 |
H O
W A R D U N I
V E R S I T Y
Faces
& Voices IV
AN ANTHOLOGY OF VERSE AND
PROSE
Responsibility
Kenrya Rankin
Of late, from the classroom to the boardroom, accountability has
been a major buzzword. And while it is frequently tossed around, no one seems to really know what it means. Accountability is defined as holding a
person responsible. Responsibility, that is where the key lies. People in
positions to influence the lives of others, i.e. parents, principals, and presidents, need to be held responsible to exert that influence positively.
This is particularly an issue when it comes to providing guidance for our posterity. Sadly, the people of America have become a people who fail to
take responsibility for the souls of their children.
It has frequently been stated that children are creatures of
imitation. Simply put, they do what they see. Virtues are instilled not
through lectures, but through practice. If Jonathan sees his father cheat
on his mother he grows to think that cheating is moral, even if his father
tells him that he should settle down with one woman. We need to realize how
much control we have on the lives of our youth. It is essential that we mobilize as a responsible community and rally around our children to protect
their best interests. We must hold the people in our country who (wittingly
or unwittingly) serve as role models for our children responsible for setting glowing examples for them. It is not acceptable to lower moral
standards for someone because he makes $40 million a year. It is not acceptable to dismiss cheating on the football field as playing "technique."
It is not acceptable to employ "creative" accounting techniques. When we
lower our moral standards, or throw them out the window as the case may be,
we teach our youth that virtues are unimportant. The time has come to be responsible to our children, to ourselves.
Will you take the first step and set positive examples for your own children? Will you mentor a child in kindergarten, or be a listening
ear for a high school student? Will you actively help to curb gang violence in
your city by speaking with the local members and making them aware of opportunities to further their education?
I have begun my necessary journey-I pray that you will as well.
| 