Image via WikipediaLet me start this post off by saying that I have no great love for Comcast. In fact, I am not a fan of them at all. We used to be a Comcast customer when they were the only game in town here in Bowie, however, due to their poor customer service, cost, and service in general.During a particular period of poor service, I told customer service that I was going to switch to DirecTV. They said, "That's your choice, sir." So I did. They were calling back that evening with all these special offers to get me to stay. Now, I am a Verizon FiOS customer, and will never be a Comcast customer again if I have a choice.
Having said all this, it brings me to my bit of a dilemma as suggested in the title of this post. By and large, I live by two overriding philosophies. I try to be a law abiding citizen and do what is right. The other overriding philosophy is more libertarian in that I prefer to live and let live, leaving people primarily to their own devices or in some cases vices. Sometimes those two philosophies can come into conflict with each other.
This morning I was out working in the yard when I saw something a little bit out of the usual. I noticed that the cable box where the Comcast technicians usually work to repair or activate the neighborhood service was sitting wide open. A cable was running from the box, over the fence of my next door neighbor, and up to their house.
When I had service from Comcast, the box was never wide open. Plus, the cable that connected my house to the box was buried underground. Since this was such an unusual sight to see, I suspected that something foul was afoot. Could it be that my next door neighbor is stealing cable?
So you can see my dilemma. I really do not know my neighbor so I do not have a particular ax to grind with them. They are fairly quiet and do not bother me, which is the way I like it. However, the law and order side of me wants to report what I saw. Then again, I have no great love for Comcast either. OK, I actually have disdain for Comcast.
The law and order side of me usually wins out in these situations, and I am leaning towards reporting what I saw to Comcast. Stealing cable is a federal crime punishable by fines and jail time which can be considerable depending on the severity of theft. I actually tried to contact their security department but was on hold so long I gave up. Should I try again tomorrow?
Dick, I would give the neighbor a chance to be honest and 'fess up. Perhaps this is why God let the situation come about? (And why the devil would probably rather you skip that mercy/grace stuff and bust the guy). You have an opportunity to help a neighbor draw closer to God, admitting his "sin", and to show God's mercy. That's what I would do, anyway!
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