"Responsibility is defined as the act of being accountable, reliable, and able to respond or answer for one's conduct and obligations. The American public has lost its sense of responsibility, claiming not to know what it is and therefore not having to act a certain way because of it. I believe the loss of responsibility can be traced back to the failure to be reliable parents.

In the early 1900's, divorce and single parent pregnancies were scarcely heard of. Children were brought up to respect authority and to take responsibility for their actions and obligations. No excuses were made for these children. Many things have changed since then, young girls get pregnant, fathers do not feel obligated towards their children, and morals are pushed aside and never taught to the youth. Parents no longer know their own children, because they refuse to take a break from climbing their corporate ladder. Who is left, then, to raise the children and to instill the family values we all so desperately need?

Children are raising themselves while their parents are at work. This could be one reason why tragedies such as suicide are on the rise. A survey taken in 1991 of U.S. high school students showed that 27 percent had thought seriously about suicide at least once in the past year. Eight percent of these students had tried to kill themselves. I live in a small town of 600 people, and I know of at least three teenagers who attempted to commit suicide in the past two years. Two of these teenagers succeeded. What could cause the youth in today's society to become so desolate, so lost?

I believe that a lack of responsibility on the part of parents is a big reason for the condition my generation is in. Children are growing up without a parent to welcome them home from school, and a lack of interest is being shown whenever the parents do return home from work. We cannot expect these children to teach themselves morals or responsibility when they have never seen them. For example, a teenage girl locked her own small child in a car without a window cracked to go to a party. When the young girl returned, she found that her child had suffocated in the back seat and died. I am unable to understand how we can expect a younger generation to instill love and patience into their own children when too many of them were the victims of child abuse as children. Children can never be psychologically normal after being beaten by the two people they trust the most.

All people are not irresponsible parents. In fact, a lot of people take responsibility for their children and raise them to the best of their ability. There are lots of loving caring parents that have disturbed children. Just because a teenager joins a gang does not mean that he/she was beaten or verbally abused as a child. Many other factors contribute to the character of a child, besides just parent influence.

Many people in this nation are trying hard to help our generation; not just bash it. My aunt and uncle are foster parents, and often take in disadvantaged children. There are many people in the U.S. that not only take on the responsibility of raising their own children but also the children of others. Another program that began specifically to help children is Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Programs such as this one give neglected children the opportunity to get to know, respect and admire an adult. Other adults take time out of their busy lives to volunteer time to children in other ways and places, such as through the school systems in their neighborhood. Whether the time is spent by reading to first graders, helping with multiplication tables or perfecting a jump shot, the time spent comes from the heart, not from the wallet. Parents have also started to encourage their children to accept responsibility by holding part-time jobs, doing community service, or donating their time and talents to local services. By encouraging this, they help to keep them busy and teach them to be reliable and giving.

My last example of the good things happening in our community to help the children is the crackdown on child abuse. While it was once a hidden violation in families, child abuse is now something that everyone is aware of and careful to watch for. Stricter laws are also helping to guard against the physical harm some children receive from their parents. They have made at least some parents think twice before letting their anger get the best of them.

I do not have a perfect plan to rid our country of all unacceptable parents. In fact, I'm not sure my solution to the problem will even remotely help. I do know, however, that if nothing at all is done the problem will grow. I would suggest that, instead of having classes in grade schools to teach morals, that we educate before the problem ever starts. Educating high school students on the trials of raising a family might help them to react to situations in a better way. Too many teenage girls become pregnant before they are ready to care for a family. This class would teach them that babies are not all fun and games. These classes would be made available to people of all ages, as needed, and [a passing grade would] be required in order to graduate from high school."
Stacy Marie Simon, Argonia High School, Argonia, Kansas

"Alan has been a heavy alcoholic for twenty-five years. He has lost many jobs, missed regular doctor appointments, and has stolen money out of his children's savings accounts, including out of his wife's. After his unemployment checks quit coming, he began stealing more and more to support his habit. From his friends, neighbors, people in grocery stores, and anywhere he could get money. Finally his family left him after he kept refusing help. The bank repossessed his house and he had no friends to turn to. He had no place to go and no money. Alan then began living in a cardboard box on the streets. After deciding he couldn't take it anymore, he took a gun and returned to his old neighborhood where he walked into a grocery store and shot several people including his wife and his youngest daughter. After three and a half years in prison he sued his ex-wife for being the cause of his alcoholism, anger and insanity.

This is just one example of what it means not to accept responsibility. Our morals and values, what do they mean to us? Who is responsible for these values? What we need to realize is that responsibility just doesn't belong to one person. Responsibility is a fundamental basis of society. If people keep refusing to be singled out, to be responsible, then all of us suffer. 'A chain is only as strong as its weakest length.' If we analyze the story just given we see that Alan's lack of accountability falls on us too. The people around him suffer both emotionally and financially. His family suffers, losing a provider and a father. And we the tax payer suffers when we put him in prison to support him when he gave up supporting himself.

