Life is tough – it isn’t fair either. We have all heard the expression before, most of us more times than can be recalled. But why is there so much truth in that saying? Oh yeah, because of the actions of our fellow men and women.
 
Right now, the taxpayers in Boston are falling victim to their city firefighters — the same people who protect them, or at least are getting paid to do so.
 
Before I continue let me say that I mean no disrespect to police and firefighters. They have incredibly dangerous jobs and should be respected and compensated justly.
 
The city of Boston has in place a program that allows firefighters a degree of flexibility in their job. A smart move, as recent studies have reported flexibility in their work being more important to employees than holidays and, in some cases, salary. But unfortunately, like many programs, if it can be exploited, before long it will be.
 
The program basically allows employees to swap shifts. If Joe can’t work his shift, then Steve will cover for him under the assumption that Joe will help Steve at a later date. I think you see where this is going.
 
The first and most easily noted problem arises when the social contract between the two firefighters goes up in smoke. For example, in 2004 a particular worker had 124 of his shifts “covered” while he actually worked only 34 shifts. The same firefighter, to date, is “obligated” to repay nearly 540 shifts to his fellow men – almost three years of duty.
 
But wait folks, there’s more. The department makes no discretion between shifts actually worked and shifts “covered.” Such a little oversight becomes a major problem when benefits and retirement come into the conversation. For example, another fighter filed for pension centering on his service to the department.
Fortunately for him though, it doesn’t matter if someone else worked almost 400 of his scheduled shifts – a number that equals almost two years of employment.
I know right now you are asking yourself, “Why does it matter who works as long as we’re safe?”
 
It matters because in a span of almost four years, beginning in 2006 and ending in September, there were approximately 29,000 incidents in which overtime was paid because workers who agreed to cover other workers shifts canceled. This forced the Boston Fire Department to devote millions of dollars in funding to staffing a shift that had already been staffed twice.
 
It’s true the abuse of the system by Boston firefighters doesn’t directly affect us, but it’s just another example of a widespread epidemic of apathetic, self-centered human practices.
 
As a nation, we’re lazy. Give me the miracle pill, the get-rich-quick idea, and the easiest road to my diploma possible. The joy in building something and doing things for others has been left in a pile of ash. As long as I get what I want, nothing else matters — usually if you try there is a way to justify just about anything.
 
What I’m saying really is more than just a cheesy, naïve rendition of The Golden Rule.
 
The more people, systems and ideas are abused, the tougher it becomes for them to function at all. Soon doors become walls, and the only way to succeed will be to find a way around them.
 
The little exploitations may seem minor in narrow contexts, but it only takes a tiny match to raze a building to the ground.
 
Dominic Trueheart is a 20-year-old sociology junior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_dtrueheart.