Human Nature (Don't Read My Blog Today)

I've decided that basic human nature tells people to do just the opposite of what other people tell them to do. How many times have you seen someone touch a recently painted wall or chair which has a clearly written sign telling people not to touch it. Wet Paint. Touch, touch. Don't touch the wet cement. Touch, touch. How many people are cautioned by the waiter or waitress not to touch the plate because it's hot....and yet they either touch it anyway, immediately, or fight the urge to touch it. You tell a child not to get too close to the stove and...yup...they burn themselves. Don't climb that tree....and yup, they do and fall and break their arm. Human nature. So why in the world do we think public TV announcements telling kids and adults that smoking, drugs, drinking and driving, will kill you and or someone else, that human nature won't take over and make these kids and adults do just what the announcements tell them not to do? I mean it all seems so futile. I can't tell you how many times I advised my kids to do or not to do something. They seemed to be listening and nodding. But they just go ahead and do the opposite of what you want no matter what...so why try? I guess trying is human nature too. So, I'll keep on trying with my kids. Please learn from my mistakes. I already tried doing this or that and it hurts. Don't do it. And I suppose the public TV announcements should keep on trying to keep people from killing themselves and everyone else too. But I'm still of the opinion that human nature is really strange and until we can figure it out, people are just going to keep on touching that wet paint and walking in that wet cement.