Victoria King Kondos – Communications Director at Building Change, Inc.
The theme of personal responsibility in America is waved about on both sides of the aisle. The question that our individual and collective futures rest upon is what constitutes personal responsibility and how is that capacity cultivated in the character of individual citizens? In reading varying political views around this topic what stood out most was the fact that the narrative is primarily being driven by individuals in positions of privilege. Why does that matter? Because the capacity for informed personal responsibility hinges upon equality in access to quality primary and secondary education, mentoring (aka exposure to living examples of what personal responsibility looks like in practice) and the development of critical thinking, objectivity, and empathy.
Those three qualities are sorely neglected in public school curricula which are primarily focused on teaching students how to sit standardized aptitude tests. To empower our youth we should be teaching them how to identify and use the tools of learning and strengthen their intellectual independence. That is not happening in many public schools. The result is that only those emerging adults with the resources in place to attend private secondary schools or go to university right out of high school will be interactively exposed to the concepts of critical thinking and personal responsibility at all. It would be beneficial in all aspects of economic and social life if young adults were encouraged to develop those tools for decision making before they become eligible to vote.
At this moment in time, books that were formerly part of secondary public education required reading lists are being banned in some states. Why are those works, intended by their authors to evoke critical thinking and elicit proactive discussion, so threatening to certain political interest groups? The United States has been back sliding when it comes to research, development, and innovation – disciplines of thought which all require critical thinking and objective assessment. The general population is encouraged to consume far more than they are encouraged to create. We are encouraged to engage in passive observation and vicarious virtual experiences rather than proactively producing value. Such a strategy may serve short-term profit in some spheres, but it inevitably leads to entropy in many others.
We are being entertained senseless and distracted to death. Obsession with appearances, morbid curiosity, and immediate gratification have eclipsed the deeper curiosity that leads to discovery and innovation, this situation is also derailing meaningful communication and human connection. As a behavioral scientist every single day I see individuals, families, and coworkers who are incapable of clearly identifying and communicating their own needs, or of recognizing the needs of others. On the one hand we are experiencing an unprecedented crisis of self-absorption. On the other new forms of unhealthy codependency are developing as a result of our difficulties in building and sustaining healthy interpersonal relationships.
To become environmentally responsible, we need the capacity to understand the ecumenical impact that our choices and our behavior have. We must be able to think beyond the immediate gratification of a product or service we engage with to consider the broader implications. How materials are sourced, how items are produced and distributed, how the workers at every stage are treated and what conditions they work under, and how we responsibly dispose of products at the end of their lifecycle are all aspects of personal responsibility. To become socially responsible, we need the capacity to both set and enforce personal boundaries, but also to cultivate our compassion and empathy, respecting the autonomy and dignity of others while seeking productive collaboration. To become politically responsible, we need to do our homework and demand transparency rather than settling for the convenience of prepackaged opinions. Convenience is the killer of personal, social, and political responsibility. Throughout history, freedom has been won, and sustained, at the cost of great inconvenience.