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March 08, 2005
Take care, TCB.
Personal responsibility was on my mind today.
What does it mean, and how does one seize it? I asked several people what the concept meant to them, and I'd like to thank each of them for their answers -- even if I'm more confused now than before I asked.
Taking responsibility can mean anything from refusing to procrastinate to striving for self-sufficiency. One person told me that personal responsibility signified a willingness to follow through, even when the onus is on someone else to do so.
"If you don't take care of it, how do you know it'll get done?" was the fine point of his statement.
Like any politically charged phrase, "personal responsibility" means everything, and nothing. It's a cudgel used to bash the poor and a rallying cry for groups or individuals with a modicum of independence -- college freshmen and Palestinians, say.
For one acquaintance, personal responsibility meant that she worked briefly as a prostitute to support herself and a young child. For another, TCB meant learning how to pole-dance; financial aid just wasn't cutting it, and she wanted her damned degree.
I'll take these women at their word when they aver that these respective jobs were their last, best options for doing what needed to be done. One study indicates that 60% of all Americans will spend 1 year of their lives in poverty, and there are hard choices to be made.
I've never knocked over a convenience store, bilked investors out of their savings, or sat at home collecting government assistance while watching daytime TV. I seek to avoid asking others for help I don't really need, and I don't much like passing the buck.
And yet, I'm unsatisfied that I've taken enough personal responsibility in my life. I'm suddenly, keenly aware that there's more to be done, much more.
So, I'm making a concerted effort to be more of an agent on my own behalf. We'll see how it works out. History indicates that people who make sweeping public pronouncements about how they're going to change their lives are rarely rewarded for their chest-pounding.
As they say in the IT world, "let's take this offline.". Either I'll be better, or I won't. But I'm going to give it a good shot. I did some walking around town today and saw too many people whose lives were playing out without their active participation.
From now on, if you want to fuck with me, you'll first have to obtain my express written consent.
Posted by Your Protagonist at March 8, 2005 10:37 PM