Madoff won't being seeing his massage therapist, hair dresser or manicurist anytime soon. His standing table at Le Cirque has been canceled. And his private jet is grounded. At age 70, his life is over.
He claims in an interview that during the 80-81 recession, he wanted to make some extra money by doing what he did best. And he figured he would only do it for a short while. $65 Billion later, he plead guilty to all 11 charges. His life is over.
Some people claim that he led a great life up until now. But at the young age of 70, I can't imagine living the grandest life of all and then it being over.
Madoff is not alone when we wonder why people do what they do. Some think they won't be caught. Some think what they do is not wrong, illegal. illicit, or disruptive to anyone outside their sphere so it is OK. Some don't think at all and just do and if caught, live with it. Some do it for the action. Some even do it to be caught and then brag about being in jail to others. Some don't care when their live is over.
Life is short enough not to be incarcerated in a 10x10 cell for a month, let alone a year or the rest of your life. But history has shown there is something wired in some of our brains that can't be helped. Serial killers come to mind.
Michigan spends nearly one third of their entire budget dealing with crime. Jails across the country are overflowing with no new money to build new ones. Instead of building new jails, how about figuring out why we do what we do?
I think most people are honest and love to support their community. I was in a Starbuck's the other day and an Army guy came in wearing his uniform. I can't tell you how many offered to buy him a cup of coffee. People are mostly good. It's the few that make it difficult and that's why we have politicians, lawyers, law enforcement, jails, DA's and media.
Perhaps using more common sense makes sense. If something sounds too good to be true, in most cases, it must not be true. Common sense will help to keep us out of trouble and grounded. That might be a good start. It sure beats your life being over.
Happy Friday!
P.S. I will be out until next Thursday so enjoy the time off!
Comments