Caleb came home yesterday from school talking about the riots in Vancouver after The Canuck’s 7th game loss to the Boston Bruins. It was a despicable display of complete idiocy on the part of the “fans”, and somewhat of a challenge to explain to my son.
How do you explain to your kid why people act like that?
Proverbs is full of explanations for people acting like fools:
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. (Proverbs 29:11)
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)
We also read in James:
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20
Most of us realise that the loss of the hockey game was just an excuse that the instigators of the riot used to start the riot, but how do you explain to your kid why some people feel the need to act with total disregard for other people and the law?
We read in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor. 15:33)
Unfortunately in a situation like the Vancouver Riots we can see that a few bad apples caused many others to misbehave. This is something that we can highlight to our kids in encouraging them to be wise with who they hang out with, and where they spend their time.
How would you explain to your children why people act like this?
Photo souce: @latoya12