This is not a usual blog post, but one I feel compelled to write. It’s an open letter to the person who backed into our car at SUNY Oneonta and didn’t leave a note.
Dear Seems-to-Lack-Integrity Hit And Run Person,
The damage you did to our car cost us. It cost us time and inconvenience, as we had to wait for the campus police to assess the situation and submit an accident report. They determined this to be a hit and run. We had to fill out an accident report for New York State and make sure it was submitted within a certain period of time. It cost us time as we reported the accident to our insurance company. We lost more time from our lives having the damage assessed and will suffer the inconvenience of not having our vehicle for two days while its repaired. And it cost us the amount of our deductible, $500, as the damage exceeds that amount.
All that considered, I think this incident cost you even more. It chipped away a large piece of your integrity, the foundation of character. Integrity is the value that guarantees all other values. Even if you feel justified in leaving the scene, deep inside your psyche, you’ve done damage. Allowing this type of behavior to be your modus operandi, will result in your good karma looking like Swiss cheese.
I understand that you may have felt fear or embarrassment, causing you to flee. But allowing those feelings to be your life compass will only make you weaker not stronger.
But the most significant damage may not have directly impacted you. If you were there to watch your preteen daughter play basketball, you’ve demonstrated to her that it’s okay to lie by submission. You’ve taught her that when one no one is looking, it’s okay to not own up to your mistakes. You’ve taught her that other people’s property does not matter. You’ve taught her that fairness and integrity is inconsequential. You’ve now constructed a faulty compass for her, that will weaken her as she navigates her way through life.
This has cost you much more than we have suffered.
majokmindfuleating 