Real Talk with Judge Dawson
Reality is the difference between what we wish for and what truly is. In cities and courtrooms across this country there are many people with a distorted sense of reality. People commit crimes, knowingly and sometimes unknowingly, without a true picture of reality. The reality of the crimes that they are committing, the reality of the lives that they are affecting or the reality of the consequences that follow their actions.
Reality Check #1 Breaking the Law
Reality check #1, we all break the law. I spent 10 years as a defense attorney before becoming a Judge and I found it very interesting how the United States legal system is truly a “Legal Matrix.” My amazement lead me to write a book called “The Legal Matrix, How the System is Controlling Your Life.” In my book I outline and detail the fact that there are laws that are obvious and then there are laws that are not so obvious. In fact, my research revealed that in our country, every day we all break at least one of the laws contained in the voluminous United States penal codes, state codes or local codes. Lucky for us the law enforcement agencies don’t spend a lot of their time trying to bust us for every little violation. Even without going into details of every law, we all are aware of the more common and obvious laws. For instance, we know that we can not steal from another person or business. A not so obvious law is the one that will have you facing the possibility of mandatory jail time and a life-time suspension of your drivers license if certain things occur while you drive away from a police officer, also known as fleeing and eluding. However, rather obvious or not, when you really think about it and take everything into consideration you know the difference between right and wrong. Though you may wish you can do anything, at any time and to anybody, the reality is that if you don’t conduct yourself within the guidelines of the law you will pay the consequences.
Reality Check # 2: Your Actions Affect Others
Reality check # 2, your actions do affect other people. It’s amazing that we can have such a selfish approach to life that we really begin to think that our actions are totally our own and that they don’t affect others. Every crime has some type of affect on other people. Property crimes = when you damage, destroy or take another’s property. Domestic crimes = any type of violence or harassment of people. Drug crimes = the use or trafficking of illegal drugs. Driving offenses = driving recklessly or without authorization. All of these crimes affect other people.
After reading this article you are in the position to be different than most people. How? By activity practicing the art of considering how your actions or decisions to break the law can have an affect on other people. In a dream world we may be the only ones who matter. In reality our actions affect others.
Reality Check # 3: Your Actions Have Consequences
Reality check # 3, you will pay for your actions. It may not be the six months in jail and the $1,000 fine but you will pay for your actions. Sometimes your consequences will come in the form of loss of money, loss of friends or even loss of opportunities but there will be a cost. I recently had a man in my courtroom who broke one of the domestic laws and, though he tried to negotiate his way out of jail time, jail time was his consequence. The case became very interesting when, on the way out of court, he decided to express his disappointment with the reality of what he “wished for” versus the reality of what was happening. The man, turned prisoner, had some choice words for me. The million dollar question is whether or not his actions affected my actions? I’ll answer that question in the next article.
For more discussion on this subject or others, join Judge Dawson’s Cycle Breaker/Finish First program on Monday nights at 5:30pm at the East Cleveland Municipal Court. East Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge William L. Dawson is on a mission to help people to Finish First, live their best lives and be Cycle Breakers!
#Leadership
#Cyclebreaker
#Judgewilliamdawson
#StriveForGreatness
No comments:
Post a Comment