1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Responsibility, Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means For The Nation
Teacher: Jan Weldin

Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

1st Heather Stearns   2nd Jennifer Roosevelt   3rd Ryan L. Moore

"Lately it seems as though the attitude of the general public is one that constantly wants to play the victim....This is illustrated perfectly by Calvin of the 'Calvin and Hobbes' cartoon when he remarks to his father that nothing he does is his fault, as he is the 'helpless victim of countless bad influences", and that "an unwholesome culture panders to his undeveloped values, pushing him to malfeasance; he should therefore take no responsibility for his behavior.'... In this past decade and a half, we have come to expect others to take care of us; it's time we learned how to take care of ourselves. Enough of this society of victims! We are all a victim of something or other, whether it's racism, bigotry, ageism, sizeism, a repressed childhood, or the asbestos industry. It's time to get on with it already."
Nicole A. Mellado, Carbondale High , Carbondale, Illinois

 "No one wants to say, 'It's my fault. How can I help?' Instead, people making ridiculous and sometimes dangerous mistakes, point their fingers and scream, 'Help me! I'm a victim!' The American society has become lazy. No one takes pride in a job well done. Instead they mooch off of everyone else's mistakes, and even find a way to earn a little extra from their own by blaming anyone but themselves. America has become a 'take what you can get and run' society of leeches.É People gripe that the wrong person got voted in and that the laws passed are no good; how many people have taken the time to write Congress or the president when a bill they don't like is being debated? My guess is not many. I would be willing to bet even fewer write to say they agree with a certain bill. When people start taking an active part in their government, then it will be what they want. Until then, they need to shut their mouths and learn to live with the government they are allowing to exist."
Heather Stearns, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

 “People like Glen Bailey, of Keene Corporation, have decided to fight questionable lawsuits rather than settle them. Bailey is taking responsibility for his corporation which manufactured asbestos plaster, cloth, and pipe coverings. With over 76,000 cases pending, he is making sure that only those who deserve compensation will get it."
Nicole A. Mellado, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

 "During a single day, ten various networks showed a total of 389 serious assaults, 362 incidents of gunplay, and 273 punching scenes."
Andrew Tsung, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

 "Imagine a world where everyone is responsible...there would be no corruption, no teen pregnancies, no drug addicts, no ugliness. We would never have to worry about our brothers, or neighbors, or employees, because everything would be perfect. Of course, this is an impossibility; however, what is possible is to become just a few steps closer to that perfection....Most of all, we need to realize that with our personal freedom, the liberties that we fought so hard for, comes responsibility."
Nicole A. Mellado, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

“Whose responsibility is it, anyway? I was wondering that the other day as I sat listening to a conversation among a group of friends. In that group, there were many different types of people represented when it comes to dealing with responsibility. Although they may not admit it, each person has a certain idea of their own responsibilities and how they deal with them.

The first type of person I noticed was the talker. She spoke loudly and brashly, and she was "always right." Her way of dealing with responsibility is not to deal with it at all. She gets bad grades because "her teachers hate her," not by any fault of her own. She hurts other people's feelings "because they are overly sensitive." She stays out until the wee hours of the morning because "her parents never told her what time to be home." All in all, she scrapes by doing as little as she can, and nothing is her responsibility.

After I noticed the talker, I soon noticed the earnest listener, as well. She glued her eyes to the talker, and with every word that was said she nodded her head in agreement, regardless of her own opinions, if in fact she has any. The eager to please listener accepts the responsibility of everybody and anybody. She constantly apologizes for everything she says and does, and will take the blame for things that are quite obviously not her fault. She has a problem with responsibility in that she can not recognize what is her responsibility and what is not. In being this way, she comes across as very passive and gullible.

In this same group of people, there was the rebel, sarcastically commenting on everything that was mentioned. He rolled his eyes at any mention of responsible behavior, and got a crazed look in his eyes when a dangerous situation was discussed or suggested. The rebel respects nothing. He is the epitome of irresponsible behavior. He drives drunk, he practices unsafe sex, he abuses his body, and he does not take anything seriously. Whether he be at Lacrosse practice or in math class, the rebel does whatever he can to shrug off responsibility. He is not stupid or untalented, though. He has what it takes to excel, he just chooses not to use his gifts. This naive, hurting boy hates nothing more than responsibility, for he might then be held accountable for his actions.

Also participating in this interesting conversation I listened to was the girl who should know better. She is one of the most frustrating types of people to know. This young lady quickly recognizes "wrong" but somehow does not steer clear of it. She feels she can not quite commit herself wholeheartedly to being a fully responsible person, for fear of disappointing herself and others. She takes responsibility seriously, yet sometimes acts impulsively and against her own beliefs. For her, responsibility is a huge commitment looming ominously over her. She practices the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy of life. One day, she could be an extremely responsible adult, but for now, she chooses to take the easy road and join the talker and the rebel in denying that they have responsibilities.

Although these people are set in their ways, there are things that they can do to make themselves more responsible people. The talker, for instance, can try to be more sensitive to other people's feelings and most of all, think before she speaks. The earnest listener is not exactly irresponsible, but she can improve her self-image. That would be a way that she can be responsible to herself.

I could write an entire book on ways the rebel can be more responsible. For starters, he could respect others, himself, and life in general. He could also try to play by the rules for once and see where it gets him. Although responsibility seems an impossible goal for the rebel, he could adapt his life to be a more responsible person if he tried.

The "girl who should know better" can easily become more responsible. All she needs to do is listen to her heart. For this girl knows what she should do but has trouble carrying it out. Someday she will probably be very responsible, but only when she decides to be.

After taking in all these outlooks on responsibility, I asked myself what the real question is. Whose responsibility is it? Well, I think that it is each individual's responsibility for their own actions. Whether or not one chooses to admit it, we are all responsible for ourselves and ourselves alone. Although at times it is easy to try to be responsible for a friend or loved one, we can really only be responsible for ourselves. In the same way, we can not expect anyone else to be responsible for us. We enter the world alone, and we will leave the world alone, and in between we must be responsible for our own lives. Only in that way can anyone be truly happy or successful.”
Heather Stearns Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

"Responsibility. Webster defines it as (1) a being responsible; obligation and (2) a thing or person for whom one is responsible. That really helps. So, I turn to Webster once again looking for responsible. This definition includes a lot more. It is (1) expected or obliged to account for, (2) involving obligation or duties, (3) accountable as being the cause of something, (4) ability to think and act rationally, accountability for one's actions and, (5) trustworthy and dependable. No wonder people shy away from the word. Some of its implications aren't too scary, though. Take for instance definition 5. Everyone wants people to think they are dependable and trustworthy. Teenagers, for example, get more freedoms if they can be trusted. The rest of the definitions are a little harder to deal with. No one wants to do those things."
Heather Stearns, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

“To most, being responsible is a burden, a duty; it is something to dread. As a classmate of mine so eloquently put it, "Responsibility sucks. I hate being responsible for anything".'"
Nicole A Mellado, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

"In order for us to overcome this irresponsible behavior, we must learn to take pride in what we do, realize that what we do can either be beneficial or detrimental to others. In short, whether it's marriage, family, or classroom values we're trying to improve, we must consider ourselves as 'one' with each other. By sharing and partaking in each other's capabilities, we can learn to meet our responsibilities."
Ryan L. Moore, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

“People from France are possibly the most responsible in the world."
Alicia Endres, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois

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