Youth Refuses Idleness

In Carson City, where a man may still commit an honest day’s work if he can find the time and the paperwork, a young gentleman of sixteen has distinguished himself by declining idleness altogether. While lesser youths waste their days on schoolbooks and part-time employment, this one undertook a diversified portfolio of enterprises that would make a small corporation blush and a parole officer take notes.

He came before the First Judicial District Court on a Monday, which is the traditional day for repentance, though not always for reform. There, he waived his rights with the confidence of a man who has already read the ending of his own story and found it unconvincing. The court, obliged to keep up appearances, signed the necessary papers to consider him an adult, which is the government’s way of saying that if one insists on adult mischief, one may as well enjoy adult consequences.

Now, the charges against this industrious youth read like a catalog from a modern mercantile house, only instead of plows and blankets, the offerings include burglary, a homemade unserialized firearm, controlled substances, and a stolen vehicle out of Lander County, which had the poor judgment to be unattended in a world full of ambition. There are allegations of motor vehicle burglaries in Carson City, with three others, showing that even in crime, teamwork remains celebrated.

Noteworthy is the young man’s enthusiasm for innovation. In former times, a firearm came with a serial number, a maker, and a certain sense of accountability. Today, the enterprising spirit has removed these inconveniences, producing weapons that are as anonymous as a campaign promise and nearly as reliable. Five felony counts attend this creativity, which suggests that the state does not yet fully appreciate the inventor’s spirit when it appears outside a grant-funded laboratory.

He is also accused of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, with a gang enhancement, which is the legal system’s poetic way of saying that he did not travel alone in either body or reputation. There is also a conspiracy to commit burglary, because nothing of consequence is done solo anymore, and a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A charge that is almost philosophical when applied to someone who has not yet reached full voting age himself.

One might pause here to admire the efficiency. At sixteen, many are still mastering the art of punctuality. This young man has mastered logistics, acquisition, concealment, and inter-county transportation, all without the burden of regulatory compliance. If such energy got directed toward lawful industry, he might own half of Nevada by twenty-one and the other half by election season.

But we live in an age that has grown suspicious of discipline and allergic to consequences until they become unavoidable. For years, we have learned that structure is oppressive, standards are negotiable, and that every misstep is merely a misunderstood expression of youth. It is, therefore, a surprise only to the most dedicated optimist that some youths take these lessons to heart and apply them with vigor.

And so the court now steps in, a little late but still dressed for the occasion, to inform this promising entrepreneur that the marketplace he has chosen does, in fact, have rules, and that these rules will get enforced with a firmness rarely seen in the classroom.

The boy, having waived his rights, will soon learn the rest of the curriculum. It is a rigorous course, with long hours and no electives, and it has the singular advantage of being remembered.