Haddad: The virtues of the golden rule

Someone destroying a child’s pumpkin on Halloween night is like smashing a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. (Courier stock photo)

Someone destroying a child’s pumpkin on Halloween night is like smashing a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. (Courier stock photo)

Late one Halloween night some years ago I opened my front door to take the trash outside when I unexpectedly encountered a startled young teenage girl who was bending down to take one of my children’s jack-o-lanterns.

After running off and jumping into a car with several other teenagers I noticed another pumpkin already smashed on our driveway.

After hearing about the smashed pumpkin my two youngest children began to cry. “Why did they break our pumpkins?” they asked. They went to bed that night with teary eyes.

We lived in a smaller rural community at the time and I recognized the young lady. She was a sweet girl and I believe she was a good person.

I think teenagers sometimes get swept up in a moment and don’t think about how their actions may affect others.

Later that Halloween night I called the young lady, just to give her a peek inside our home and to tell her the effects of their Halloween prank.

I hope each parent of teenagers in the Prescott area will share this brief thought with their children.

“On Halloween night when you destroy a pumpkin you are not just playing a funny prank on a neighbor; you are destroying a special part of someone’s holiday. In our case, two little boys were excited to pick out the perfect pumpkins. They sat with their family and created jack-o-lanterns and fond memories. Someone destroying a child’s pumpkin on Halloween night is like smashing a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.”

Whether it is a child’s jack-o-lantern, or the grandmother’s pumpkin from which she was going to make pumpkin pie, it’s sad and it’s wrong.

In the story above the young lady sincerely apologized, and I believe she truly felt saddened to know she played a part in spoiling a child’s holiday.

I hope we can all remember the virtues of the golden rule, which in our case that particular Halloween night included forgiveness.

Richard Haddad is Director of News & Digital Content for Western News&Info, Inc., the parent company of The Daily Courier.


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