Responsibility—You
Have Got to be Kidding
By
Ed Rigsbee, CSP
(892
words)
Some
Americans say it is the responsibility of the super-rich to be socially
conscious by frequently demonstrating their benevolence. Why is this
so—who made that rule? Simply by virtue of their ability to create
wealth or possibly because of their birth; they are mandated to
redistribute wealth—why?
What
about self-reliance? When did that go out of vogue?
How
about the American privilege to succeed or fail? Must everyone have a
safety net placed two inches below their feet? Don’t you think such a
safety net will dismantle one’s desire to succeed—one’s passion to
succeed—one’s will to succeed? Where does responsibility fit in? Why
must fish be given to the lazy? Isn’t it better to teach them how to
fish?
I
personally believe in paying community rent. I’ve done this my entire
adult life; volunteering for youth fraternal groups, social service clubs,
youth sports and today, running a 501 (c) (3) charity that I started a few
years ago. However, I did this of my own free will and accord. Nobody held
a gun to my head and made me do it.
For
over a decade, I served concurrently as an American Youth Soccer
Organization referee and a United States Soccer Federation referee—the
former position for pay, and the latter as a volunteer. Frequently I would
be asked why I would referee for free when I could be down the street
being paid. I did both. I paid my community rent. And, it was my choice.
It’s
All About Choice
Choice
is the issue—my choice to volunteer to make a difference, or my choice
not to volunteer. When the day comes that I’m forced to volunteer, my
passion to make a difference will disappear. I recall descriptions shared
with me by my Austrian friends, of Soviet era
East Germany
, with bails of hay sitting in fields uncollected and rotting because they
were never picked up by the State. With passion gone, nobody cared to deal
with the problem, because it was the State’s problem.
Apparently,
America
is on the path of risk taking aversion. Be clear on the idea that I’m
not damning the persons that truly need a helping hand. However, I am
damning the persons that are, daily, suckling at the nipple of the sow by
the name of The United States Government or that of state and local
governments. At some point citizenry must contribute to their
society—one cannot forever take. If one chooses to take, and not
contribute, they have not lived up to their responsibility and in my
opinion, have not earned the privileges enjoyed by contributors to said
society. Why on earth do freeloaders deserve a free ride?
Safety
Comes With a Price
America
is a relatively safe country. And for those that desire to earn their way,
can select from countless communities in which to live. During my tenure
as a soccer referee, I found it a privilege to safely spend a Saturday
with local youth, enjoying the beautiful community in which I live, and
not having to worry, as countless do in third-world countries, about
improvised explosive devises (IED) exploding around me.
As
with safety; infrastructure, higher education, geo-political clout, and
freedom comes with a price. While my hat is sincerely off to all great
Americans that have served their country in military service, there are
also additional ways to serve one’s country—lead by example;
demonstrate personal responsibility. Live an exemplary life by
contributing well-adjusted offspring to society, by making a difference in
one’s community, and by exhibiting financial responsibility.
With
Privilege Comes Responsibility
This
is where the rubber meets the road. Sure, we all want stuff—that’s the
American ideal of consumption. And consumption feeds capitalism, our
country’s economic system—and that is okay. Capitalism allows the
citizenry to achieve or fail. While societal safety nets can serve, safety
nets cannot be a society’s ideal, goal, or standard method of operation.
People must be allowed to experience the anguish of failure in order to
truly savor the sweetness of success. In America, we are afforded the privilege of freedom—freedom to succeed or fail.
Do
we have the right to take away one’s passion? We do it by continually
intruding on the lives of our citizenry with either social, financial, or
emotional safety nets. My greatest fear for
America
is that we are teaching our citizens to depend on the federal, state, and
local governments for their daily sustenance and shelter. If this trend
continues, will there be any Americans still working? At what point will
we disassemble our great democracy and fall into the carcass similar to
our neighbor to the south? Shouldn’t it be your and my responsibility to
stand up for the concept and ideal of privilege through responsibility as
opposed to privilege on the backs of others?
Ed’s
World
As
I have continually stated, I live in a glass house and have not always
lived up to the ideals that I espouse. However, I do not slit my wrists
with a desire to bleed out in my bathtub, but rather pick myself up when
failure rears its head in my life and try to do things differently, and
with the sincere desire to do better. You can do this too—leading by
example can be your wonderful contribution to society.
Copyright
© 2010 Ed Rigsbee
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As
an internationally recognized keynote speaker on partnering, alliance, and
relationship ROI, Ed Rigsbee helps corporate and non-profit audiences to
end the anxiety of lost opportunities and unfulfilled promises and get
what they say done. Ed Rigsbee, Certified Speaking Professional, has been
fumbling, bumbling, and stumbling his way through the organizational mazes
of for-profits and non-profits for over four decades. For the last two
decades, Ed has been an observer, researcher, and teacher; helping
organizations of all sizes to build successful internal and external
collaborative relationships. In addition to serving corporate and
non-profit clients in their partnering, alliance and relationship ROI
needs, Ed also serves as the executive director of a (501 c 3) public
non-profit charity. Ed has authored three books and over 1,500 articles
helping organizations to take full advantage of their potential. Contact
Ed, through www.Rigsbee.com for
assistance and to access a number of his complementary resources for doing
better.
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