The way one handles a problem can have a large effect on one's life. When Atticus chose to proceed defending Tom Robinson, even though lots of bad things were going to happen and be said about him; he chose to not do things the cowardly way. Atticus knew that his decision to continue with the trial would affect him and his children's lives, he shows this knowledge when he says, "when summer comes you'll have to keep your head about far worse things…"(104) Atticus could have chosen the easy way out, to discontinue defending Tom Robinson because he is black, but he wouldn't have been able to live with himself as he states, "…if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again."(75) This shows that if Atticus were to discontinue defending Tom, that would annul the very thing that makes him himself, a lawyer, a father. If he would have chosen not to defend Tom, he would have lost his dignity and self respect. Sometimes people do not always take the correct approach to a problem however.
Sometimes people do not think before they react. Scout was told by her father not to fight no matter what anyone said about him. When the Finchs celebrated Christmas, Scout's cousin Francis pushed Scout to fight with him, "I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger lover…now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again."(83) is what Francis said to her that sent her over the roof. She hurt him and got in trouble. If Scout would have thought about her actions before she would have proceeded with them, perhaps she would have taken Atticus' advice to not fight and merely ignore Francis. Another example of someone not thinking before they react is when Bob Ewell threatens Atticus, maybe if he would have reflected upon his actions before or after what he had done, he would realize how immature his actions really were. Wrong decisions aren't always caused by one's lack of reflection.
People often make wrong decision because of ignorance, or the fact that they just don't know any better. When Uncle Jack punishes Scout for making a fuss with Francis, Scout makes it clear to him that he was disciplining the wrong person and that the reason for this was merely a shortage of understanding. "You don't understand children… you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it…" (85-86) Uncle Jack took what Scout said to heart, and quickly changed his outlook on the subject. This proves that to be able to have the proper approach to a challenge in life, you must have an open mind. Otherwise one will not learn from history, and one will continue to make the same mistakes over and over.
When making the decision to solve a problem, one must take many aspects into consideration. One must always be true to themselves, no matter how hard the outcome may be. One must think about their actions before they proceed with them. One must also examine the problem in question with an open mind, and take both sides into consideration. Most importantly, one must know all the facts to make a proper decision; otherwise this decision can turn out bias and unfair.
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