When?

Waiting Is A Mistake

If you know that a child, an elder, a person, is being treated wrongly; how long should you wait to report it? Should you report it? Should you do it immediately? There are many forms of abuse. The dog on a chain, left without shelter and water. The elder who is forgotten and has no help with the simple functions of life and no company to cheer their loneliness. The wife who tries to hide her bruises and her pain. The husband who is verbally assaulted and falsely accused. The child who tells you "Mama beat me" then raises his shirt to show you the marks. The child who is constantly yelled at and dragged through adult situations he has no business even knowing about. Many of us wait too long. We wait until despair claims a life with its hopelessness. We can't be afraid to become involved. Life is precious, its quality is priceless and fighting abuse wherever we see it is one way we reverence life.