We love to play the blame game. If something goes wrong or there is a problem of some sort, the first things we do is look for where to place the blame. In this week's Gospel story, we learn that this is not a new or even historically recent thing. As Jesus and his disciples are walking along, they happen upon a man who is blind. The Gospel writer even makes it clear this man had been blind since birth, which suggests there are no obvious signs of injury that could be blamed. Instead, the first thing the disciples ask is "who sinned to cause his blindness - the man or his parents?"
So my first thought here is what sin the disciples thought this man could have committed to cause him to be blind since birth. Was it the very act of being born that they thought was sinful? Or perhaps more likely did they think this was some sort of preemptive strike on God's part? "I know that guy is going to sin, so let's just throw a little blindness his way now." Surely this man didn't just happen to be born blind. Someone must have done something in order for God to afflict him that way.