I believe that one of the worst things about reality and the society we live in is that we’re always judged by our worst days, while our best days, most of the time, just fade into obscurity. Almost like they never happened. That’s just how bad things can get with us. It won’t matter if we’re efficient at what we do, it won’t matter how much good we’ve done, and many times we did it, all that is required is for one simple mess up, and that could become our reality.
You could be a saint all your life, you could be Superman, jetting from place to place, saving widows and children. Hell, your entire reputation could be built on how good and kind you are. A reputation that’s like a stack of cards, easy to tip and fall over. Many times, all that is required is a little push. Which, in this case, could be one bad deed?
Is this fair? No. But then, you ask yourself, is it also fair to the victims of whatever bad decision they made? Because most of the time, when people make career-ending, reputation-destroying decisions like that, people other than them keep getting hurt. And then these people, don’t they deserve the justice that is their right as victims? Should people be allowed a free pass simply because they’re seen as angels and saints?
I don’t think so. And many others don’t think so either, which is why one single act of villainy can destroy an entire lifetime of heroism. As a police officer, it won’t matter how many criminals you’ve arrested, or how clean and safe you made the streets for everyone, it won’t matter that the residents can now sleep like a baby and don’t have to be scared of criminals breaking down their door in the middle of the night. None of that would matter once it’s discovered that you’re a dirty cop and you take bribes.
And sadly, that’s what you become known as. No longer the saviour of the city, or the Hero Cop, you simply become the Dirty Cop that can be bought. Funny enough, it might only have been once that the bribe was taken, hell, you probably didn’t even want to take it, it just happened anyway. But still, the deed is done, and your relationship is tanked.
Credibility flies out the window, trust is gone, and no one believes a word you say anymore. Now, when you arrest a new criminal, people will look at you and wonder, is this a real criminal? Or did someone pay him to arrest this one? Is he doing his job, or is he still being dirty? Long after you’ve paid the price of your sin, society will keep reminding you. And even worse, everyone you’ve ever arrested, every case you’ve ever worked on, will have to be reinvestigated to ensure that there is no hanky-panky there. Any decent lawyer can decide that his client was unjustly arrested by the dirty cop with a dirty vendetta… on and on it goes.
I guess this is why people go to such great lengths to protect their reputation, even to the point of killing people just to keep their secrets. But if there is something I know, most of the time, the truth eventually gets out, one way or the other. So, the best form of defense will always be to not do the bad things. Not take bribes, not kill, not rape, not steal, and all that.
Because when you do these terrible things, it won’t matter if you’re the man or woman after God’s own heart, you’ll be crucified on the cross of public opinion.
