2nd September, 2023
Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a 1953 radio address, “One of the most common tendencies of human nature is that of placing responsibility on some external agency for mistakes we have made. We are forever attempting to find some scapegoat on which we cast responsibility for our actions.”
We all tend to avoid responsibility & try to blame it on others.
The blame game goes back to the beginning.
God told Adam and Eve when He placed them in the garden that they could have it all, except they were not to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden.
However, they ate the fruit of that tree, and in the evening, as God walked in the garden, He called for Adam and Adam responded, “Over here, Lord.” Then God asked the question, “Adam, did you eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden?”
God already knew the answer but He wanted Adam to respond. Adam, however, did the “manly thing” and replied, “Lord, let me tell You about that woman You gave me!” and that’s where the ball started its long, unending roll.
God then asked Eve if she had eaten the fruit, and Eve passed the ball along and said, “Lord, let me tell You about that snake!” (Genesis 3:9–13, author’s paraphrase).
And, of course, the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on!
Theologically speaking, I know I’m in error when I make that statement. However, I am not in error when I say each one of us must recognize that it is not “his fault, her fault, or their fault”—it is our responsibility.
To solve the problem, we need to go back to the beginning and, starting in the family, teach our children responsibility.
We need to teach the values of being non-judgemental & building trust to take responsibility for their actions.
Next, we should pass the baton to the teachers in the schools and insist they continue to teach responsible behaviour & let taking the onus of our actions be on each one of us.
Then, when our youth have learned their lessons well, they will practice responsibility in their personal lives and the workplace as well.
When this happens, the responsibility crisis will end and we shall have a better society as a result.
It is never easy to take responsibility for your actions, especially when those actions have consequences.
But rest assured; it is worth it!
As the bestselling author John C. Maxwell once said, “People who blame others for their failures never overcome them. They simply move from problem to problem. To reach your potential, you must continually improve yourself, and you can’t do that if you don’t take responsibility for your actions and learn from your mistakes.”
Take responsibility for your actions & stay blessed forever.