This morning I woke up with the issue of responsibility on my mind. As I observe this particular aspect of life I know that there can be too much of one and not enough of the other creating a careless balance which can affect work/career, relationships and self-image. I grew up the oldest of four daughters, of the oldest daughter, of the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter, and my first child was...you guessed it, a beautiful daughter. I did not want to burden her with the same responsibility for her younger brothers, but as time and life went on, I found myself falling into the same unavoidable pitfall that my mother, and her mother before her, was born into. Yet, because of a smidgen of awareness, I also was able to make some corrections, hopefully in time to allow my daughter the right to step out of that "oldest child" role.
While I lived in a world with too much responsibility, some people also live in a world (sometimes of their own choosing) where many of the opportunities to exercise personal, and God-given responsibilities has been slowly taken away from them. Personally, I feel this is very sad because it is, in taking responsibility for decisions and actions, or the exercising of free will, that not only human beings but those inhabitants of the animal kingdom learn the valuable lessons in life necessary to wisdom.
Parents who try to make life easy for their offspring do them no favors in the long run. I'm not against being able to give children advantages that can enhance their life, make less dangerous, or open up a world of safe and valuable information sharing, such as the Internet. However, too much of a good thing can also be terribly detrimental, and at times extremely harmful to health, happiness or personal welfare.
In our country we have the Big Government/Big Daddy making more and more decisions for it's citizens, passing laws to keep us safe or hopefully prevent some of the other dangers in life from compromising our life and lifestyle. Yet, it has been proven time and again that you can't legislate stupidity. There will always be that handful (OK basketful) of people who will do what they want, whenever they want, and how they want regardless of any pre-existing laws, legal, moral, or otherwise.
Yes, they are indeed the bad apples that spoil it for the rest of the citizenry who would rather decide for themselves how much salt they want to ingest, whether or not to wear a seat belt, or whether or not they would be wise to purchase private health insurance. After all, isn't this the land of the free and home of the brave? It's not the government's responsibility to define our freedoms or save us from the consequences and/or disasters from misplaced or reckless bravery. Plain and simple, at least it is to me.
It has been written, quoted and pontificated that it is the wise person who will (or can) learn from the mistakes of others, and I agree with that 100%. Unfortunately, there are too many who, like myself, forget that pearl of wisdom and think that I'm the exception to the rules. And, when it comes down to the bottom line of whatever issue currently lands with both feet in the middle of my life, if I did not choose wisely, then I must accept responsibility for the good, the bad, or the ugliness of my own life and of my own making.
Don't you think it's time our own government let US, it's citizens, take their lumps and learn their life lessons? Some argue that doing so would cause chaos with everyone doing what they want. But I have news for the naive of our country...they're doing it anyway! so why not let them live with the consequences instead of passing more laws to prevent more chaos that are in actuality creating a society of zombies who can't make an educated decision about their life issues because Big Daddy Government has usurped our rights to make mistakes, learn from them and gain wisdom for future reference.
So, what does Government have against it's citizens gaining wisdom? Even the Bible grants us that right. Why does the government of the country which is, for the time being anyway, the greatest on this planet deny us that precious, unalienable right? This inquiring mind would like to know!
Taking responsibility for our own actions and mistakes is an act of bravery and a proof of honesty and self-confidence. On the other hand, citizens in any country cannot be given the right to do whatever they want without respecting others. We may or may not agree with the policy of a certain government, yet we have to abide by the law, otherwise the law of the jungle will prevail.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there must be civil laws to provide protection to the citizens, or else anarchy will prevail. However, in my country the federal government passes laws to protect us from our own supposed stupidity. Thus, each time our right to make our own decisions is taken away from us. Those who break civil laws, whether local or federal, must be prosecuted. But as it stands now, the person arrested has more rights than the victim of his/her crime. It's very confusing.
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