Several residents of a neighborhood in Brevard County recently called local law enforcement with complaints about two suspicious men. The men were dressed in black and walking behind homes. Investigators came to the scene and the suspects hid by a nearby lake. One of the suspects was taken into custody. The other could not be found.
According to law enforcement officials, Matthew Riggens had told his girlfriend he would be in the area and was planning to commit burglaries. He later called her to say he was being chased by police. Riggens never came home.
Ten days later, divers pulled Riggens’s mutilated body from a nearby lake. It seems he had jumped into the water to avoid capture. Riggens had been partially eaten by an 11-foot alligator. The alligator was euthanized. Riggens’s hand and foot were found inside the animal’s stomach.
Many who act in haste later discover their attempts to solve problems have backfired.Their efforts were misguided. They are now worse off. Matthew Riggens apparently took shelter in the wrong place. Sometimes we don’t know where or what direction to take.
The negative outcome of ill-conceived efforts (even when they are well intentioned) is something we see in national as well as personal situations. The only difference is how many are affected when the good intentions lead to the proverbial path to hell.
The founders of Israel in 1948 envisioned an idyllic land where Arabs and Jews would live together in peace. In the years since, the dream has degenerated into a nightmare. Israel struggles with a fifth column in its midst. The premise was noble; the outcome is a disaster.
France, England, and Belgium have joined the fray. They aspired for the lofty goal of diversity. They wanted to be inclusive. They thought they would meld with others in a wonderful cultural melting pot. They were dead wrong.
America is now dealing with the problem of admitting thousands of Syrian refugees. U.S. intelligence warns of ISIS plants among the “huddled masses yearning to breath free.” The administration assures the public that this is the way to go. Although the vetting process is questionable at best, many are willing to jump in.
An old adage warns of jumping from the frying pan into the fire. We need to consider where we are going to land before we leap.