Kecoughtan High School

Hampton, Virgina

Teacher: Emma Flood

 

 

 

The Role Of Personal Responsibility in Improving the Quality Of Life in Our Communities Today

By Graham Currin

 

The role of personal responsibility in improving the quality of life in our communities is a topic as immense as it is intricate. One can delve into the subject of violence or tackle the ever-increasing economic barriers between people. The importance of these topics underlies the subject of the peril [which is the failure to address] the moral fiber and social foundation of the community. Under the areas “to consider” there were three issues that seem to compliment each other. These issues are (1) the need for communities to return to [their] members, (2) the dangers of ageism, and (3) the need to introduce America’s youth into the business world at an early age. It is impossible to pick apart these issues since their answers and substance are as interwoven as the powers of the government that they abide by….

 

How might we infuse character and values in our community? [The] answer [lies in reversing] the flow of isolationism among people where a man buys is own “patch of America” and literally makes [it] his castle. {Like his neighbors,] he builds fences and walls and buys security systems to keep the world out. The average man is consumed with work and conditioned to be wary of the menace of crime and those who seek to take away what he works din and day out for. So he shuts himself in, lowers the portcullis, raises the draw and thus keeps out the dangers that the world poses. But when he does this, he also keeps out his fellow man; the man who works just as diligently and probably has many of the same interests; a man who could aid him and who could strengthen the two should they align. So how to strengthen ties in the community? To start, make the man feel secure enough to lower his guard. Encourage a stronger police presence to reassure neighbors that they can venture out from the safety of their respective castles. A police car in the drive of any cul-de-sac puts that [cluster] of houses at ease. Break down those barriers and make the alliances between the neighboring kingdoms. Have cookouts, ball games, festivals, and church related events. In short, answer another question.

 

How might we remove the fear and disdain that many members of the oldest and youngest generations feel toward one another? This question answers the former. The older members of the community have more experience and therefore values and character which they can contribute to the community. However, the quandary here is of an older generation disillusioned with society, desiring a return to the (not to be trite) “good ol’ days”, and one which harbors prejudice in their view of young people as disrespectful, irresponsible and criminal. The younger generation is at fault for those who do conform to this prejudice. Those who fail to obey the law or show deference to their elders are also detractors. Then there are those younger people who feel alienated by this stereotype. They are more than willing to learn from their more experienced predecessors, but feel generalized so they make no effort to reach out. The solution must come from each group demonstrating willingness to interact share, and learn. The younger generation has the ability to disprove their stereotype. They can learn a lot from the older group and offer aid, comfort, or just an [respectful] ear in return.  The older group can find an outlet for their knowledge in the younger group. They can instill knowledge and values, thus shaping the community and curbing violence and lawbreaking. The youth can receive valuable advice, which will serve as the legacy of the older generation. This interaction fosters a mutual investment.

 

Consequently the interaction results in the problem of young people in the real world as productive career workers. How might we prepare students for the work place and help them to make good career choices? The answer here lies in the relationship between the younger and older groups. The older groups control jobs, and as a result, money and experience, [all things] the younger needs, wants or will some day need. The older generation can teach the younger responsibility through employing the younger generation whether it be through babysitting, landscaping or other means. These are baby steps necessary to shape the youth for the business-world. In addition, the older people can aid the younger citizens with all of their resources. They can offer advice and counseling on matters and teach them the code of ethics and realities of the business world. The older citizens can help the younger find themselves and in turn find their careers. The older ones might even know employers searching for hardworking people with potential. All of these issues are interrelated and involve heightened interaction.

 

This analysis has served only to clarify the interdependency of communities drawing closer, breaking down ageism, and preparing our nation’s youth for the real world. Understanding the problem is, however, often the hardest part of the solution, but without concrete answers there is no progress. And there is no progress because people fear the answer and are afraid of change. The three of these points are connected by a common thread; the role of personal responsibility in improving our communities. The question is its own answer. These three points can only be initiated when the individual takes the cause of improving itself and its community into his or her own hands. People have to open themselves to the community. They have to seek out friends and start relationships. They have to care for one another and share the desire to promote the common good. This is not something that can be fixed by dry and impersonal programs or committees who perform research. It requires an individual investment. The answer must have its roots in a person being strong enough to know that one person might not make a difference at first, but that that one person can inspire others to make a difference in the future.