The founding fathers of this country may not have foreseen that one day in our country an individual would be considered guilty until proven innocent. I know. I know. The law states that we are innocent until proven guilty, quite the opposite. But in a media driven world, once an accusation has been made (verbal or written) it does seem that most who hear, see, or read said accusation base their opinion on the individual as if he is guilty.
Imagine, if you will, that you’ve been accused of the most horrible crime you can think of. Now imagine that your friends, your mother, even your children read this in the newspaper and start to hear it on the television. Now imagine the rest of the world hears this. Your friends and family know you well enough, but the rest of the world doesn’t. Innuendo and rumors are bound to follow your name because a crime has been mentioned and your name is now associated with it.
That’s really what it boils down to; even if you are innocent. The fact that a crime is now associated with your name will forever be with you. Once something is said or written, it can never be taken back. Sure it can be retracted in a later statement, but once it’s brought forth in the world it’s hard to dismiss that it ever existed. This association is where guilt lurks in the shadows of the mind, because now the crime is attached to your name.
We can change this.
It’s extremely important for us to remember that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. We should remind ourselves of this each time we hear something on the television; read something in the newspaper; or listen to someone on the radio. We must, each and every time we encounter an association.
Furthermore, we must remember that the more we associate when innocence has been proven, the more we are likely to distribute rumors and lies; perpetuating guilt based on accusations and hearsay, even discarding the truth and any form of its possibility. We create a world where fact is confused with innuendo.
If we do not disconnect or separate association from truth then we loose the ability to understand truth, especially when we need it the most ourselves.
Copyright © Tyler Gant 2009
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