Treehouse: Reckoning with Morality and Manhood

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I’ve been with the Beverly Hills Police Department for years now. I started out as a regular officer, just trying to work my way up the ladder, same as anyone else. You see a lot in this line of work, that’s for sure. And you learn a few things about people, about how the world really works beneath the surface.

I’m not talking about “boys will be boys.” I’m condemning blatant immorality, wrongdoing without even the slightest attempt to hide it. I know how it is—especially amongst us white men, athletes—you know, the football players, the baseball players. There’s this phrase we’ve all heard more times than we can count: “boys will be boys.” It’s thrown around like a free pass, a quick excuse to brush things off and move on. Sure, we all understand what that usually entails—the rowdiness, the reckless decisions, the constant testing of limits just to see how far we can push. It’s baked into the culture, an unspoken agreement. But what I’m talking about goes far beyond that. This isn’t about carelessness or youthful indiscretion; it’s about deliberate actions, crossing lines out in the open without shame or consequences.

But for those of us who also call ourselves Christians, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. We need to remember there’s a moral threshold, a higher expectation that is bestowed upon us by Jesus Christ. It’s a standard of conduct that has absolutely nothing to do with the color of our skin, our social status, or our background. It’s a universal call to be better, to act with integrity and compassion, no matter what crowd you find yourself in. It demands more from us than just going along with what’s easy or accepted.

And to those of you who don't follow Christ, that's your path to walk, and I respect that. But I’d still urge you, just from one person to another, to check in with your own moral compass from time to time. We all have one, an innate sense of right and wrong. There’s an old saying that what goes around, comes around. Actions have consequences, whether you see them today, tomorrow, or years down the line. It's an unavoidable truth of life.

Now, I want to be perfectly clear about this, I'm not speaking to any specific situation here regarding Shepherd's Daycare, which, from what I've seen in my official capacity and as a member of this community, I personally believe is an amazing and positive thing for all of us, including Mitchell. These are just some general thoughts that have been weighing on my mind lately, things I've been mulling over on long shifts.

Just something to think about.

Be well and stay safe.