Rockridge High School

Taylor Ridge, Illinois

Teacher: Barbara Downey

 

 

Personal Responsibility

By Eric Adams

Grade 12

 

   

A man goes to school and graduates high school. Instead of going to college he decides to get a job and make some money. Through years of hard work and determination he worked his way up the chain of command. He finally got the college diploma he passed up in his younger years

and now is vice president of a successful corporation. This story may sound like a Horatio Alder rags to riches story but how do you know it is not a story about your neighbor or a man that goes to your church?

   

The world is a little different in this advanced society that we live in today. That does not mean the older generation does not know what problems the young adult’s face. They have gone through situations that we have not even thought about yet and know how to get through it. These experiences need to be shared for the benefit of the younger generation. It is the responsibility of the older generation to stop the younger generation from making the same mistakes.

 

In order to reach the younger generation the older generation must go where the younger kids go. Elders can volunteer at youth-based facilities to get closer to the kids. A good place for interaction like this is a local community center. The seniors can go there and just help kids with things like homework or problems the kids may have. They can share their time and experience with the kids while helping them learn what not to do or vice versa.

 

School outreach programs are another way to share through volunteering. By going to the school the elders can give a little bit of advice and how they got where they are today. This is a way of furthering the kids’ education and letting them know what the work force has to offer. This will benefit not only the students but the grown ups as well. It might also give the kids the opportunity to make new friends who are older in age.

   

Career mentoring is also a way for the older generations to share life experiences and skills. This helps kids to learn from the people who know best. In the career choices the elders have made there are a lot of things they have learned and need to share. Kids can learn more about their interest and what these interests have to offer as a future career opportunity. This will help kids from making a decision that they will later regret. The older generation has to take the first step though. If kids know they have someone they can learn things from, besides a teacher, they may take more interest.

 

Mentoring also teaches kids a skill (such as mechanics or electronics) that may help them later in life. The grown-ups can teach them something that could spark a future career. It may be what they have learned or a new and better way to do what they learned easier. This could spark the genius of the next Bill Gates or Stephen Hawkins. If kids can get the experience of the work force early on, they can better educate themselves for the future.

 

If the younger generation does not have access to these types of programs, the elder generation needs to provide them. Philanthropy from the elders may be needed for these opportunities to happen. This is where the man in the first paragraph could be very important, especially if he were a charitable man. For example, some people have bought two houses as investments but one could be used as a place for young people to go and have access to all these programs, such as community centers or mentoring facilities. I know most people do not want to give up something they worked so hard for, especially for a simple reason as this. But how do they expect the world to keep growing for the better if our youth cannot stop from repeating the mistakes of the past generations?

   

Philanthropy does not necessarily mean money. Time and patience have as much a part in this if not more. Kids do not always get it on the first try, and patience is something that is greatly needed when working with kids. When trying to teach kids something, it is up to the older generation to understand the kids do not have the same education as the older people do and may not know what everything is, even though the kids sometimes say they do. I also know time is a precious commodity and most do not want to spend their spare time with somebody else’s kids. But without the sacrifice none of this will ever come about and the younger

generation will be the ones who suffers.

   

I am not saying the younger generation is full a bunch of slackers who cannot survive on their own. The older generation have had a bunch of experiences and lived longer then the younger generation. It is the older generation’s responsibility to teach kids not to make the same mistakes their generation did. Also, the elders need to guide the younger generation to learn skills that will help them in their future. Mentoring, volunteering, and philanthropy are all key parts of this plan to help our society continue its advancement in the twenty-first century.

Essay A: Questions

1) The United States see marriage as a formality. They go through it because of tradition. The love is still there and the romances are still burning but society views marriage as a death trap. In Manus marriage is much more serious. Their society looks down on divorce and multiple marriages. They even invest toward the success of the marriage. If they fail they lose all their assets and respect of their community because of the failed marriage.

2) 26 years, first marriage "To keep your mouth shut as long as possible because once you say it you cannot take it back."

26 years, first marriage "Love, trust, loyalty, and respect."

4 years, first marriage "Communication and mutual respect towards one another."

29 years, first marriage "Patience and complete understanding."

29 years, first marriage "Honesty and loyalty and knowing when to stop."

3 months, first marriage "Always being there when your are needed most."

3 months, first marriage "Unconditional love and loyalty."

8 years, first marriage "Being very sentimental and knowing what each other wants."

8 years, first marriage "Be forgiving and have a convenient forgetfulness."

5 years, second marriage "A genuine attraction toward something your spouse has to offer."

3) According to Richard Eckersley our collective goal should be to dematerialize society without reducing the quality of life. Research and advocacy organizations have urged a halving of global material flows. They argue that this reduction, while obviously massive, is achievable using present technologies.

4) There has been talk for many years of making a community center out of the old grade school. I think if we pulled together as a community we could provide a place for the young people of our community to go. This would help keep them out of trouble and allow them to do something creative.

5) The toy industries' gesture was very nice and a good hearted. It is not a sufficient substitute to a child who has lost their mothers. No doll could ever replace the unconditional love a mother has to give to her child. The doll is just an imaginary source of affection that cannot give anything back. A child needs their mother more than they need a doll.

6) Lawyers help us keep our individualism, one of the basis of our democracy. The lawyers help people keep their freedoms from the danger of tyranny of the majority. The strong amount of diversity in the United States causes many arguments over social customs. Lawyers help to mediate through the factions. Through the wealth of this nation we have been able, with the help of lawyers, to make our world pleasant to live in. They also help businesses to save money on repeat transactions.

7) When practices turn bad and need to be changed I prefer regulations. If regulations are set then no one can be blamed unless they do not follow that regulation. If customers always complain their soup is too hot then set a temperature that is a close medium. Also, it stops the busy work place type people from having to stop and complain about something not being right.

8) When the baby boomer generation retires our society will greatly benefit from it. The job market will open up and allow the Generation X'ers to settle down. This will help start the next baby boom. Some of these baby boomers will retire early and start their own little businesses with contacts they previously made. This will create even more career opportunities for the next generation. Without the hassle of work some baby boomers may start helping to clean up the mess the environment has become and help to make the world be a good place to live for generations to come.

9) The likelihood of President Clinton's antipoverty program making an impact is highly unlikely. The plan itself is a good one but getting everybody involved to agree with it is the hard part. I do not think everyone is willing to take such a risky investment on what seems to be a lost cause.

Another thing is we do not have the assurance that once helped the poor will stay on the right track. They may just keep looking for another handout of charity from the government. Even if the plan caught on it would not reach everyone. This plan seems to be based more toward the inner city and not the poor people out in the sticks.

10) Truett Cathy and Tom Lewis have many things in common. Both are well- respected philanthropists who believe strongly in helping their fellow man. They also set up programs to help unfortunate kids catch a break. However, both say they could not have done it with out the help of God and his grace.