Tony Stewart Tragedy – Was it Intentional?

I awoke Sunday morning to the news of the tragic accident overnight involving superstar race car driver Tony Stewart.  After an on track collision, a young driver walked out on the track.  While attempting to confront Stewart, he was struck and killed as Stewart circled the track.  It is an awful tragedy.  A young life is snuffed out way to early, Stewart has to live with the memories of what happened, and a family has to deal with the loss.
The second thing I awoke to, was social media filled with people passing judgment of the video that they watched of the accident.  (I watched it too)  Some vehemently proclaimed that it was intentional and that Tony Stewart should be in jail.  Others, defended Stewart and claimed it was purely accidental.
What puzzled me is how quickly people were willing to make a judgment call about the motives of someone they don’t even know.  AND, these judgments were based on a dark, poor quality video of an accident at a chaotic sprint car race.  Do any of these people know what really happened, much less the motives of those involved?
This led me to a question…  What is it in human nature that has such a need to pass judgment on the motives of others based on the actions we observe? AND, why do we hold onto these judgments without ever feeling the need to check them with the individual involved?
I believe, somehow we feel that these judgments give us control over our situations.  We believe if we truly understand the motives behind actions then we can control others and what happens.  But, nothing could be further from the truth.  Instead what happens, is that the judgments (right or wrong) control our actions not the actions of anyone else.  Therefore, we find ourselves at the place of “others” running our lives.
If we are going to break free from our current ruts and move into our destiny we have to take responsibility for our own lives and the things we can actually control.  To do that, we have to check our judgments of others’ motives with them. Then we can live in the realm of truth rather than speculation.
This is not easy! It takes courage and hard work.  It is much easier to sit back as an “armchair quarterback” and pass judgment on others rather than have the difficult conversations that lead to freedom.
Finally, choose today to spend your best time and energy on the things your can control rather than on judging others who you can’t control.  You will accomplish more, make better decisions, and enjoy life.

What one action are you going to take to change your life today?

Share your thoughts in the comments below

• Brian