I was devastated to see the destruction that fell upon Penn State from the actions of one. Joe Paterno had sing-handedly taken a small college football team from oblivion to the National Championships and became the winningest college football coach in history. In contrast, Jerry Sandusky, formerly the assistant football coach at Penn State, by his persistence in perverted extra-curricular activities with young boys, destroyed that golden image and broke everyone around him.
Not only was the image of the Penn State tarnished, but several good men, including Paterno, have lost their jobs and probably their careers.
But as sad as this all is, the greater sorrow is that it all could have been averted. There was no need for this scenario to have spun out of control.
It is not enough to just be a good person; to be an example of honesty, decency and morality. Joe Paterno was all of these. He inspired tens of thousands of students to never settle for anything less than their best, to live the principles that would bring them happiness and joy throughout their lives.
We must also stand up against that which is wrong. The more evil it is, the faster and firmer our actions need to be.
According to reports surfacing from the investigation, there were many, many times over the past 15 years, school officials could and should have stepped forward. Each of those times, rather than confronting the problem, these good men chose to remain quiet, not rock the boat. A large splash in the pond 15 years ago would have been so much easier to deal with than the tsunami engulfing Penn State today.
One lie, always requires another. Inaction on any issue, invites more inaction. Turning a blind eye to evil results in tolerance of deviancy; whether we acknowledge it or not.
From government war rooms, to board rooms, to our bedrooms, we must expect moral behavior and stand for what is right.
Because, if we don't stand for the right, we'll find that we will fall for anything.
Post Script, January 24, 2012Joe Paterno died this past weekend. It was a sad day for all of us. It is tragic that his departure was likely hastened by the unfortunate events of the past few months.Good-bye, Joe. We will miss your fine example.
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