Personal Responsibility

A friend told me that some writers tend to stay in the middle of the road and do not typically point blame towards one side or the other. My friend expressed that in my writings I tend to point blame on other people or people higher up in society. In lecture, my professor stated that people have to take responsibility. After doing some introspection, I realized that is indeed how I have been writing. While I am by no means recanting what I said, I would like to add that people have to take responsibility for their own actions. In my personal life, I try to refrain from pointing blame on others for my actions and decisions. I am grown. I have values, beliefs and ideas, which allow me to make my own decisions regardless of what is going on in my environment. I do believe that circumstances mold and shape people into the person they ultimately become; and that aspects such as family, environment, society, etcetera also influence one’s behavior and personality.

That being said, I am, you are, we are still responsible for our own actions. Yes, I believe that the media portrays false and negative images of the black community and women. On any given channel, one may find a woman dressed in sexually revealing clothing. One may also see people in the black community, typically men, as unproductive, undereducated and mischievous. Yes, I do believe that some images influence individuals to act in a certain manner based upon what they perceive to be reality. All of that being said, it is still not an excuse to act in such a manner. To use something like the media as an excuse for one’s behavior means that they are incapable of possessing logical, rational thoughts and decision making skills.

“Oh, well he was just a victim of his circumstance.” What is that? That states that we do not posses the ability to better ourselves. That means that we are born into a life that we will never be able to get out because we are a victim. A victim is a bad thing to be. A survivor, however, is a powerful tool. Do not be a victim of your circumstances, be a survivor of your circumstances. A survivor continues on in life’s journey, looking back and remembering, but never lingering. Yes, bad things happen in life. I don’t know why things have occurred in mine, but I do know that it has made me stronger and most important, the person that I am today. We cannot blame others if we want to move on, grow and become better in life. We have to take responsibility.