Because They Can

As I stood on the eighteenth floor of the building I work in looking down on the world, I saw a FedEx van pull up in front of the gas station across the street. He didn't park in a designated parking space, though. Instead, he parked longwise across three spaces. I knew immediately that this guy was there for a delivery, as opposed to just stopping to get a Coke. I knew this because delivery trucks often park illegally to make a delivery because "they'll just be there for a second." Trouble with this picture is that it's a convenience store. Everyone is "just there for a second." Why do they park this way? Because they can. It's how they operate and we know this.

It got me to thinking about how a lot of people live their lives. How many times do people break rules because they can? Now, the rules are not always hard and fast laws such as the parking scenario. On a screenwriting board I'm a part of, someone asked about a writing convention we refer to as "we see." They asked if it's okay to write like this. Of course, you're welcome to write however you think will tell the story, but I responded saying that "we see" is generally a lazy way to write a screenplay because there are better ways to write whatever you're trying to write. This led to the overblown discussion of how other people do it, professional scripts, competition winners, yadda-yadda-yadda. It's a frustrating discussion to read, and I'll spare you the headache. My point was simply that despite what other people do, that doesn't mean it's the best way to write it.

Another situation is at work. I get to review these service tickets to make sure they're correct before sending them to another department. Two reasons: that department is just that picky and a lot of people don't want to follow the requirements if the other department will just take them. It's the latter part of that statement that I deal with more than anything else. I commented once that someone left out a required piece of information, and I immediately got a remark that the other department will take it without that info. This may be true, but it didn't change that the information is required according to the guidelines. Just another instance of someone trying to do less than they should because they can.

Yet another instance is the off hours at church. I've been to a couple outside of service hours, and what usually goes on is people park in the handicap spaces. Am I aware that no handicapped people are likely to show up and need the space? Of course. But there is a law that gives requirements for parking in handicap spaces, and from a Christian standpoint, we're obligated to follow the laws of the lands so long as they don't violate God's laws. There is a parking lot full of spaces. Why break the law? What is that saying? You don't want to walk a dozen more steps?

I strive fairly often to be the best I can be at whatever I do. This involves often going beyond the requirements, but I always start by meeting the requirements, following the rules, or doing what is right according to established guidelines. All of these examples are very, very minor things. And yet, in each of these examples someone is being less than their potential best in favor of making things a bit easier for them. But what would it hurt to start with that extra step? Park the FedEx truck correctly and leave the spaces open. Alter the "we see" descriptions to something else. Follow the ticket guidelines. Park in a non-handicap space if you don't meet the guidelines. I do all of these. It doesn't hurt me at all.

What part of you does this boil down to? Character. Character is defined by what you do when you're alone. If Jesus were looking over your shoulder every minute of every day, would you do what you're doing now? Oh wait. He is.