We make value judgements and decisions while growing up that become the code of ethics we live by for our entire life. When we are faced with a moment that grips our sense of right and wrong as youngsters then we decide how to react, it sticks with us. In that moment, a kid draws on what parents, relatives and friends have taught, but the moment belongs to the individual.
Allow me to share a moment that defined the code I’ve lived my life by.
I was 12 years old and was spending the day hunting rabbits and squirrels in the riverbed near my house. I had bagged one cottontail rabbit and was looking for one more rabbit or two squirrels to have enough to feed the family. My hunting weapon on that day was a bow I had found in the outhouse on my grandma’s farm in Colorado.
Having been taught well by my father who had grown up as a mountain man, and having spent a great deal of time practicing, I could hit my mark at 40 yards, with few misses. For a kid, I was good, and I was confident.
Someone hollered at me, and I turned to see a man in his twenties trotting toward me and waving. He approached and we talked for a couple of minutes about the riverbed and what I had seen that day. Suddenly he grabbed the arrows from my quiver and took off running. The only arrow I had was the one on my bow, nocked and ready to draw.
The man jumped up onto a tall chain link fence about 20 yards away and began climbing. He was slow because one hand was full of my arrows. He was about twice my size and armed with a large knife, so I didn’t go after him. But I drew my bow and took aim.
Instinctively, I aimed for a kill spot. Then my code kicked in and told me he didn’t deserve to die for stealing arrows. I lowered my aim and focused on his hamstring. It was a clear shot and well within my range of accuracy. I knew the arrow would go deep into his bone and maim him for life. He would walk with a bad limp, if at all.
Again, my code kicked in and gave me pause. I had more arrows at home, I wasn’t protecting anyone and who knows, maybe the guy needed a way to feed himself. I slowly lowered my bow and let him go over the fence. On the other side of the fence, he paused to look at me. We locked eyes and he wasn’t gloating. He knew I had made a decision that saved him.
Did I make an appropriate decision? That is a personal call we each must make. Some of my friends who I told about it said they would have put the arrow into him. Others said they would have made the same decision I made.
I learned much that day about the code I live by. However, should someone break into my home or car or boat, and I feel my family is threatened, I’ll take out the intruder in a heartbeat. That, too, is the code I live by.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
