Monday, October 1, 2007

Basketball Facility Closes Because of One Bitter Person

It's a known fact that some people just have too much pride. Some people in this world are just bitter. Some people will make use of that bitterness just to destroy things that are important to the community. Charles Colton put it best, "There is a paradox in pride: it makes some men ridiculous, but prevents others from becoming so".

I consider myself a pretty amiable person; yet, I cannot bring myself to understand the action of this one disabled individual. Apparently, this individual was upset that he missed his nephew's birthday party and felt that his rights were violated since the facility did not have an elevator. So he sued Basketball Town facility; Basketball Town, not being able to afford more than $100,000 in lawyer fees, had to be shut down. Is there something wrong here?

So, whose fault exactly was it that the disabled gentleman missed his nephew's party? I'm not trying to be insensitive to the gentleman's feelings but it would seem to me that it is the responsibility of that gentleman's family to inquire about the facility before even deciding to hold the party there. Through careful planning, they would have been able to determine that the facility was lacking an elevator - unless having an elevator was not too important to them. So why sue the facility?

Countless games were played on the basketball courts since the facility opened back in 2002. Its purpose was to provide kids with a safe place to play.

It's clear that the kids who practiced their dribbling and shooting skills will missing playing on the courts. "It's sad you know, this is the place to come play basketball with my friends and everything," said Damien Trujillo.

Parents are also sad to see the place go. "Pretty devastating, disappointing that they are not going to have the opportunity to play," said parent Mark Lucero.

Source: KCRA 3 - Basketball Town Forced To Close

From the gentleman's point of view, it's not easy being disabled. However, there are things that can be done to make life easier - like planning! There's no reason to close an entire facility just because you disagree with the management or the way its built. So maybe the facility does need an upgrade. There are ways to handle this matter. America is already a sue-happy country as it is. Having worked first-hand with children at Boys and Girls Club as well as a boys' group home, I know how important these facilities are. I feel sorry for those kids but remember that there's always hope. CS Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.”

Peace.

1 comment:

Adventurous Wonderer said...

well as you know, california is SUE crazy...
i think it was stupid that the family inconsideration led to that person's handicap being a problem during the bday part...
pure lameness

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