Last
night on Sixty
Minutes, they did an
indepth interview
with a young
basketball star
named LeBron James.
Now, if you have
read any of the
columns I’ve written
over these past
twenty five years,
you will notice a
dearth of
discussions on
sports. The reason
is simple. I don’t
know anything about
sports. I know this
may come as a
surprise to you, but
I’ve been focusing
on other subjects
for most of my life.
Anyway, this
interview was
refreshing and most
of all, hopeful. It
showed us a young
man who rose up from
a life of poverty
and has made
something of himself
as well as those
around him. Although
he is only twenty
four, he is already
looking past his
sports days and what
he wants to do when
that time comes. I
applaud him for his
efforts and his
vision.
The one thing I did
not hear from him
was a ‘I am a
victim’ attitude. He
took responsibility
for his actions, for
the hardships that
he suffered in his
earlier years and
shrugged them off as
just part of life.
In my opinion, this
is a rare thing in
our society today.
I don’t know about
you, but I am tired
of listening to the
chronic whiners of
the day as they
attempt to convince
me that all of the
troubles in their
lives are somehow my
fault.
I’ve got news for
you. I have troubles
of my own. All God’s
children have
troubles. (I heard
this somewhere)The
old adage of the
squeaky wheel gets
the grease is never
more apparent than
it is today. Not a
day goes by that we
aren’t subjected to
the ‘woe is me’
complaints by
someone who failed
to take personal
responsibility for
their own actions.
Someone robs a bank
and then complains
about the method in
which they were
arrested. Someone
crosses the border
illegally and then
complains because
they were deported.
Someone is sentenced
to a drug
rehabilitation
clinic and is upset
because they can’t
see their friends
for a month or so.
Another person is
sent to jail for
years for stealing
someone’s life
savings (think
Madoff) and they are
indignant because
they can’t be out on
bail using the money
they stole as
security. Another
person loses a job
because they faked
their resume and
they get mad and
feel put out upon
while saying…
‘Everyone does it.’
My mother and yours
as well used to say…
“If all of your
friends jumped off a
cliff…would you as
well?”
No, friends we have
made a lack of
personal
responsibility a
science as well as
an art form in this
country. Nothing
that we do or that
happens to us can be
traced to our fault.
We are absolved of
any guilt for any
situation that ever
occurs. Mass
murderers can stand
up in a court of law
and proclaim to the
world, without
smiling, that the
reason they went on
a rampage and killed
multiple people is
the fact that they
didn’t have a
birthday party when
they were ten or
eleven years old.
God help us all.
The drunk driver who
tries to drive home
and smashes into
another car killing
all of its occupants
has no trouble
finding a lawyer to
sue the bartender or
the restaurant who
kept serving him
alcohol. The courts
are full of these
type of law suits
where the thought of
personal
responsibility is
thrown out of the
window. When I grew
up all of the
swimming pools had
diving boards, you
ever see one on a
backyard pool today?
Nope, I didn’t think
so. The pool makers
stopping selling
them since they were
being sued so often
for the reckless
behavior of
swimmers. When I was
a kid I knew better
than to try a double
back flip. Does this
make me perfect? No,
of course not. I did
stupid things just
like everyone else.
The difference to me
was that when I made
a mistake and got
caught, I knew in my
heart it was my
fault and I was
responsible for my
actions. All of us
know in our hearts
what is right and
what is wrong. We
know when we hurt
someone or do
something that
causes pain or
grief. What we have
done as a society is
to allow those
feelings to be
pushed aside and be
placed at the feet
of someone other
than ourselves.
The all knowing
government cannot do
this for us. The
schools cannot do
this for us.
Religion cannot do
this for us. Only
our family can do
this for us. Our
families have to
stand up and take
responsibility for
the children and
instill them with a
sense of personal
responsibility such
as that in someone
like LeBron James.
These are the kinds
of role models our
country needs today,
not glorifying drug
dealers or the rich
who made their
wealth by some
illegal methods. We
need to get back to
basics….and stay
there.
