a popular tv doctor, 74, recently pled “no contest” to charges that he solicited nude photos from a 9-year-old child. the crime occurred in 2019. he was sentenced to two years probation. he repeatedly sought pictures from the child that were “sexy and private.” latimes.com
the celebrity and emmy award winning doctor, in the sentencing hearing, said “i’m terribly sorry for what happened. i’ve done everything i can to understand this isolated thing.” latimes.com
isolated?
absent bizarre or random acts, individual’s actions are not isolated acts. rather, they are the product of one’s life and perhaps other factors. for instance, my recent diagnosis of pre-diabetes on medical testing was not an act in isolation. while a blood glucose test measures only a moment in time, there is an a1c test which measures one’s blood glucose control over a 90 day period. both tests were bad. these test revealed a bad food choice on the day before the test as well as poor food choices for three months. these tests were not in isolation. a family genetic history of diabetes as well as my siblings also recently flirting with the diagnosis contribute to the calculation. over a thousand years of breeding, a food industry producing many convenient diabetic unfriendly foods, and a diabetic friendly diet not on my radar all contributed to this particular medical event.
circling back to the initial story, how could a highly successful seventy-year-old celebrity medical professional roll out of bed and determine they need naughty photos of a nine year old? what seventy-year-old man directly interacts with someone else’s nine-year-old child to begin with? were his actions a manifestation of actual past conduct or a long held fantasy? if the doctor truly wished to understand the answer, he would have to open up to someone who would ask some tough and embarrassing questions.
the reality is that both “good” and “bad” things generally do not occur in isolation. “good” things,” as well, are not created in isolation. most events involve longstanding contributing factors. thus, what happened from the beginning of mankind remains relevant to present day behavior and conduct. thus, to understand both the good and the bad events in society, a good start is to study the torah.
be well!!
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