Jiminy Cricket: Conscience was his game
“The person that loses their conscience has nothing left worth keeping.” Izaak Walton, 17th century author of “The Compleat Angler”
Megan Meier was a lonely 13 year old whose depression, weight and ADD almost guaranteed low self esteem. So, like many youngsters who reach out, Megan opened a MySpace.com account. Almost immediately, another member contacted her. He said he was a 16 year old boy named Josh Evans, home-schooled, new in the community – hot photo included. He chatted her up, won her trust, enticed the 13 year old into somewhat inappropriate conversations — then turned on her. His vicious language and accusations could have destroyed an insecure adult; for a depressed child of 13, they were lethal weapons.
Megan hanged herself.
Weeks after her funeral, her parents learned the worst: “Josh Evans” doesn’t exist. A neighbor couple, Lori and Curt Drew and a male Drew employee were “Josh.” After being “outed” by another mother who knew of the “hoax,” they admitted they had created the fictitious “Lori-Josh” communications. [See www.TheSmokingGun.com for police reports.] The Drews were not charged with any crime. The Drews later sued Megan’s father when he, learning what they had done, destroyed a football table they were storing for the Drews.
U.S. researchers report that 64 percent of online cyber bullying victims are not victims of physical or verbal abuse off line. We’re looking at a whole new group of victims. And perpetrators. Where is Jiminy Cricket when we need him most?
Meditation for the Day
“I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God. . . I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do.” The late Christopher Reeve, actor, director, author, philanthropist and the youngest film Superman
Action for the Day
I will do to others as I would have done to me. I will not “justify off” the harm I do to anyone else. I’ll “shore up” my conscience. Bottom line, it’s all I’ve got.
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