1995-1996 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
Responsibility Who Has It And Who Doesn't
And What That Means For The Nation
Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
Teacher : John Smith
1st Danny
Stimac 
2nd Rachel
Grenier 3rd Keoni
Sundseth
"The definition for 'responsibility' is, 'The act of being capable to make moral
or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's actions; having
personal accountability.' Responsible can be used to describe people who are not afraid of
taking the blame and consequences of their conduct. Responsible people help benefit
everyone around them and those are the people that help strengthen society because they
are reliable."
Keoni Sundseth, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"Responsibility is taken for granted in our nation and must not be overlooked. We
are all irresponsible one time or another, but we must learn from our mistakes. We learn
responsibility in our homes and by our choices. We should help each other to be more
dependable and trustworthy, and by doing that, this nation will gradually be full of
responsible people, one by one."
Amy Joy Matsen, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"In my opinion, a responsible person is one who has moral values, is trustworthy
and reliable. No one is born a responsible person. Responsibility is acquired through
experiencing life; the good and the bad. Irresponsibility, on the other hand, is plain and
simple immaturity! An irresponsible person usually has low self esteem and constantly lets
people down."
Courtney Akana, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"The last positive community effort I was involved in was one down at the Old Kona
Airport. There were different groups of people who participated; youth groups, companies,
and people who just wanted to participate individually. I got to know a few people better,
and meet some [new ones] also. This was another 12 hour event. When we had breaks we would
dance, meet more people, or play cards. It is amazing how much fun you can have at a
fundraiser for others without getting any rewards physically, because of the company you
are surrounded with and the rewards you get emotionally, and the memories that are
shared."
Deanna Marie Cintas, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"I was on a trip to Oahu with some friends when I was caught for shoplifting. I didn't see why they had to arrest me because I figured that the store could afford it and I thought bringing me to the station was pointless. I tried to justify my actions by claiming that I was addicted to stealing and it was the actual rush of tricking someone that made me do it. It almost worked, but I was convicted and in the end had to take the consequences for my actions.
Throughout my teenage years I have been pressured to do something because people say,
'It's not wrong because...' and then they try to justify their position. I was raised in a
Christian home, but no one really emphasized why theft was so immoral. I was pressured
into shoplifting and once I gave in I built up a wall and would not admit to myself that
what I was doing was wrong. I had brainwashed myself and why it was so easy to manipulate
myself was because my beliefs on theft were not strong enough to withstand a minute
fraction of pressure."
Keoni Sundseth, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"Each of us has to be responsible regardless. I believe that people have the right
to expression, as long as it does not interfere with their other responsibilities. For
example, the article about the Indian with the long hair. Even if his hair was long and it
did bother other people he worked with, it still didn't give those people the right to
control what the man had to look like. In the end, the man ended up cutting his hair, but
to make things easier, I think the chief should have examined the work that the officer
had done, and if his hair really had interfered with his work, or if it was simply his
personal opinion. We as human beings cannot look only as far as appearances. I think the
chief should have taken into consideration the officers quality of work, more so than his
appearance."
Deanna Marie Cintas, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"Homeless people are also irresponsible. They create a grungy and unsanitary environment for the rest of us, especially in our little town. They do not take the initiative to get and keep a job to support themselves. It scares me to see dirty people eating out of the public trash cans and bathing in the public restrooms. I do not see the purpose of having their irresponsibilities being our consequences for having to put up with seeing them and sharing the same town with them.
I think if they had a little push under them they might be able to lead an average
life. It should be illegal for homeless people to live on the streets, parks, and beaches.
A shelter should be built for them to camp in, without the modern conveniences everyone
else has. After about a one to two month period they should at least have a steady job and
pay rent. I believe if they have an incentive to get out of that shelter shack they could
start to get a real place of their own and begin to be accepted back into our social
world."
Lehua Lee, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa,Hawaii
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how
much you already have."
Deanna Marie Cintas, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"My own solution to our recreation problem is fairly simple. First the government
would have to cut down on useless road repair. Then they would have to get a company to
design a really nice recreation park with playing fields, skateboard ranps, swimming
pools, bike and running courses, and sidewalks."
Adam Broderson, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"Looking at all of the idiocies and indecencies of the present day, one can get
rather get weighted down with the feelings of despair and hopelessness. But then there are
those that take these opportunities and receive inspiration from them. And from these
inspirations these people will give birth to wonderful ideas for helping and solving the
world's problems."
Rachel M. Grenier, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"I believe that to help solve the problem of abortion it should be made illegal.
This would make it much harder for girls to have an abortion. Second, I think more clinics
like the Crisis Pregnancy Center should be opened as places where girls will be loved,
cared for and told the truth."
Elizabeth Royce, Makua Lani Christian School, Holuoloa, Hawaii
"In our school, Makua Lani Christian School, graffity and tagging (gang writing)
in the halls has become a problem. The principal of the school brought this up in a recent
school bulletin. One student confessed to a majority of the tagging, but all of it was not
his. He was suspended for three days and will be buying paint to paint over the graffity.
However, nobody has taken responsibility for the other graffity. Even though there are
many problems in the community, and statewide, there are still good things happening that
are having a positive effect. Since I was just on the subject of the graffiti in our
school, I will share a possible solution to the problem that the principal thought about.
She will be talking with the faculty and the Board of Directors about having a
"tagging" area where the students can do all the graffiti they want. I don't
know whether this solution will be effective, but it's worth a try."
Danny Stimac, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"Someone once said that if I didn't love a girl then I would be considered a
gay."
Warren Tooley, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"There should be less glamourizing of sex, drugs, and violence on the television,
and more family oriented programs to promote communication and trust between parents and
their children."
Psalm Wilson, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii
"It's been said that our schools here in Kona have the highest teen pregnancy rate
in the United States. Our little speck of an Island out of all the fifty states has the
highest. And they have been dealing out condoms among the schools for years and it still
remains the same."
Aaron Kekoa Witt, Makua Lani Christian School, Holualoa, Hawaii