The recent tragic events surrounding the death of one of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's sons highlights numerous problems of our culture.
Lost in all the sadness is our pervasive indifference to having children out of wedlock. I doubt if many even knew that Peterson has children from different women. How can we say in the same breath that we're sad that his son died, yet not feel sad that the boy was allowed to be raised by a single mom and her (according to the charges) violent boyfriend?
Also, Peterson's decision to play right away was insensitive and selfish. He said it helps him heal. What about the mother's healing? She and the dead boy are thrown aside for the sake of others — including sports fans — whose importance seems greater.
America's willingness to look the other way when it comes to star athletes is hypocritically repugnant. But it makes sense: Peterson's actions mirror our own. How often do we selfishly spend time doing our own things rather than spending time with family?
