By now anyone not living in a vacuum knows that 6-year-old Zachary Christie brought a camping utensil to school in his Cub Scout zeal and -- before it was rightly overturned due to national outrage -- was sentenced to 45 days in reform school for bringing in a weapon.

We have been treated to many hysterical viewpoints on this genuinely teachable moment, but the one that sticks with me is the hope that his seemingly lovely parents emphasize that this rule was put in place to protect him. Further, his 15 minutes, so to speak, is a chance to say, "Zachary, you're not a victim and that's not what you should take away from this. You unintentionally broke a rule and it has shone a spotlight on what happens when adults lose the ability to see gray area and all the world is black and white."

Fascinating that this comes in a week when our nation is particularly attuned to the concept of foreign policy and peace and what that gray area might look like.