On Sunny Lane: What If?

Sweetheart and I listen to the news on the radio a lot.

We listen to various talk shows and sometimes we watch videos on my smartphone. There probably isn’t much we can do about the news, but we like to keep up to date with it.

We have been hearing news reports and watching videos and learning of decisions about illegal migrants who are allegedly involved in violent acts against U.S. Citizens.

Recently, I have heard news reports and watched videos of some of these illegal migrants who are allegedly involved in violent crimes being deported to a neutral country for detainment.

The treatment the deportees receive in the neutral country doesn’t appear to be gentle, but it doesn’t appear to be as violent as what was allegedly perpetrated on the U.S. Citizens.

I always feel sad, however, when I know about somebody being abused. It doesn’t matter if they are innocent or guilty, although I do root for the good guy when I’m watching “Law & Order.”

But, in real life, when I see a perpetrator apprehended, I feel sad—especially if the perpetrator is a young person. I wonder what kind of upbringing the person had by his/her parents that may have caused him/her to commit crime. I wonder what decisions the person made that led them down the wrong road.

Most of all, I wonder what the person could have accomplished if she/he had had more positive upbringing and had made better decisions, or had better opportunities.

Especially, when it comes to Internet fraud, I think how wonderful it would be if the fraudsters would use their brains to improve computers or the Internet or something of that nature. Apparently, they believe it’s easier to get rich by using fraud than by doing legitimate work.

I think some of those criminals could do productive work that would benefit society. They could be doctors, or plumbers, or engineers, or electricians. They could fix things, instead of breaking things. They could make things, instead of stealing them. They could help people, instead of taking advantage of them. Instead of enduring punishment, the list of accomplishments they could achieve is unlimited.

It makes me think of the punishment and death that Jesus endured, even though He was innocent of any crime.

And it makes me wonder what more Jesus could have accomplished if He hadn’t suffered a premature death. I especially wonder about that at Easter time.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com