When home computers were first introduced, most owners did not understand all of its functions or capabilities. As the story goes, one owner who used the device to create text documents became very frustrated by the fact that the cup holder on his new gadget kept breaking so easily. After complaining to the manufacturer, he surprisingly discovered that the plate with the circular opening that extended at the touch of a button was not at all for his coffee cup. Its true purpose, rather, was to hold the floppy disk that contained saved data. The computer was subjected to abuse because of the owner’s lack of knowledge.
In other cases, owners may knowingly misuse possessions or resources. I remember observing my aunt use a kitchen butter knife to tighten loose screws. Similarly, it was common to witness the tips of butcher’s knives being used to puncture the top of canned liquids on each side in order to pour them. Interestingly, these abnormal uses frequently left the utensil with irreversible damage. The results were knives with bent or broken tips that could not be straightened or reattached.
The word ABUSE is a compound word constructed from ABnormal USE. It indicates objects or resources being forced to perform acts or take on responsibilities for which they were not designed/created. How often do we unknowingly or intentionally treat our children or mates in the same ways as the disk drive or the kitchen knives mentioned above? Do we force our family members to act as punching bags or to bear the responsibility for our uncontrolled emotions? Such is considered abuse (abnormal use) because it is contrary to the original intent or purpose of a spouse or child. Furthermore, does this misuse cause irrevocable damage to those we say we love? Is this the purpose that we chose to have a mate or a child? Nonetheless, if you want to know the true purpose of something, ask its creator. April is ‘Abuse Awareness Month’ so let’s do our part to stop Abnormal USE!
INSIGHT: If you don’t know the purpose of a thing (person) abuse is inevitable. (Myles Munroe)