might be wrong

But what's the big deal?

What have we got to lose?

Taking responsibility means believing in ourselves enough to take a step forward

We won't spontaneously self-combust but

It sure beats being stuck in Fear's waiting lines

Some people won't get it

Some people would rather wait in those lines with the rose colored glasses

or with the blinders on tight

I used to worry about them

Want them to see that there's another way

But that's not my place...I can't force anyone to take responsibility

when they're not ready to do so

So I've become selfish and am only worried about myself

And being careful to avoid the game I can never win