Now let's get this right from the start; no one, but no one, is born 'wicked.'
Well, to be precise, it probably should be 'conceived' rather than 'born' because I've read and heard - and believe - that the circumstances and choices of both parents, even before conception can affect the development of their unborn child during pregnancy.
So how do our circumstances and choices come into play?
Well, the next thing to get straight is that no one is born into a perfect family. There's no such thing. In fact, I've often been tempted to say that the dysfunctional family is the norm - and that's including my own - the growing-up one, that is.
That is in no way a criticism and is meant to be a consolation to those of us who feel we've made many a mistake in our parental efforts. And maybe 'dysfunctional' is overstating the case or at least exaggerating it.
Those factors plus all the other situations we've found ourselves in over the years make up the 'circumstances' aspect of our lives.
And as to choices, which of us hasn't made one or two - or many more - mistakes in that area in his or her life? I know I have.
So that hotch-potch jigsaw makes up the backdrop of our lives and goes a long to explaining how we navigate the landscape we find ourselves in.
When we are tempted to call one another 'wicked', aloud - or in our heads, maybe we should remember the famous/infamous words of Pope Francis when questioned by journalists about his views on moral issues. ''Who am I to judge?''
Who indeed am I or are we to judge? Possibly not!!
