Thinking about personal responsibility, and it's larger implications.
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I've been thinking about personal responsibility. I'm not talking about simple examples, such as knowing that it's my fault when I get fired for continually showing up late for work-nothing like that.
I'm thinking about personal responsibility on a much larger scale. You might even consider this "group responsibility," but we are all members of a group, and we all have a voice. We all have personal responsibility within our group.
Many members of the Nazi Germany death camps, etc claimed, and still claim-that they were just doing their jobs. Following orders.
This is failing to take personal responsibility-an extreme example.
Last Sunday, in Juarez, Mexico; there was yet another massacre. This latest one involved a lot of innocent teenagers having a gathering. These were not drug cartel teenagers-but it's certain that the killings had to do with the never ending wars between the cartels over distribution routes, etc.
The reprisals, and tragedies of this nature are occuring 24/7 in Mexico these days.
Are the trigger men personally responsible for these murders?
OF COURSE THEY ARE!
But lets dig a little deeper. What role did YOU play in it?
YES YOU?
Do you support politicians and policies relative to TOUGH drug laws, and our never ending, failed prohibition, aka, "The War On Drugs."
If you pay taxes, and vote for politicians who consistently deny that there has been a total failure of our government in it's policy and philosophy concerning drug prohibition-the YOU play a part in these never ending murders.
I don't want to hear any nonsense about how you blame the consumers of illegal drugs. Yes, they are partially responsible too. In fact, they are EQUALLY responsible, but not MORE responsible.
Do you support our imperialist war on "terror?" I say that you support hypocrisy if you support a war on terror, and policies in drug laws that create such a demand for illicit drugs, and the situations in which violent criminals grow rich, and kill teenagers at a party-and go unpunished.
Are these Mexican cartels not terrorist?
I say that they ARE, and just as our nation's refusal to drill and use it's own oil reserves empowers Islamic militants, so does our nation's prohibition laws empower Mexican drug cartel terrorist.
Think about it, and how your voice, and your votes, and the nonsense that your pastor talks about affects these things; and think about your personal responsibility when you vote, and pay taxes.
Thanks for reading.
Accountability and Personal Responsibility.
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Thanks a lot, man! I appreciate it.
Shhhh! What are you trying to do? Let people in on the fact that they are not innocent bystanders to the current shortcomings of society?!
I wish more people would wake up to the fact that we are all participants in the condition of the world. Butterfly wings; we are all butterfly wings and it is sad that so few seem to carry that their angry flapping is causing tsunami's across other peoples' lives...
I'd prefer to piss in people's cheerios, but I can only piss so much!
If I read the condition of posting on HubPages right, they require that all posting be in ENGLISH, I suppose American English...
Why are you using foreign words and don't take the time to translate them?
What is that "responsibility" and even worse "personal responsibility?"
And finally, Todd Shaw from Kaufman Texas, is that in America? Do people think there????
When is the next election? and who are you voting for?
Mr Shaw, May I just say that all the ideas you've presented here as facts are new thoughts for me. I didn't know anyone thought like this. My acceptance of these ideas will require a switch in paradigm. I've taken your thoughts into consideration and will give due diligence to review and research this information. Comments to come at a later date.
Evelyn Ann,
It comes down to this: Are you your brother's keeper, or not?
If so, where does your responsibility to your brother end?
Of course I disagree on many points—but you know that already, my friend—but you have a such a way of driving the words home...hmmm. Darn you for that. :) I can only comment on the oil question, where I have stated once or twice in other venues that I think that the use of foreign oil could possibly be a strategic manuever. We all know that oil is depleting, at least for now. We also know there's a lot of oil on US soil and in US territories, including offshore. If we hold our reserves, when oil is depleted in these other larger oil producing regions, and once developing nations have an ever increasing demand for oil (like China), we will be the last man standing and the oil will be ours to control and sell, making the US a very powerful bargainer in the grander scheme.
It's a bit radical, but its a theory I feel safe expressing here. :)
Environment is simply a user friendly cover for our ultimate plan. For the record, I am FOR this, if it is true. If I were in the government, I absolutely would support the effort in the interest of national security and national interest.
Hey, thank you, Sir!
I like your "oil theory," but what I see happening is an end to our national sovereignty. I really feel like this new world order business will be under way by the time the Middle East starts to tap out.
As always, I hope that I'm wrong!
I hope so too. Please, please be wrong Mr. Wesman. :)
In all honesty Todd, I think that we are beyond the point when we should look for independence digging our own oil. We are at the point we should be looking for a different source of energy, and serious about it. The internal combustion engine has a top rate of 30% efficiency, the rest of the energy is wasted as heat.... The diesel which is a little bit better is 37% efficient...
I think that what we should learn is that in the future, less and less people will earn their living working and the doggy dog world of today...
So we have to learn how to support the world population without exploiting labor...
What would the Arab world do without oil as revenue???
It will take us all a while to understand the meaning of responsibility...
Great comment.
I have no idea what the Arab world would do without their oil industry. I think they had best start thinking about that one right away.
Of course I knew that loads of energy was lost as heat in the combustion process; but I'd never read the percentage stats.
I'm also aware of the peculiar problem of entropy, as outlined in the second law of thermodynamics.
As part of a Psych/Ed program in Substance Abuse--I have students watch the documentary "American Drug War," http://www.americandrugwar.com/ for the simple purpose of examining personal responsibility and to explore how money, power and greed have influenced not just drug dealers and addicts, but governments too. The goal is to enter into a critical discussion about what we can do to become politically motivated to change the system, and address the euphemism “the war on drugs." Most students are not aware of the social and political implications this problem has globally or economically, as well as how to approach addiction from a perspective of prevention and treatment verses incarceration. Nice article, Todd.
Thanks for the link. I'm interested in seeing that.
Every single human being breathing in this Universe has a connection with and a responsibility for every OTHER single human being. This fact is much too simplistic and realistic for most people to grasp.
There is a huge problem with what is called "the new atheist movement" and the problem is that that movement seeks to discredit every single bit of human wisdom accumulated throughout the entire history of mankind - because science is too broad and vast to even begin to measure it all, the new atheists most often concentrate on ...absolute nothingness.
kowality 2 years ago
Ouch..That hit home real hard Wesman. I think you're right about waking up. Right on Brother.