Deano

Y'know, I've always been a fan of karma, the concept that good deeds will pay forward, and vice versa. I feel that I've done well with karma over my life, and I joke all the time about my karma bank. Just before Christmas, I ended up seizing a vehicle from an elderly couple because the registration had lapsed some time ago, and they had no proof of insurance. My karma bank took a big withdrawal that day, and I felt horrible. Sometimes I can bend, other times I cannot.


I tend to cut people breaks when I pull them over, and I treat them with respect, regardless of their attitudes. It can be so easy for us in law enforcement to become self-righteous when stopping someone for breaking the law, or to treat some people like the idiots they are portraying themselves to be. It's funny sometimes, very hard other times. People I've encountered who I've treated fairly and professionally when issuing citations have actually offered their hands for a shake... after I've given them the ticket (my partner's probably shuddering at that last statement and thinking "Unsafe! Unsafe!" Others have been contrite when catching them again following a warning, stating that "You got me again... fair enough." Of course, I've stopped people that absolutely refuse to take responsibility for their actions, too. It's funny that people don't seem to get that what goes around, comes around.

I just finished watching the moving "Crash", in which a number of people's lives become intertwined resulting from each having a bad day. We've all had bad days, and we've all acted poorly because of it, making someone else suffer because we had to take it out on someone. In this movie, each faces a potentially life altering choice... some made the right one, some not. But what it did to me was to consider the choices I've made in the past and those that I'll be making in the future.

For those who personally know me, I'm the biggest cop wannabe, even now in my ... ahem... advanced age. I am not a police officer now because of decisions I made when I was younger. Some I realized prior to making them that they were not the right choices, some I discovered afterward. What I am thankful for, though, is that I never made that one fatal choice yet! You know that one... the one that alters your life horribly, and redefines you for eternity. The lesson I learned from my youth was the impact of poor decisions. For years now, I've known the value of objective decision-making and instinctive decision-making. We all know, for the most part, prior to actually deciding a path whether it's the right or wrong one, but we lack the ability to delay gratification. We want what we want, and we want it now. Or... We want to have our just desserts, especially when we are mistreated by someone unjustly. You know those things: getting the last word in during an argument with the spouse, arguing inappropriately with a customer at work, making stuff up to get someone in trouble, etc. Oh, we can be subtle about it, it doesn't have to be a knock-down drag out fight, but the result is the same... BAD KARMA!! You know such behaviour is going to come back and haunt you, but you just can't seem to get passed it at the moment.

My philosophy has evolved to be one of honesty, integrity, and to be the better person. It has not been an easy path, but it definitely is the more satisfying one. Not that I make perfect decisions, by no means have I mastered my choices completely. But I've seen my good deeds come back to support me when I really needed someone backing me. I've seen my fair treatment come back to me through positive public relations (someone wrote nice things about me on the internet on a forum!), and I see so far my life's labours resulting in a perfectly satisfactory life. etc. However, the most telling example of karma in my career occurred after developing a very positive rapport with a prolific homeless man while working a security post. My partner and I at the time spoke on many occasions with this man and attempted to help him overcome some of his challenges, but generally just chatted with him. Long story short, when my coworker and her new partner were being assaulted during a difficult arrest by a second party, this man put his street credibility and ultimately his own safety on the line to defend a security guard (the enemy)... right in front of his peers. If you've worked or know anything about the street lifestyle and environment, you can grasp the significance of this act. I seriously think that, had we not developed a rapport with the man, and had we not treated him as a human being, this story might have a different ending.

The lesson here, which is the most significant of my life, is to go out of your way to deposit all you can in the karma bank, and try to minimize your withdrawals. As with any bank, you WILL make withdrawals, especially in the security and law enforcement arenas. But as for the objective decision-making mentioned above, work towards cool deliberation when time allows. As for the instinctive decision-making... well... that's up to you to develop. On piece of advice, though... if you pause and ask yourself, "Hmmm.... should I...?" ... THEN DON'T DO IT!! Chances are, it'll save your from filling out a withdrawal slip!

Cheers!