Why did my neighbor go wrong?
Maybe because of desire, individual will, self-centeredness … You name it.
According to theologists, there are some steps leading to wrong, mistake and mis-step. The steps are:
- Considering a no-no
- Convincing oneself that it is justified
- Plunging into trouble
- Play the blame game/ pin the blame on the donkey
My neighbor is a theoretical entity. It does not need to refer to my literal neighbor next door. It can mean anybody else besides me.
My neighbor went ahead with a no-no, based on the assumption that force of might may win the argument. They thought force can bend the feeble will of the other. But the other had no choice. He could not manifest a physical. So he fell. Being in a chain link, the neighbor was also pulled down and slipped.
Now that “neighbor” is down, they insist on over-riding their error.
My neighbor thinks the grass is greener on my side of the wall. They think I can deal with their problem. I think it is #4, which blogger Mimi has kindly pointed out in a comment. Pin the blame on the newcomer who didn’t know the head and tail of the early dispute.
This is an interesting study. It seems to me there is a fourth step after someone plunges into trouble, and it is blaming whoever caught you, not blaming yourself for choosing to do step 3. There might even be more of them after, but what a tangled web it becomes!
Thanks Mimi. The blame game.