Personal Responsibility

Personal Responsibility

GEN 200

April 22, 2012

Julie Hillborn

Personal Responsibility

We have entered an era where nobody feels the need to take responsibility for their own behavior. From school age children who don't feel the need to complete their class work assignments to heads of large corporations who take no qualms in engaging in criminal activity at the expense of their clients. They often don't face the consequences directly instead they fall upon others.

As written Richard H. Palmer in his book Avatar: "It seems easier to defend actions than to honestly examine them. We are quicker to attack than admit. Admissions require courage!"

"When we summon the courage to take ownership of our experiences, to see them just as they are, to feel them, we will recover the blueprints of our lives. We will face our fears and find the transparent beliefs that create them. Becoming more honest with ourselves means introducing more honesty into collective consciousness of the world, and this lays a foundation upon which an enlightened planetary civilization can be built." (Palmer, 1999)

Personal responsibility means that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions, and are willing to accept the consequences whatever they should be. There are always outside forces that try to get in the way of our own college successes. The duties from family, work health as well as social can be a great interference when it comes making the right choices and taking responsibility.

As a new college student most students will experience a new level of freedom. No longer are they living in their parents' home with their rules. They also no longer have somebody to monitor their comings and goings, and who they associate with. There is nobody that will wake you up to make sure that you are attending classes on time or that you complete your assignments. It is now up to the student.

The lack of responsibility starts at an early age with our schools. When students fail to complete their assignments or fail state wide exam, it is blamed on the system for making the too "high stakes", and not the students fault for failing to study and goofing off instead. Rather than facing consequences for their actions, the students are simply passed through to the next grade. There the cycle continues. The students so need to make a serious effort, because after all everyone gets another chance. Sometimes they receive three or four more chances.

Of course not all children are the same. Some are quirky and may have more difficulties learning things and have feistier temperaments. Other children are naturally more compliant and self assured. While a majority of parents have no problem with taking care of a child's basic needs such as food and shelter. They fall short in the next biggest obligation of teaching responsibility. This includes responsibility over their actions, beliefs, feelings and everything else. Accepting responsibility is not the same thing as accepting blame. Of course no child suffering through a trauma should be solely blamed for their behavior. That said even children that suffer a learning disability or tragedy can be taught responsibility. They can take credit for all the good and wonderful things that they accomplish on their own and can then begin to understand when they have made a mistake.

It takes effort and patience to teach kids responsibility. Every day children see parents doing things that they have been told not to do. It's hard to justify telling your kids to eat a balanced diet when the parents are dining out at fast food every night. It's not reasonable to expect your children to not drink when as parents you are drinking every night and driving while intoxicated. If parents are not willing to take the responsibility for their acts we cannot expect our children too.

It can be difficult to stand back when you see someone that may need help in this area. It could be someone that you have seen on the street or even a member of your own family. While it might be best to not get involved in the affairs of strangers in order to avoid a nasty confrontation, if it is a member of your own family you might be able to avoid the situation. This can be a very tricky situation to deal with because people that are not willing to take personal responsibility for themselves are full of denial and have been making these same decisions for years.

As adults we tend to blame others for our actions. We are living in a nation that says it's not our fault for eating too much fast food and making us obese. It's the fast food industry forcing us to eat that way. Instead of taking responsibility