Rules

Rules can be followed, broken, or bent. There is a time to do each of them. Have you ever been pulled over by a policeman for a traffic violation and given a warning? Technically, you should have received a ticket, but he showed mercy. You probably gave a sigh of relief and thanked him for the warning.

Most recently there was a lady who got caught on camera because she was calling the police to report a little girl selling bottled water on a public street corner. She was unbelievably angry that the girl had no permit to sell the water. Wow. The public backlash on social media was immediate. She was not only humiliated, but she actually received death threats! Another big WOW. She definitely overreacted, but threatening her life? Those people could go to jail for making threats like that. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Personally, I thought it was great that the girl was earning the money rather than begging. Kid, if by chance you read this, here is my advice to you:

·        Don’t let the haters ruin your day. Just keep doing what you are doing. I love your entrepreneurial spirit.

·        Think about charging $5 per bottle with half of the proceeds going to your favorite charity, like The American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, Feed the Children, etc. That takes your enterprise into another realm of giving back to those less fortunate. Now you are not just selling bottled water, you are giving hope to the hopeless. Just make sure you follow through on giving the money to the charity.

I do believe we need rules or we would live in a world of constant chaos and danger, but some rules need to be bent, and some need to be broken. It is just my humble opinion, but next time I get stopped by a policeman for a traffic infraction, I hope he or she has mercy on me. Let’s cut each other some slack, particularly if they are kids trying to earn some money.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

danskognes.com