Responsibility is defined in the Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary as 'the quality or state of being responsible; as moral, legal, or mental accountability; reliability, trustworthiness, something for which one is responsible: Burden.'

A very key point is brought up in that definition which is quality. The level we choose to perform our responsibility. The responsibilities we carry are not always pleasant but all responsibilities carry their own rewards. The key to these rewards are in the accomplishments we achieve when our responsibilities are met and the quality in which we perform them. Whether it is a promotion at work, an applause or standing ovation, or even seeing your children knowing the difference between right and wrong. These so called burdens are the very things that defines leadership and stardom, what makes us individuals.

We also see another key word in that definition, accountability. To whom are we accountable? There's just not one answer, but many. First we are accountable to ourselves. This is the most important responsibility. For ultimately, it is the only thing we can be responsible for. For the only true responsibility is the morals and habits we set for ourselves and how they reflect toward our community, friends, nation and environment. Our achievements and goals are the most important decisions we make. These are our own responsibilities that cannot be hidden or be blamed on any one but ourselves. These responsibilities are our ethics, morals, goals, and dreams. To not give up, or give in.

Next is the responsibility to our family and friends. This deals more with your actions and with intentions. To be helpful, honest, loyal, obedient, and always putting someone else first. Our responsibility to our family is easy for those we love but should never be compromised. It is our duty as a family member to uphold that family as well as our friends for they are the building blocks we set our own goals upon. They are always believing in you and they're the ones we turn to for our disappointments and wrongs. Be forgiving as they are forgiving to you.

Then there is the responsibility to our community. As we reach for our own personal goals that are important and personal to us. So are the goals and dreams of the people who surround us. Our community is the tangible attainment of our moral and future goals and lifes. The more we make our community a better place to live, the closer we make our world the place of hope and desire.

Also, we each play a large responsibility to our government, for ultimately it is not the President, the judges, senators, and representatives who run us, but the people, US, we who elect and choose the laws by which we abide. The choices our government makes, good or bad, can only be blamed on us if we choose not to take part. From the old to the very young, our government provides the right for each person to live out their own dreams. And the one real leader of our government is the voter. We have a responsibility, not only to those we care for, but ourselves to lead our nation to the great American dream we all seek.

And finally, we have a very big responsibility to our environment, for despite whether we are rich or poor, Greek, Jew, American, or any other nation; black or white, male or female, there is only place we can call home. We are the caretakers of our 'palace' and very beautiful land. Our neighbors in the sea or air or the rocker in your couch, all live loyally to the environment and have an important lesson to teach that all things rely on one another. If we are not responsible to ourselves and our very important neighbors, we will all suffer. This is our home. This is our Earth.

I can't forget about the ones who do take responsibility for themselves. The ones who care what happens in their lives, in society and in our world. I do admit there are a few people out there who do take it upon themselves to be responsible. They're proud of who they are, and to be in this world. These people are the real humans."
Melinda Tracy, Argonia High School, Argonia, Kansas

"Everybody's goal in life is to be successful and rich. Well to even come close you probably would have to have good skills in responsibility. Most people would agree that teenagers today lack responsibility. I would also have to agree, but I would say that if they can't handle responsibility, that somewhere in the parenting process something was omitted. You can see the difference between kids in the city and kids in country places like Argonia. The kids in the city have parents who normally both work at a job leaving the kids to form their own responsibilities. This of course leads to groupings of kids getting into trouble or joining gangs. Parents who live in smaller communities have a tendency to drive their kids to achieve in school and in getting a job.

I personally love to do what I want to when I want to, but as far as my life goes my mom keeps a handle on that. My first real experience with a major responsibility would have come when I turned fourteen and obtained a job working for a guy named Rolando. This was my first job and of course [I was] very nervous. I had to take the responsibility of showing up to work and then when at work, complete the assigned job.

The first job entailed working with installing, maintaining, and repairing sprinkler systems in the Wichita area. When I first started my responsibilities were simple as to the point of digging holes all day. As I progressed through the year though my responsibilities increased. Soon I was left alone at the job sites to complete assigned tasks. Now I had to be concerned with leaving myself enough money to be able to buy lunch and drinks from my paycheck. I worked at this job for over one year and the only reason I left was because I had to move.

I immediately applied for another job. This new job would be working at McDonald's. I enjoyed working at a new job for it had a whole new array of responsibilities. Here there was a very structured way of management that I had to get used to. After about a year had passed and I had turned sixteen, I made Crew Trainer. Now I had the responsibility for training new people to correctly and efficiently fulfill their new job. This new position now took me to one step behind management. At present date I still am working at Mcdonald's and within a matter of weeks will be promoted to manager. This is very exciting, yes, but it involves many more new responsibilities.

