When We Make Choices

Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
    but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Proverbs 13:24

Somewhere in New York state tonight, a young man is sitting in prison, and four other families are steeped in grief at the loss of their sons.  This is a story of a young man apparently growing up without the strong discipline that is so necessary for teenage boys, and four of his friends paying the price for his overindulgence.  It is also a story about his parents whose involvement in his life was not sufficient to prevent a terrible tragedy.

There were five boys in the car, ranging in ages from the 17-year-old driver to his 18 year-old buddies.  At 3:30am on October 8 , the vehicle in question was being driven at 110mph when the driver lost control and crashed into a band of trees, shearing the car in half.  All four passengers were killed.  The driver, who tested positive for marijuana, walked away from the crash. In addition, the young man was driving on a learner's permit that did not permit him to drive between 9pm and 5am; nor was he permitted to have any passengers 18 or younger in the car.  The police describe the carnage as "a preventable tragedy" and have charged the young man with various felony counts.  The boy's lawyers describe it as "a tragic accident," and intend to fight the charges.

Using marijuana is not an accident.  Driving at 110mph is not an accident.  Knowing that you are not qualified by law to be on the road and driving anyway is not an accident.  Just as important:  knowing that your child is driving a car in the middle of the night with only a learner's permit is not an accident either.  I was relieved to see that the young man's parents have been charged in this case as well.  Even if both the parents and the son are convicted, it will not restore the lives of the four young men who so trustingly (but foolishly) stepped into the car that night, nor relieve their parents' anguish.  A guilty verdict just might, however, present a lesson to other young people in the New York area that they are responsible for every single choice they make - even the ones that end in tragedy.