By now, everyone on the planet is aware of Mel Gibson's colossal blunder, which he compounded by tripping over his own tongue.
His critics made little of his drunkeness, nor placed much significance on his drunk driving arrest. His anti-Semitic remarks, however, received more media play than all the hostilities in the Middle East.
I am certainly not defending his actions or words; they are indefensible. We need, though, to put this fiasco in perspective. The real stupidity, here, was the act of an alcoholic—again, taking that first drink. The lunacy that followed was a consequence of that act. An alcoholic cannot drink alcohol. If he does, he will get drunk. And when that happens, all rational thought is gone.
Most people are familiar with the old axiom, “What comes out of a drunk man's mouth are a sober man's thoughts.” Certain celebrities, who have been lying in ambush for Mel since he produced the move, The Passion of the Christ, apparently used the premise of this saying to censure him for his infamous remarks. But is this premise really true? Yes, it is true. A drunk cannot speak of that which he has not thought.
I wonder, however, if Mel Gibson's most strident critics would, if such were possible, agree to have the darkest, most secretive thoughts from the depths of their minds laid bare for all to see. For the truth is that all people are a volatile mix of good and evil. A good person will focus on the good that God has placed in his heart. I am sure that Mel Gibson, a professed Christian, does just that when he is sane and sober.
The fact is that one cannot be sane and drunk at the same time. The part of the brain that we use to filter good from evil does not function when flooded with alcohol. Thus our most sinister thoughts can erupt into the most heinous words and deeds; the devil is unleashed. This holds true for anyone, not just Mr. Gibson. How do I know this? I too am a recovering alcoholic.
Mel Gibson has asked forgiveness for his words and deeds. If his detractors cannot do so, then they have a worse problem than Mel's. They would do well to heed the advice of Jesus: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Marvin Barley, Hurt