During this process of obtaining jobs and making money, I obtained a car. This car was, of course, not new, but very reliable. Anybody who owns a car knows what kind of responsibilities comes with it. You have to pay for insurance, tires, repairs for broken parts, oil changes, and many other things that could go wrong. After my first car I now possess another car which is newer but has cost me already about $500 to make it legal and repair it. Through careful planning I own two cars that run pretty well. My parents have problems keeping just one in good running condition. This was accomplished by good responsibility and management of my resources.

Now all of this sounds like that I keep a pretty straight and responsible life; that I have my life all planned out. I don't even know what college I want to go to or ever if I want to go to one; which career to choose or what kind of work I want to do. I myself, with all this experience in responsibility, will be a father in about six months. I still have one year of school left and plan [to] finish school while at the same time keeping my job and trying to support my new family. This is going to add an [enormous] amount of new responsibilities, but I just plan on taking it one day at a time."
Steve Lyne, Argonia High School, Argonia, Kansas

"The word 'responsibility' is no new word for Americans. Parents, teachers, and even peers have been trying to teach and pass on responsibility to others since the beginning of time. As each year passes though, responsibility turns more into irresponsibility. No matter how much responsibility is being taught it seems to be over-looked or ignored.

Many people feel that if they were wealthy, then all of their problems would be solved. Many will stop at nothing to become rich. This is why our courts are overloaded with cases that do not amount to anything and shouldn't even be thought twice about. People are making thousands, even millions of dollars on these small no account cases that shouldn't even be in America's courts.

Some examples of these cases are a man sued the jail he was presently staying in because the mail was slow and it arrived to him late. Also, another man sued the jail that he was also staying in because at dinner his butter melted on his plate and ran into his mashed potatoes. These are only a couple of atrocious examples where people made something little into something way out of hand, just for money.

When people hear the word 'America' they think of a strong country where people are giving and sharing, the 'land of the plenty'. I'm sure tourists are disappointed and feel very let down when they journey to our homeland. Instead of the giving and sharing that they've so often heard of, they see dirty streets with people stealing and begging for food, money, and even clothing. Situations like this make our nation look like trash.

Not only our nation's people, but everyone should take a step back and just look at what our country is coming to. How can we get our friends and family to understand that they are tearing our country apart? People are being immature, ignorant, and very selfish. An example of such selfishness is a case where a young boy was working for a farmer during harvest when he got three of his fingers cut off while trying to put a loose belt back on the combine he was driving. The doctor was able to sew the fingers back on but they never worked properly or looked the same ever again. After the boy's family moved to another state, several years later, they proceeded to sue the farmer for several thousand dollars just before the statute of limitations ran out. This might not seem like such a bad case for a family to sue over to some people, but I feel it was stupidity on the boys part, and totally his fault, since he did stick his fingers in a running machine instead of properly shutting it off like he had been taught. Really, the family has nothing to get upset about, the boy shouldn't have been so lazy and taken the time to shut the machine off before inserting his fingers into it.

When people sue for such dumb things it's only showing stupidity on their part. Do they not know that they are costing, not only our country, but themselves money when they pull such stupid stunts. How is America supposed to afford all of the money that people are receiving from these irresponsible and just plain ignorant cases?

Really America, we all need to grow up and show others what a great country we can be. Take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming others. Let's show others that we are the 'land of the free,' instead of, 'the land of the weak.' Don't let all of the negative aspects control our attitudes. There are some people our there who are trying to make a difference. For example, my family hosted a foreign exchange student from Hungary last year so he could get a chance to live in America for a year. My family fed and sheltered him for ten months, out of the goodness of their hearts, getting no money in return. Another good example that is happening in my home town is a preacher goes out of his way for all of the kids in our community. He helps as the assistant coach for the junior high boys football and basketball teams. He also leads a youth group every Wednesday night and he occasionally holds a pizza party at the church on weekends to give kids something to do and a place to hang out.

My parents are now foster parents and take in children who can't live in their own home for the time being. My parents might not be changing the world, but they are making a difference. My best friend, who is a teenage mother, participated in the 'Toys for Tots' program and bought a five year old boy a set of roller skates that he had wanted. Also, any surrounding towns have had various fund raisers for a family whose mother was paralyzed in a car accident. The communities donated enough money so that the family could purchase an electric wheelchair.

"The younger generations haven't been raised to be any different and now, they are raising their kids to be the same way. The cycle is continuing and something needs to be done to stop it."
Stephanie White, Argonia High School, Argonia, Kansas