Heard of the "White Man's Burden"?
There's also the "Rich Man's burden"
And the "Guy Who Never Put On a Uniform burden".It's easy to suggest that Teddy is out of line; doing more harm than good with the way he gives away his money (and compassion), but I think he was right on in this instance.Sure the kid "should" be held accountable for his actions: throw him in the brig; bring shame upon a military family that has already paid such a terrible price. And then ship him off to a war zone as "the new guy" in a unit of strangers. Screw this kid right? And to hell with his family too! Life sucks and then you get your legs blown off or come back in a body bag. The "kid" signed up; took the oath - tough noogies; he's gotta pay.Or - maybe, every once in awhile - on rare occasion - people get a second chance.He was a kid, last surviving son; his parents had already been thru hell; quite a burden for him to bear - knowing that his might be the next funeral they attended.
He acted out of depression over the loss of his brother; the burden he presented to his parents - all on top of the normal stress he felt - going off to war.The kid acted stupidly, irresponsibly. He didn't "deserve" to be bailed out. He wasn't "entitled" to a break. But, such an act of compassion should not be condemned.   See 4 other replies

I gave it five feel good stars!This time, charity began at home - faced with a couple timely issues: the cost of war and white collar Wall-street crime (ala Bernie Madoff).I really enjoyed this show; lot of good sentiments.
Cool Corvette too.A minor point, I'm pretty sure the kid was entitled to a "peacetime" deferment because there was a military death in the immediate family. The father should have known that, if not the mom. But, I suppose pride and family tradition could have been an excuse. However (upon further reading) - oddly enough - this exemption may not apply in times of war (then again, I don't think we are currently in any "declared" wars). This might have been worth a petition by the parents, but then there's that pride and tradition bit again.   See 2 other replies

(Continued)There was still a grave consequence to the marine's actions-- he may have escaped prison and certain death, but he was to live with the fact that he alone brought the estrangement from his team upon himself. He wasn't thinking, nor did he consider his actions. If you think about it, Teddy has broken the cycle of doling out hate and punishment for every wrongdoing -- he's learned to change things into a positive, to "find [his] own morals and follow them," as he learned from Mai Lin Wai (based on real life Aung San Suu Ky). This is about the choices he alone is making and finding peace with them.   See 8 other replies

I failed to derive the same message. You have to look at the bigger picture, the context of the episode. It's a story about a man who (after almost all of his life was self-absorbed) experienced enlightenment that began from his trip to Nigeria, which changed his life along with his outlook. It's part of this grossly affluent man's story, of how he has learned to forgive the kinds of transgressions he probably never would have before. The pain from the loss of his son and the eye-opening world conflicts he now has first-hand knowledge of, have made him suddenly aware of his means and ability to "do good" in the best way he knows how. He's learning that he CAN afford to give and that he has what it takes to dig deeper than the surface (while the average person may not; I know I couldn't be that forgiving if someone stole my identity and spent all my money. I'd want harsh punishment). This man has changed for the better and sees with new eyes. This episode wasn't preaching it was ok for this newbie criminal to get away with identity theft just because he is a soldier about to die OR because he did a few deeply generous acts in the process of his law-breaking. Rather, it reminds us that things aren't always so black and white; people have personal reasons behind their actions and make bad mistakes. Compassion and understanding seem a part of the lesson. Besides, this is a story of Teddy Rist's journey, not anyone else's-- especially not the soldier's.   See 8 other replies

I hear you. Same goes with me.   See 2 other replies