Responsibility. When does it actually come into play in our lives? Are we being responsible when we share our toys when we are little? Or, alternatively, is responsibility a much bigger matter? Would it be comparable to remembering all of our family member’s birthdays without being reminded by someone else? Is it cleaning up after our selves or taking the trash out without being told to do so? There’s no physical line we cross to become adults; it just rather happens somehow. College is the place where I have truly learned to be responsible for myself, as well as my actions. No one is telling you what to do all day. It is not even similar to going away camp, since they wake you up at a certain time and drag you out to do activities. No, responsibility is a personal decision that you take on. It comes at a wide variety of ages for different people, but at some point or another, we all need to be held accountable for what we say and do.
Being the youngest child, I have been called the “baby” my whole life, yet my parents tell me that I am the most conscientious and reliable child of all the three girls. I feel as if our responsibility is rooted deeply within us from the beginning of our lives. Growing up, my parents divorced when I was in the second grade. My mother ran her own business, while my father went from job to job. I was never oblivious to our money concerns, so perhaps I always felt a need to work and take care of other people in my family. No matter where our need to be responsible comes from, hopefully by the time we leave college we have become mature enough to handle the world. The key is not just to be able to take care of ourselves, but to have the maturity, wisdom, and intelligence to take care of the people around us. Selfishness is a quality we are all born with. When we are little, we truly believe the world revolves around us. Yet, growing up is realizing that there are many other people in this great, big world, and putting yourself as number one is not the way to true happiness.
My blog is not all about questions or even about finding answers. It is simply an outlet for thought.
Peace & Love,
Allison
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I think that's the purest way to define love. When, without the benefit of conscious effort, you find yourself more protective of the happiness of another than the capricious stirrings of your own self you are loving. We are all born as finite being, with a bottomless pit inside of us. Gratifying selfish urges feels so good, but it will never fill the pit. Wisdom comes in part when we learn to see the bottomless pit in everyone. Everyone carries with them their own suffering, and their own need to transcend suffering. Even pure, selfless love cannot fill the pit, but it can help those you love stop trying to fill the holes, forgive themselves for being finite, and in turn be selfless to others. Slowly in this way, our society may stop being driven by production, and instead be driven by compassion.
ReplyDeleteWow both of you wrote some deep stuff... Your thoughts make me want to be a better person, and try to be less selfish. I admire you Allison
ReplyDelete