Everyone knows this common phrase: "There are two sides to every story". I doubt that most of us would disagree with that statement. However, in thinking about it, just because it's true doesn't mean it's fully accurate.

Who looks innocent here?

I remember once, there was this horrible news story about an incident in Texas where an 11-year old girl was sexually assaulted by a great number of men. Most of the people coming to the defense of the men were saying the girl dressed sexily and was always asking men to have sex with her.

Whether that was true or not, are the two sides equal, or is one side still more wrong than the other (of course it is)? Yes; why? Because what the men did was totally illegal, no matter what the circumstances were, and they all knew she was an 11-years old. To make it even worse (imagine that!), someone filmed it and put it on the internet. Did anything equalize, or did it get worse? How could actions like that be tolerated just because an 11-year old behaved like someone older?

Every day, someone has to deal with this issue of "both sides of the story." Courtrooms have to deal with two sides having a different take on what actually happened in a particular situation, then the jury has to decide which side is more correct than the other. Sometimes they can't, and you end up with a hung jury. In every one of those cases someone feels like they've been victimized a second time; sometimes it's both parties.

Let's get political for a moment; yeah, I'm going there! How did we get to the point where the party that says it's for law and order are not only committing the most serious crimes, but forgiving the people who are committing those crimes, saying they're not so bad. Days ago, a YouTube channel showed a video where Jeannine Pirro was saying back in 2016 that anyone who's up for being indicted should remove themselves from running from office until everything is settled. It's ironic because just last week she went on a rant arguing the other side when it came to the orange menace (that's me being nice), saying he deserved to run for office because people still believe in him... hmmm... I'm just sayin'...

From time to time, I end up going through my own issues of conscience where my mind tries to see both sides of the story; luckily, nothing coming close to what I've already shared. In my mind, it happens when I decide to stand up for a principle, no matter what it is. Does my mind absolve someone who was cold and hungry breaking into someone else's house for some food, water, and a nap, or do I stick with "that's an illegal event; what if it had been my house?"

What could I say if something really critical happened and someone was either hurt badly or killed? In that instance, which side are you on, or are their multiple possibilities and casualties that allows someone to get off without any charges whatsoever?

No matter which side I or anyone else takes, there's always another person coming at it from a different point of view, and they may not like what you said or how you said it. Often it comes down to proof and conviction; who has "what proof" and who can convince others that they were more correct?

If someone slapped your child in the face for no reason whatsoever, is shooting them in the face 5 or 6 times with a double barrelled shotgun justifiable? So some the answer is "yes"; to others it's "no"; depending on where you live in the States, the laws would be different for the "guilty" party.

Sometimes it has nothing to do with being correct; if one party has money, power and resources they can try to bully someone else; it happens all the time; it might be happening to me right now (luckily it's not). People who are in the right don't always end up getting justice; it's a cruel world, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

In the end, all of us have to stand up for what we believe in, and hopefully, when it comes down to the two sides of the story, your side is unimpeachable. Even if you don't win, you still have your honor above all else. It's the most ethical thing you can go for yourself and your reputation. And if someone does or likes something you don't, if you can ignore or get away from it, go your own way and leave everything else alone.
 

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